Former Republican Rep. Heather Wilson will not run for New Mexico governor in 2010.

Wilson announced her decision in an e-mail to supporters sent Thursday, the New Mexico Independent reported.

Wilson cited her work in the private sector and personal time with family as deterrents to running for office this cycle. And she added that "the Governor of New Mexico has no significant national security role -- an issue area that continues to be an important part of my life."

Democratic Lt. Gov. Diane Denish does not have a primary opponent in New Mexico's 2010 governor's race and her fundraising shows how determined she is to keep it that way.

Denish laid down a marker Tuesday, announcing $1 million added to her campaign coffers for the second quarter and $2.2 million in the bank.

The campaign noted that "more than two-thirds of those contributions (68%) were for $100 or less," which it said showed "strong grassroots strength across the state."

Denish also announced last week that her campaign had already succeeded in collecting nearly three times the 2,163 petition signatures required to qualify for the 2010 ballot.

There now are two official candidates for the Republican nomination in New Mexico's 2010 race for governor -- and that field appears likely to grow over the next few weeks.

The latest entry is state Rep. Janice Arnold-Jones, who had been exploring the race for months. Arnold-Jones on July 26 sent a letter to supporters launching her run for the seat of term-limited Democratic incumbent Bill Richardson.

An official announcement is scheduled to come sometime later in August, according to local political blogger Heath Haussamen.

Many first-time hopefuls for statewide office at least go through the formality of setting up an "exploratory" committee before officially announcing their candidacies.

Not Republican Susana Martinez, the district attorney in New Mexico's Doña Ana County. She launched her campaign in her state's 2010 open-seat race for governor on Friday without going through an in-between stage.

"I'm ready to get to work," she said Friday.

Martinez has a tough road ahead in the contest to succeed two-term Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson, who cannot seek re-election under the state's term-limit law.

Abortion right's group and fundraising powerhouse EMILY's List rolled out its first 2010 governor's endorsements Friday, giving its stamp of approval to Democrats Alex Sink in Florida and Diane Denish in New Mexico. If elected, both would become the first female governors of their respective states.

Sink, Florida's Chief Financial Officer, looks like she will have a clear path to the Democratic nomination, and is likely to face Republican state Attorney General Bill McCollum, a former 10-term House member who was the GOP's U.S. Senate nominee in 2000 and a candidate in the 2004 Senate primary, in the general election. CQ Politics rates the race a Toss-Up.

Denish has served as New Mexico's lieutenant governor during two terms under Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson and was previously the chair of the Democratic Party of New Mexico. She is the early favorite to succeed Richardson, who is term-limited, in 2010, though she is likely to face a contested primary and general election to get there. State Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez is exploring a Democratic bid and a handful of Republicans -- Albuquerque financial adviser and Army National Guard brigadier general Greg Zanetti, former state Republican chairman and Albuquerque businessman Allen Weh, State Rep. Janice Arnold-Jones and former Congress members Steve Pearce and Heather Wilson are all declared or considering run. CQ rates the race Democrat Favored.