New Mexico governor backs away from Romney

After speaking at the RNC, Susana Martinez distances herself from Romney's "47 percent" comments

Published September 19, 2012 4:26PM (EDT)

The Republican governor of New Mexico told reporters that "that safety net is a good thing," breaking with Mitt Romney's comments deriding the "47 percent" he claimed are overly dependent on government.

The AP reports that Susana Martinez, who spoke at the Republican National Convention, also said in the press conference that New Mexico has a lot of people living at at poverty line, "but they count just as much as anybody else."

"It doesn't matter what economic level you come from (or) what kind of jobs you have," she said. "I urge everyone ... that 47 percent, the middle class and the upper class to all get out on Election Day."

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By Jillian Rayfield

Jillian Rayfield is an Assistant News Editor for Salon, focusing on politics. Follow her on Twitter at @jillrayfield or email her at jrayfield@salon.com.

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47 Percent Barack Obama Mitt Romney New Mexico Republican National Convention Susana Martinez