Mark Ronchetti gets boost from Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin in New Mexico governor race

MESILLA - Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Ronchetti made a brief stop in Mesilla Wednesday to rally a group of supporters and local candidates at a restaurant near the town's historic plaza.

Joining him was Virginia's Republican governor, Glenn Youngkin, who fired up the group of 90 people with a brief speech exhorting them to elect Ronchetti and other Republicans "and pave a new way for New Mexico."

While recent polls suggest incumbent Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham holds a lead, Ronchetti promised a close contest in the weeks leading up to Election Day on Nov. 8.

"We need you to go out and make these rooms bigger," Ronchetti said to the room, "to go spend your time talking to every single person you can in Doña Ana County and making sure that we get the vote out, making sure that we talk to people that may not vote or we talk to people that may not always vote for a Republican."

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Fittingly, Ronchetti was introduced by former Doña Ana County Commissioner Isabella Solis, herself a Democrat who switched to the Republican Party in 2019.

He also delivered an abridged stump speech hitting the governor and the Democratic-led state legislature on crime, education and border security. He repeated campaign promises including reduced pretrial release of criminal defendants; a redeployment of the National Guard to the U.S.-Mexico border ahead of a new "border strike force" to combat human and narcotic trafficking; and a school voucher program Democrats have said would harm funding for public schools, particularly in rural districts.

Ronchetti also promised a 50 percent income tax cut and an oil and gas revenue-sharing program paying taxpayers $100 for every $1 billion in revenue paid to the state.

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The former KRQE meteorologist sported a brand new red vest with his campaign logo, a gift from the Virginia governor, known for his fleece vests, who has toured the United States on behalf of several Republican governor candidates this year. Youngkin has also met with political donors amid speculation he might seek either the presidential nomination or a Senate seat in 2024.

Youngkin, who narrowly defeated Democrat Terry McAuliffe in 2021, attributed his upset victory to grassroots organizing and urged supporters in the room to recruit friends to get the word out and turn out the vote in November.

"It is your job right here in New Mexico to go get your surfboard and get on that red wave," Youngkin said to cheers.

Several local and statewide Republican candidates were in attendance, including State Treasurer candidate Harry Montoya and appeals court candidate Gertrude Lee. One of Ronchetti's primary rivals, state Rep. Rebecca Dow, also appeared in a show of support.

Ronchetti and Youngkin quickly exited the room after the latter's speech, as Cheryl De Young proceeded immediately into a meet and greet with local Republican candidates while those who left were invited to take Ronchetti signs that were distributed throughout the room.

A spokesperson for the Ronchetti campaign said plans for other appearances in the Las Cruces area were under discussion but details had yet to be confirmed.

Election Day is Nov. 8. Absentee voting and early voting at the Doña Ana County Government Center, 845 N. Motel Blvd. in Las Cruces, begin on Oct. 11. More information on voting in the county is available at www.DonaAnaCountyElections.com.

Algernon D'Ammassa can be reached at 575-541-5451, adammassa@lcsun-news.com or @AlgernonWrites on Twitter.

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This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Mark Ronchetti gets boost from Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin in Mesilla