Monahan: "Martinez Ad Merely Average"

MARTINEZ TV DEBUT

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The first TV spot from Susana Martinez would be a sure-fire hit if she were running for attorney general, but in the hotly competitive GOP race for Governor, her thirty second spot falls into the merely average category. That's far from the "game changer" her most ardent Las Cruces supporters and potential press secretaries have labeled her candidacy.

The ad does get the job done when it comes to pumping up the name ID of the relatively unknown Dona Ana County district attorney. The announcer mentions it three times in the ad, the Web site--susanamartinez.com--is posted for the full thirty seconds and one shot includes a collage of Martinez campaign posters.

But the spot endeavors to stretch Martinez's narrow background--she has been DA for 13 years--to justify her guv run. It only partially succeeds. Compared to a Bill Richardson, Diane Denish or even an Allen Weh, it comes across as, well, an ad for attorney general.

She emphasizes her record of fighting Dona Ana County corruption, citing conviction of a municipal judge and a county clerk. In another example, the ad declares she has "taken on members of the most violent Mexican drug cartels." That left us a little queasy. Aren't the drug cartels still running riot through the streets of Mexico leaving thousands dead in their wake?

We also note for another reason the candidate's emphasis on border security as the campaign heats up. Her primary appeal is in the south where she hails from. She will go for a big score there to overcome her inability to break through in the ABQ metro.

Martinez, 50, does come across as an outsider which seems to be the mood du jour this cycle, and the ad is nicely paced and well-produced. And maybe the tough on crime angle mollifies male GOP voters who might otherwise shy away from her. Of course, the downside is the opposition research that will focus on any cases where Martinez might not have been so tough.

And we see many sides of Martinez in this ad, perhaps too many. In one close-up she plays tough, in another she plays friendly and in yet another she appears smug.

Because she lacks an extraordinary moment in her long tenure as DA, Martinezwill need a series of ads to break through, including something about the woman, not just the lawyer. And she will need plenty of money to do it. That remains a problem. The campaign says her buy is "significant" and is on ABQ broadcast and cable, but it's unlikely she will match the output of the self-financed Allen Weh. This spot will have to move numbers for her if she is to raise the necessary cash.

Martinez had a blockbuster performance among party activists at the March pre-primary convention where she dominated the field. She fights hard in her TV ad to keep the momentum going but scores a single. As we said, it's far from a game-changer, but the game is on.