The Quay County Sun spoke with state Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, a Democrat, and Dona Ana County District Attorney Susana Martinez, a Republican, about their race for governor of New Mexico. Below are their responses.

Susana Martinez

How would you evaluate your performance in the Oct. 21 gubernatorial debate? Do you feel your message was well received?

Sure, I think we were able to communicate with the viewers. It's difficult sometimes. You have 90 seconds to plan how you're going to solve some of the biggest problems that the state has ever faced and that's challenging to do with any great detail or any great depth, but we do our best in giving the quickest message we can in the 90 seconds to the 2 minutes they give us, but I think we accomplished it.

What distinguishes you from your opponent in this campaign?

The biggest indicator of a difference between my opponent and I is we can have either four more years of the last eight failed years of policy that have existed under the Richardson/Denish administration or we can have a totally different way of doing business in New Mexico. We can roll in change in education and with small businesses in allowing them to develop jobs themselves and not seek government, and making sure that we are more competitive with our surrounding states. My opponent thinks she creates jobs, and she doesn't. And if she does, those are state jobs, and they cost a lot of money to the small businesses. I believe small businesses are the ones that create the jobs. We need to make the environment very positive for them to do that.

What is the most important thing Quay County readers should know about this election?

What they need to know is how important it is, first of all in making sure that we have bold change in every aspect of governing, again, as far as our education is concerned, as far as being a business-friendly state, reducing taxes for those small businesses and families. But we also have to make sure that we understand that if we don't make this change we're going to continue down a path with the Richardson/Denish administration, giving them a third term, which has done nothing but gotten rid of 55,000 jobs in the state, have a deficit of $260 million, has allowed education to be 49th in the nation. If they want more of that, then they can have more of that and they'll elect Diane Denish. If they want something very different, then they'll vote for Susana Martinez.

For more information, visit http://www.susanamartinez2010.com

Diane Denish

How would you evaluate your performance in the Oct. 21 gubernatorial debate? Do you feel your message was well received?

Absolutely I do because my opponent, she never stood up for our families. She stood up for predatory lenders. She stood up for the big corporations whose profits are shielded in New Mexico. New Mexico small businesses and families bear the burden for out of state corporations whose profits are shielded from paying tax. Those corporations need to pay their fair share because our families pay their fair shares. All across the board, all the polls on TV showed me to be the clear winner in that debate, and the reason is because I stood up for New Mexico.

What distinguishes you from your opponent in this campaign?

I have, first of all, a lifelong relationship with New Mexico communities. I've lived and worked, especially in eastern New Mexico, all of my life, and I think that you don't come along and start running for governor and just say you know New Mexico and you know what to do. I've had experience in the private sector being a job creator. That's a meaningful distinction. My opponent has been a 24-year government employee who has never created a private sector job. In these economic times, New Mexico needs a job creator. Secondly, working in the communities and being out and listening to people and creating opportunities for access to capital for small business, creating opportunities for investing in education, early childhood education, and actually having a plan for the future. My opponent has spent the entire campaign talking about what she thinks has gone wrong and talking about the past. I actually have a plan for the future and that is a distinct and clear separation, but the best distinction is I'm fighting for New Mexico families. She's going to have to fight for those people that are pouring money in her campaign -- those big corporations from Texas and around the country who want her to get rid of all our regulations. I'll be fighting for New Mexico families and she'll be fighting for the corporations.

What is the most important thing Quay County readers should know about this election?

I want to remind them that they can early vote. It's not the governor who signs the bills into law that makes the difference in our future, it's the people that cast their ballots in this election that makes a difference. I want to remind people that it is an important election. The stakes are high. Their futures are at stake. Their children's futures are at stake, and I just want to make sure that they know that I'll fight for that future.

For more information, visit http://www.dianedenish.com