To the judges: The best magazine coverage of politics isnt just about describing the arc of a campaign, penetrating

the psychology of a pol, or even merely breaking news. The best work also holds our leaders accountable. And by that measure, Daniel Libits feature This Operative Discovered Susana Martinez. He Could Also Be Her Downfall, delivers in spades. We sent Libit to Tucson for a fairly straightforward analysis of whether Republican Governor Susana Martinez would make a good vice presidential (or even presidential) candidate in the next cycle. But using some enviable reportorial chops, he got major figures across the state GOP establishment to open up to him as they hadnt done to any other reporter, local or national about the corrupt inner workings of her operation. Then he used what he knew to dig into campaign filings and other documents. The resulting piece, focused on Martinezs relationship with her top aide, Jay McCleskey, documented the way he isolated her from other ideas, profited handsomely by paying himself from her coffers, meddled with a state contract, potentially drove her dalliances with independent campaign bodies (a violation of federal campaign rules), and opened a rift between her and other New Mexico Republicans. It has shook up state politics and advanced an FBI investigation into many of the issues Libit describes. The piece itself merited a great deal of coverage in New Mexico, and the reporting it contains will surely harm whatever long-term national prospects Martinez harbors. This is what accountability journalism looks like.