Fright Fest: Susana Martinez Hiding Out From Newspapers, TV Reporters, Business Leaders

We all know Democratic President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's famous line, "The only thing we have to fear is, fear itself." Susana Martinez, the GOP candidate for New Mexico governor, apparently lives by a slightly different motto: "The only thing I have to fear is, transparency itself." What is she hiding?

Although Martinez likes to describe herself as a champion of open and transparent government, her recent actions tell another story. In the run-up to election day, Martinez has been sticking to scripted events -- or none at all -- and has been avoiding encounters with the press and others like she'll catch the plague if she has to answer any question about her positions. It's been a regular right-wing fright fest on the part of Susana -- or maybe she just has a thing about Halloween. 

First off, over the past few weeks, Martinez has refused to take part in newspaper editorial board interviews with both the Weekly Alibi and Santa Fe Reporter.

After Susana blew them off, the Santa Fe Reporter said, “Susana Martinez is the first gubernatorial candidate in this newspaper’s history who declined to come in for an endorsement interview. So even if her ideas trounced Denish’s, we’d be hard-pressed to endorse her. Why? Because the strongest tools against corruption, waste and bad policy are transparency and accessibility. Denish has a strong track record in these areas.” The Reporter endorsed Denish.

After Susana dodged them, the Weekly Alibi wrote, “Susana Martinez was unable to come in for an endorsement interview, because, her people said, she was too busy. We called every day for weeks. She is the only candidate who couldn’t participate in the Alibi’s Election Guide. ... Answering a few of our questions would allow Martinez to communicate her ideas with our 165,200 readers. A candidate who doesn’t make time to help voters understand her platform simply has no business in politics.” The Alibi endorsed Denish.

The Denish Campaign also recently learned that Martinez ignored repeated attempts by public-broadcasting news organizations to interview her. These include KNME and Report from Santa Fe. And just today, the campaign got word that Martinez skipped out on a scheduled meeting this morning with the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce -- sending lieutenant governor candidate John Sanchez instead.

“Apparently Susana Martinez and her handlers don’t have anything to say about the important issues facing New Mexico families,” said Denish spokesman Chris Cervini. “New Mexicans should start to wonder what Martinez will do if elected. It is clear her sound bites and platitudes are masking an agenda that’s dangerous for New Mexico’s families, including siding with powerful corporations at the expense of New Mexicans.”