Conservative Mark Ronchetti has won the New Mexico gubernatorial Republican primary, sweeping with more than 60 percent of the vote and votes still rolling in.
On Tuesday, Ronchetti won the gubernatorial primary, ensuring he will face off against New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) in the November midterm elections.
Others running in the primary included state Rep. Rebecca Dow (R), United States Air Force Veteran Jay Block, conservative activist Greg Zanetti, and former mayor Ethel Maharg.
“What our message has been is to target this administration that has long stopped listening to the people of this state, and you see what’s happening with gas prices across the country,” Ronchetti told SiriusXM Patriot’s Breitbart News Saturday.
“Here in New Mexico, we’re sitting in Las Cruces right now, right near the southern border, and we’re talking about gas prices at basically $4.50 to $4.70 a gallon,” Ronchetti continued. “And this governor tried in our last legislative session to raise gas prices by 35 cents a gallon as part of a clean fuel standard which is just so tone-deaf and ridiculous.”
In polling, Ronchetti said he is in “a dead heat” with Grisham but noted that New Mexico has a history of electing Republican governors despite its Democrat leanings in national elections.
Ronchetti worked previously as the chief meteorologist for New Mexico’s CBS and FOX affiliate television stations. He and his wife, Krysty, have two daughters.
The midterm elections will take place on November 8.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here.