Denish Yanks PSAs

One day after Gov. Bill Richardson proposed a new bill prohibiting political candidates from appearing in state-paid public service announcements, Lt. Gov. Diane Denish has asked the state Health Department to stop running a recent PSA in which she advises parents how to keep their kids from getting the flu.

Denish, as most readers of this blog are surely aware, is running for governor. Her chief of staff Josh Rosen said Denish had already pledged not to do any PSAs during an election year. He said she decided to stop the PSAs to avoid any confusion.

A spokeswoman for the department said they have pulled the Denish ad. The department had planned to stop the PSAs in January anyway.

A companion ad featuring Richardson will keep airing. Richardson, of course, isn't running for anything next year.

Political experts say 30-second spots are one of the best ways to build name recognition for a candidate -- even if the candidate isn't overtly saying "vote for me."

Read my story in today's New Mexican HERE. And check back on Saturday for more information.

Below is the ad. (Warning: The spot doesn't really start until about 17 seconds in.)