Grassroots Power: Lt. Gov. Denish Gets Triple the Petition Signatures She Needs in First Week

Denish speaks about her values at petition signature kickoff

In less than one week of the signature collection process, more than 6,300 New Mexicans -- from each of the state’s 33 counties -- have already signed petitions to allow Lt. Gov. Diane Denish to file in February 2010 to run for Governor. According to her campaign, the number of signatures collected by the campaign is nearly three-times the number required (2,163) to file, reflecting the strong grassroots support for Lt. Gov. Denish in all regions of the state.

As we saw in the Albuquerque mayoral election this week, Democrats can sometimes be split on who to support in a contest. In the 2010 governor's race, however, it's clear that Democrats are of one mind -- they're incredibly united behind Diane Denish no matter where they live in the state. Denish has friends and supporters everywhere, a product of growing up in Hobbs, running a small business for years, serving as Chair of the Democratic Party of New Mexico and traveling the state to meet constituents during her almost eight years of service as Lt. Governor, working on a myriad of issues that revolve around education, children and families, jobs, women's issues and bolstering small businesses.

“I am inspired by the optimism, enthusiasm and energy I feel across New Mexico,” said Lt. Gov. Diane Denish in response to the grassroots success. “We’re facing some serious challenges, but the people of New Mexico want to seize the opportunities ahead, not look backwards. New Mexico is well-positioned to be a leader in the 21st Century economy, and as a former small business owner and two-term Lt. Governor, I believe I’m uniquely qualified to get us there. The signatures we’re collecting reflect the faith that New Mexicans from all regions of the state have in me, and likewise, my candidacy will reflect the faith that I have in them. Together, we’ll win in November 2010 and then seize the opportunities ahead for our state.”

In addition to collecting signatures at polling locations during Tuesday’s Albuquerque City elections, the campaign has obtained signatures from all 33 counties, including canvasses at the Shiprock parade, the Eastern New Mexico State Fair and the Elephant Butte parade.

As of today, nearly 400 New Mexicans have already volunteered their time to help the campaign collect signatures.

Despite collecting 6,300 signatures in the first week, Lt. Gov. Denish said she plans to fully participate in the preprimary convention, and the campaign will continue to mobilize its grassroots organization and collect more signatures until February. Signature collection canvasses in the coming weeks will take place in Lea, Dona Ana, Santa Fe and Bernalillo counties, and in smaller communities across the state.

To become a part of the grassroots action supporting the Denish for Governor campaign, visit her website, join Friends of Diane and sign up to volunteer.