Susana Martinez, GOP candidate for New Mexico governor
In less than a week New Mexico voters will head to the polls for the state's primary election. A new poll by political blogger Joe Monahan shows Susana Martinez has jumped into the top spot for the Republican gubernatorial nomination.
KOAT in Albuquerque reports that Monahan's poll shows Martinez with an 11-point lead over Allen Weh.
Pollster and KOAT political analyst Brian Sanderoff said he's not surprised Martinez has pulled away from the pack.
Ten days ago, Sanderoff had Martinez neck and neck with front-runner Weh.
Sanderoff says Martinez has been on a roll and all the breaks seem to be going her way. He also says Martinez's momentum changed when an Albuquerque Journal poll named her one of the front-runnners in the Republican primary. Martinez received the newspapers endorsement this week.
Martinez got an even more high-profile boost when former vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin visited New Mexico and endorsed her.
With six days until the primary, Sanderoff said that Republican candidates are really going to have to target voters. That means registered Republicans who have a long voting history and those who only turn out for general elections.
