Things are going well for Lt. Gov. Diane Denish in her quest to become the first woman elected governor of New Mexico next year. Unlike the four Republicans seeking the job, it looks like Denish won't face a contest for the Democratic nomination. She's already raised about $2 million for her campaign treasury.

And yet Denish is in a position faced by other lieutenant governors who have tried to make the difficult leap to the Governor's Office. She has to perform what one pundit calls a "political balancing act" — distancing herself from scandals and controversies of Gov. Bill Richardson's administration without appearing disloyal.

In Denish's case, she's got to show her independence without offending supporters of Richardson, who despite some setbacks in public opinion polls still enjoys approval ratings of about 50 percent.

And Denish, who is running on her seven years of experience as lieutenant governor, has to be sure she's not weakening her claims to experience every time she has to explain that she was out of the loop when stories break about administration controversies, such as ongoing investigations of state investments and indictments involving companies employed by the state.

While investigations into the handling of state investments continue, nobody in the administration has been charged with any crimes.

Longtime New Mexico pollster Brian Sanderoff said in an interview last week that the nature of the office of lieutenant governor is itself part of Denish's dilemma.

"In New Mexico, governor and lieutenant governor are different from president and vice president," Sanderoff said. "A presidential nominee chooses his own vice president. But in New Mexico, the governor and lieutenant governor run separately in the primaries, then as a ticket in the general election."

Historically this method of selection has produced some tensions between the two.

"The lieutenant governor has very little real power," Sanderoff said. The only constitutional duties are filling in for the governor in his or her absence, presiding over the state Senate during legislative sessions and being an ombudsman to hear citizen complaints.

"But governors rely on their staffs, not the lieutenant governor, when they're out of state," Sanderoff said. "In the early days of the state when a governor might be gone for weeks at a time, the lieutenant governor played a more significant role. But not in this day of Blackberrys and instant communication.

"Any authority or responsibility (for the lieutenant governor) comes directly from the governor," Sanderoff said. "And Bill Richardson doesn't give up his responsibilities to others easily."

But Sanderoff, who owns Research & Polling Inc. in Albuquerque, said average New Mexicans assume the lieutenant governor has more power and responsibility than the job actually entails.

Therefore, Sanderoff said, it's a smart strategy for Republicans to try to link Denish to Richardson — constantly referring to "The Richardson/Denish Administration" — anytime there's a controversial news story involving Richardson.

Denish has to find a way to make it clear she's not part of any alleged wrongdoing but without appearing disloyal, Sanderoff said.

One way is to "distance herself in a positive way by pursuing initiatives to address ethics," Sanderoff said.

Denish has already begun that process.

During the regular legislative session early this year, she announced her own package of ethics bills. And in July, Denish announced she'll push more ethics proposals in next year's Legislature, including a state ethics commission, tightening lobbyist and campaign reporting laws and creating a "sunshine portal" — a Web site to access government spending data and other information.

"She's got to portray herself as a leader with her own ideas," Sanderoff said. But he said he won't be surprised if the pressure leads to a political chasm between Denish and Richardson.

Such problems might be the reason that lieutenant governors with higher ambitions haven't fared that well in New Mexico. The only ones to assume the governor's chair were Tom Bolack — who took the office after Gov. Ed Mechem stepped down to take a vacant U.S. Senate seat — and the state's first lieutenant governor, Washington Lindsey, who assumed power after the state's first governor, Ezequiel C de Baca, died.

"Lieutenant governor hasn't been a political stepping stone in this state," Sanderoff said. "The best stepping stone here is attorney general."

Contact Steve Terrell at 986-3037 or sterrell@sfnewmexican.com. Read his political blog at roundhouseroundup.com.