Gov candidates throw jabs at debate

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M (KRQE) - The two candidates for governor squared off Thursday night in their first debate.

Republican Susana Martinez and Democrat Diane Denish went after each other on education issues at Eldorado High School in Albuquerque.

Until now they were limited to TV ads and press conferences to take shots at each other, but with an hour long debate, there was plenty of time to exchange blows.

More than 400 people filled the auditorium to hear the candidates respond to questions submitted by Albuquerque Public School teachers.

The questions touched on everything from failing students to deep budget cuts.

When it came to schools meeting federal standards, Denish said more testing in not the answer, and that schools spend too much time testing.

"Today our teachers spend 30 days of their school year preparing for tests required by No Child Left Behind," Denish said.

Susana Martinez disagreed, adding more testing is needed.

"They are measuring progress (the tests), even if it is incremental," she said. "But the testing is meaningful because then they adjust."

Both said there should be no more cuts to education.

Denish said she favors closing tax loop holes to bring in more dollars while Martinez said she wants tax breaks to businesses that offer scholarship money to kids in struggling schools so they can get out.

Denish insisted that translates into school vouchers and that Martinez was a flip flopper on that position.

"For months she has advocated a voucher program taking public money out of public schools and putting it into private schools," she said.

"You can say it over and over again, it's just not true," Martinez rebutted.

The two went back and forth on that issue throughout the debate.

Martinez relentlessly attacked Denish saying she stood by silently as the Richardson administration helped get the state into a deep financial and educational mess.

"You've been at the chair of the table of Richardson/Denish education reform, we have not done, you have not done what is necessary for our children," Martinez said.

Denish said that Martinez lacks the experience in education to improve schools.

"When you have no experience in fighting for public education, it is easy to say 'I have the magic wand'," Denish said. "but I have a record for fighting public education," she said.

As far as financial accountability, both agree every district should be audited each year.

Both Denish and Martinez said they both support charter schools, but think they should have the same monitoring as other schools.

With all the political ads the two have aired already, it is easy to forget there are still two and a half months to go until the election.

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KRQE.com streamed the debate live and conducted a live chat hosted by University of New Mexico political science Professor Gabriel Sanchez.  Click below to read the transcript: