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NM Gubernatorial candidates face off over jobs, economy

By Jim Williams

Albuquerque, NM – With just 37 days remaining until election day, New Mexico's gubernatorial candidates once again faced off Sunday over two issues many voters are following closely right now: the economy and jobs. Democratic Lieutenant Governor Diane Denish and Republican Dona Ana District Attorney Susana Martinez met in front of a full house at Congregation Albert in Albuquerque. Martinez, as she did in the first debate last month, tried to tie Denish to Governor Bill Richardson, who Martinez said grew the state budget unsustainably over the past seven years. Denish blasted Martinez's television ads, calling them a distraction from the real issues in the race, and said Martinez doesn't have a plan for creating jobs.

Denish: She's fighting for the big corporations, the people that are bankrolling her campaign. Just the other day she said that she would roll back regulations, put a moratorium on all of them the regulations that protect our families, our land, and our water. We've seen that movie before. It's the same failed plan that got us into this mess.

Martinez said she doesn't believe that state government creates jobs, but that instead it should promote an environment in which jobs are created. She said she favors rolling back regulations that are not scientifically-based and that are, in her words, "killing our jobs".

Martinez: We have jobs that are being lost because of the green building codes. We have to provide incentives for those to exist in our state absolutely but to make it mandatory during this recession, is only more and more difficult for the families who are being required to pay those costs.

KUNM was at the debate.