近距离内射合集

So much for the coronation.

After Deb Haaland's lopsided victory in the Democratic primary, conventional wisdom suggested New Mexico's race for governor might be over before the general election campaign got started.

Haaland, the former U.S. Interior secretary and congresswoman, has national name recognition. She has an enormous fundraising advantage and is running in a state where Democrats have dominated statewide elections for a decade.

Republican Gregg Hull, the former longtime mayor of Rio Rancho, entered the general election considerably less known statewide. He has raised a fraction of Haaland's campaign money.

A blowout seemed possible.

Not so fast.

The latest 近距离内射合集 Poll, released Sunday, shows Haaland leading Hull by just 6 percentage points with 65 days remaining before Election Day.

Haaland is ahead, and she remains the favorite.

But 6 points isn't a blowout. It鈥檚 almost within the statistical margin of error (plus or minus 4.3 points).

It's a horse race.

And perhaps the most remarkable part of the poll is that Hull has gotten this close despite raising less than $1 million for his campaign. Haaland, meanwhile, has raised millions. Her war chest will allow her to flood the TV airwaves with commercials from Labor Day until Election Day.

Already, Hull has demonstrated that money isn't everything. He won the Republican primary despite being significantly outspent by his two major opponents. Now he is within striking distance of Haaland despite being dramatically outraised by her.

That should get the attention of both campaigns.

For Hull, the poll provides an opportunity. A Republican within 6 points in New Mexico with two months remaining can make a much more compelling case to donors 鈥� inside and outside the state 鈥� that this is a race worth investing in.

For Haaland and Democrats, the poll should be a wake-up call.

Haaland has spent much of the summer traveling around New Mexico, emphasizing personal appearances and face-to-face contact with voters rather than immediately unleashing her enormous financial advantage on television and other advertising.

There is much to admire about that approach. New Mexico is more than Albuquerque and Santa Fe, and candidates for governor should spend time listening to people in communities across the state in places as far-flung as Lordsburg and Hobbs and Farmington and Clovis.

But campaigns also have to define themselves 鈥� and their opponents.

Money sitting in a campaign account doesn't persuade a single voter.

The Journal had an opportunity recently to get beyond the advertisements and talking points.

In August, Haaland and Hull separately sat down with Journal owner and Publisher Bill Lang and me for conversations over lunch. The meetings were largely off the record, and the Journal is not looking to make endorsements on its Opinion page.

During our time with Hull, he told us on the record that private polls were showing him within the margin of error. He explained he would not campaign negatively and would focus on issues.

With Haaland, I told her face to face that the Journal鈥檚 coverage would be fair and objective. She declined invitations to debate at the Journal or appear separately at a town hall during the primary season.

Honestly, Haaland and Hull displayed genuine enthusiasm about the race. And both clearly believe they can win.

New Mexicans deserve to see more of that.

The Journal, in conjunction with KOAT-TV and 近距离内射合集 Radio KKOB, invited Haaland and Hull to debate at the KOAT studios in Albuquerque last month. The campaigns opted for another debate opportunity.

We鈥檙e continuing our efforts to convince the former congresswoman to debate at least twice, understanding debate preparations take valuable time off the campaign trail. Hull has said he鈥檒l debate anywhere, anytime.

It鈥檚 Haaland鈥檚 prerogative to debate only once, but forums and debates conducted by independent, objective news organizations make a difference. It鈥檚 where candidates can be questioned directly about the issues confronting New Mexico.

This state faces enormous challenges involving water, education, healthcare, data centers and affordable housing, to name a few issues. The next governor also will inherit tremendous opportunities, including historically strong state revenues thanks to oil windfalls from the Permian Basin.

Those issues deserve more than television commercials and campaign appearances. They deserve sustained questioning, competing ideas and candidates willing to defend their positions in front of voters.

Haaland remains the candidate to beat. She has the lead, the money and the advantage of running as a Democrat in a state that has increasingly favored Democrats statewide.

Hull has something else 鈥� evidence that he may be more competitive than almost anyone expected. He's already proved once this election cycle that the candidate with the most money doesn't necessarily win.

Haaland would be wise not to give him an opportunity to prove it twice.

Sixty-five days remain.

And New Mexico has a governor's race after all.

James Bennett is managing editor of the Journal. Reach him at jbennett@abqjournal.com.