Republican Mark Ronchetti, running for governor in New Mexico’s gubernatorial race, is hitting Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) on crime, saying “it’s easier to be a criminal than to be a cop” in a recent ad.
The ad details a potential home invasion in 2012 where Ronchetti’s wife Krysty and his daughters were forced to hide in a closet in their home.
“Gov. Lujan Grisham has made it easier to be a criminal than a cop,” Ronchetti says in the ad. “She’s released criminals from prison early and appointed soft on crime judges.”
“I’m not sure what kind of response we would have gotten, and not because the officers wouldn’t want to respond, but because we have put them in a situation now where it’s easier to be a criminal than to be a cop,” he continues.
Weeks ago, a survey of likely New Mexico voters found that 85 percent want to roll back a statewide law — once supported by Grisham — to make it easier for courts to lock up accused criminals before their trials. Only four percent said they opposed changing the law.
To divert from the issue of rising crime, Grisham has sought to make the gubernatorial race a referendum on abortion by doubling down in support of the state’s late-term abortion policies.
“The only position that is extreme in this race is the governor’s abortion position allowing for abortion up to the moment of birth, which most New Mexican’s oppose,” Ronchetti’s spokesman told the Santa Fe New Mexican.
“This is nothing more than a transparent stunt by the governor and the New Mexico Democrat Party to get their media allies to focus on anything other than her failed record as governor,” he said.
The latest poll in the gubernatorial race shows Grisham leading by a slim five points even as her unfavorables are higher than Ronchetti’s. The poll shows that Ronchetti still needs to make inroads in the suburbs where voters are split.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.