Presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump said New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez, who chairs the Republican Governors Association, isn’t getting the job done and told a crowd in Albuquerque he might make a run for governor himself.
Mr. Trump said since 2000, the number of unemployed people in Albuquerque has nearly doubled and the number of people in New Mexico on food stamps has tripled.
“We have to get your governor to get going — she’s got to do a better job, OK?” he said at a rally Tuesday evening. “Your governor has got to do a better job.”
Ms. Martinez is the first Hispanic woman elected governor in U.S. history and has been mentioned as a possible running mate for Mr. Trump.
“She’s not doing the job,” he said. “Hey, maybe I’ll run for governor of New Mexico — I’ll get this place going.
“She’s not doing the job,” he said. “We got to get her moving. Come on. Let’s go, governor.”
Mr. Trump also said Syrian refugees are being relocated “in large numbers” to the state.
“If I was governor, that wouldn’t be happening,” he said. “I couldn’t care less. They say the governors have no choice. If I’m governor, I have a choice, OK — believe me.”
Ms. Martinez’s office fired back in a statement that said she isn’t going to be “bullied” into supporting a candidate.
“Apparently, Donald Trump doesn’t realize Governor Martinez wasn’t elected in 2000, that she has fought for welfare reform, and has strongly opposed the president’s Syrian refugee plan,” Mike Lonergan, the governor’s press secretary, said in a statement.
“But the pot shots weren’t about policy, they were about politics. And the governor will not be bullied into supporting a candidate until she is convinced that candidate will fight for New Mexicans,” Mr. Lonergan said.
“Governor Martinez doesn’t care about what Donald Trump says about her — she cares about what he says he will do to help New Mexicans. She’s disappointed that she didn’t hear anything about that last night,” he said.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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