1st debate highlights stakes in New Mexico race for governor

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A former television meteorologist is making his case to replace the Democratic governor of New Mexico, as the candidates prepare for a live-broadcast debate on Friday night.

Republican nominee for governor Mark Ronchetti is campaigning on a law-and-order platform with proposals for annual tax rebates tied to oilfield production and a referendum that could ban abortion with limited exceptions.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is promoting her management of the economy and health care during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as her support for abortion access and expanded social programs, including tuition-free college for New Mexico residents and expanded access to preschool and no-pay child care.

The televised debate from KOB 4 takes place ahead of the Nov. 8 general election. Early voting begins Oct. 11 by absentee ballots that can be mailed and turned in by hand.

New Mexico has alternated between Democratic and Republican governors since the early 1980s. An incumbent governor last lost reelection in 1994.

Recent Republican losses at the ballot box have locked the GOP out of all statewide elected offices and the state Supreme Court, as Democratic majorities lead in both chambers of the Legislature.

Still, the November election for governor will be a test of Democratic resolve as the state grapples with economic whiplash from the coronavirus pandemic and concerns about a violent crime surge in Albuquerque and beyond

Ronchetti, who lost a 2020 bid for U.S. Senate to Democrat Ben Ray Luján, is advocating for a ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy with exceptions for rape, incest and risk to the physical health of the mother, suggesting that the Legislature schedule a statewide referendum on abortion restrictions.

Lujan Grisham, the state's third...