Ronchetti to face Lujan Grisham after breezing through GOP primary

Jun. 8—ALBUQUERQUE — Former TV meteorologist Mark Ronchetti weathered a bruising primary to win the Republican nomination for governor Tuesday — setting up what promises to be a costly and contentious race against incumbent Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham in November.

Ronchetti, who has catapulted his celebrity as a TV personality into a political career, emerged as the clear winner in the five-way primary race with about 59 percent of the vote, according to unofficial early returns.

Rivals Rebecca Dow, a state representative from Truth or Consequences, and Greg Zanetti, an investment adviser, trailed with 16 percent and 14 percent, respectively. Jay Block, a Sandoval County commissioner who was the top vote-getter at the Republican pre-primary nominating convention, finished in fourth place with 10 percent of the vote, while anti-abortion activist Ethel Maharg, the least-known and least-funded candidate, came in last with 2 percent.

The Republican ticket will pair Ronchetti with retired aerospace engineer Ant Thornton, the projected winner in the Republican primary for lieutenant governor.

But Thornton wasn't ready to claim victory late Tuesday. "I'm feeling really good about the process, but I'm not going to say anything until I know that it's definitive," he said in a brief telephone interview from his home in Sandia Park just before 10 p.m.

The Associated Press called the gubernatorial primary race in Ronchetti's favor about 30 minutes after the polls closed.

The Secretary of State's Office said 25 percent of registered voters turned out for the primary election.

"We have big change that is needed across this state, and unfortunately, we have a governor who has decided that she will look out for the best interests of the elites in Santa Fe instead of you," Ronchetti told an enthusiastic crowd at his victory celebration at the Uptown Marriott hotel.

"That day stops today," he said, generating cheers and applause.

Lujan Grisham, who ran for the Democratic nomination for governor unopposed, has largely been sitting on the sidelines as the Republican candidates for governor battled it out in the primary.

Her reelection campaign said Lujan Grisham, a formidable fundraiser, has a 7-to-1 cash-on-hand advantage over Ronchetti.

"Over the last 3 and a half years, we have made significant strides to improve the lives of all New Mexicans, from record investments in New Mexico classrooms, to rebuilding our infrastructure, to growing an economy that is leading the nation in job growth," Lujan Grisham said in a statement.

"This election, we face a choice between continuing that path forward or taking us back, between a leader who has committed their life to the state of New Mexico and someone who has admitted they don't know the challenges New Mexicans face, between someone with a track record of building consensus and delivering results and someone who has never run a business or served our state," she said.

Ronchetti warned his supporters the race would get ugly.

"Get ready for the attack ads," he said. "The attack ads, they're going to try to scare you. They're going to try to bully. They're going to try to distract."

"Bring it on!" a woman in the audience yelled.

"Bring it on is right," Ronchetti responded. "All the attack ads in the world can't change the answer to this simple question, which will define this campaign: Is New Mexico headed in the right direction? It's about to be. It's about to be."

Ronchetti, who launched an unsuccessful but close bid for a U.S. Senate seat in 2020, was a frequent target of attacks by his rivals in the primary, forcing him to defend his conservative credentials and lack of experience, political and otherwise.

"When I announced my campaign, I said I was running because politicians had forgotten us," he said. "I'm a political outsider, and if you think I'm apologizing for it, you're going to be waiting a long time."

Tuesday night, the attacks started before Ronchetti even hit the stage at his victory party.

In a statement issued before 8 p.m., a spokeswoman for the Democratic Party of New Mexico called Ronchetti an "out-of-touch, inexperienced TV weatherman who doesn't understand New Mexicans or the issues they face."

The spokeswoman, Delaney Corcoran, said Ronchetti "has managed to claw his way through the Republican Primary by echoing national GOP talking points, but New Mexicans will see through his empty suit to find a failed politician who offers no solutions for our state."

The Republican governors of Arizona and Nebraska, Doug Ducey and Pete Ricketts, respectively, congratulated Ronchetti in a joint statement issued on behalf of the Republican Governors Association, which they co-chair.

"Record violent crime, a crisis at the southern border, and the worst public schools in the country define New Mexico under Michelle Lujan Grisham," they said. "Yet mismanagement and scandal have plagued Governor Lujan Grisham, rendering her incapable of ever leading the state toward better times."

Ronchetti slammed Lujan Grisham during his victory speech, calling the Democratic Party's standard-bearer the "ultimate political insider."

"Perhaps the biggest failure of this governor is our education system," he said. "She pushed the most extreme lockdowns in the country long after science said open it back up and long after neighboring states with Democratic governors opened their schools back up. She kept schools closed while she forced jewelry stores to open — must be nice."

The Republican gubernatorial candidate who finished last, Ethel Maharg, an anti-abortion activist and a former mayor of the village of Cuba, said the four losing candidates would have to unite behind the winner for Republicans to reclaim the Governor's Office.

"We need to, whether we like them or not," she said.

Ronchetti, who was flanked by his wife and two young daughters and dozens of supporters on stage at his victory party, kicked off his speech by thanking his family, as well as his opponents, some of whom were highly critical of Ronchetti on the campaign trail.

"Every single one of them ran a great, hard-fought race, so I'd like to tell them all congratulations tonight as well," he said. "I think they're all going to be a big part of what we do here going forward — there's no question."

Zanetti tweeted about 8:30 p.m. he had called Ronchetti and congratulated him on his win and offered his full endorsement.

"We must unite around @MarkRonchettiNM, defeat MLG and turn New Mexico RED this November!" he tweeted.

Follow Daniel J. Chacón on Twitter @danieljchacon.