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SANTA FE – First Gentleman Chuck Franco, who turned in his sheriff’s badge when his wife was elected governor of New Mexico, has gone back to work. Franco, former Doña County undersheriff and husband of Gov. Susana Martinez, started a new job last week as a security officer at the U.S. Courthouse in downtown Santa Fe, a spokesman for Martinez confirmed. He is working roughly 20 to 25 hours a week for a private security company that is under contract with the U.S. Marshals Service to provide courthouse security. In addition to the Governor’s Mansion in Santa Fe, Martinez and...

SANTA FE – Fresh off her prime-time speech at the Republican National Convention, Gov. Susana Martinez is riding high among New Mexico voters. Sixty-nine percent said they approve of the Republican governor’s performance 20 months into her first term, a new Journal Poll found. Just 17 percent of voters polled Sept. 3-6 said they disapprove of her job performance, while 14 percent were undecided. Martinez, elected in 2010 with 53 percent of the vote, has pursued an apparently popular agenda, campaigning against driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants, pushing for tougher school standards, opposing new taxes and trimming the size of...

New Mexico's Governor Susana Martinez delivered a WOW of a speech at the RNC. Republican women are awesome, and Martinez showed just how awesome. Republican women ROCK! Begin Transcript: "Thank you and good evening. On behalf of the great state of New Mexico, let me express my gratitude for being invited to speak tonight. Growing up, I never imagined a girl from a border town could one day become a governor. But this is America Y, en America todo es posible. My parents taught me to never give up and to always believe that my future could be whatever I...

 

No wonder Republicans can't even get 40 percent of Latino votes in a presidential election. When Mitt Romney made his first big push to appeal to Latinos earlier this week in Texas, he hammered the "Obama economy" for being "particularly hard on Hispanic businesses and Hispanic Americans." He pointed out the grim statistics -- an unemployment rate for Latinos of 11 percent and a poverty rate of 30 percent. And he stressed that the Obama regime's economic policies are hostile to the small businesses and entrepreneurs that traditionally provide many of the jobs in the Hispanic community. Everything Romney said...

SANTA FE – A private plane carrying Gov. Susana Martinez and her husband, Chuck Franco, landed at Santa Fe Municipal Airport without its landing gear down Wednesday night, but there were no injuries, the governor’s spokesman said. Matt Chandler, district attorney for the 9th Judicial District, also was on board, but was not injured, said spokesman Scott Darnell. The emergency landing took place at about 10 p.m. The governor was returning from a campaign event in Tucumcari for Republican state Senate candidate Angie Spears. The Spears campaign paid for the flight, Darnell said. Gov. Susana Martinez told reporters this morning...

(AP) Ever since taking office last year as the nation's first Hispanic female governor, New Mexico's Susana Martinez found her family tree scrutinized over whether her grandfather was an illegal immigrant. Documents obtained by AP, however, show that he was lawfully admitted to the U.S. as a permanent resident in 1918 and became a citizen in 1942, something not even Martinez knew and a discovery that removes a potential trouble spot for someone talked about as an attractive Republican vice presidential prospect for Mitt Romney. Martinez was surprised at the news, ... The first-term governor insists she's not interested in...

New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez is the ultimate immigrant success story: Two generations after her Mexican grandparents arrived in the U.S., she became the nation's first Latina governor. And with an overall approval rating of 66 percent of New Mexicans after more than a year in office, she is arguably the most popular Republican governor in the country. But that popularity doesn't always translate among Hispanics, a group that in New Mexico makes up nearly half of the population. One issue that makes many of the state's Latino voters seethe is their governor's stance on driver's licenses and illegal immigrants....

A majority of New Mexico Democrats have a favorable opinion of Republican Gov. Susana Martinez, and President Barack Obama would easily defeat either of the current top two Republican candidates in a New Mexico contest, according to a new Rasmussen poll.~~snip~~Fifty-four percent of New Mexico Democrats have a favorable opinion of the governor, while 94 percent of Republicans view her favorably. Sixty-six percent of all likely New Mexico voters viewed the governor favorably. Seventy percent of New Mexico men and 66 percent of the state’s women approve of Martinez, according to the Rasmussen poll. Fifty-eight percent of New Mexico Hispanics...

It's been a long-running joke (though seldom enforced) among LGBT folks, particularly gay men who work in the creative-service spaces: If you discriminate against the gay community, we will refuse to cater/plan/decorate your weddings, design and make your dresses, or make you look pretty for your next big event. Now, it seems, one gay hair stylist hasn't just made that joke, he's lived up to his word. Antonio Darden (left) styled Governor Susana Martinez of New Mexico (right) on three separate occasions. Martinez is a Republican who got Sarah Palin's endorsement in 2010, and though she may believe that the...

New Mexico Republican Governor Susana Martinez apparently has “no intentions” of accepting presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s invitation to be his vice president running mate if he wins the nomination. Mr. Romney mentioned the New Mexico governor as a possible running mate during an interview on Fox News Friday, but Governor Martinez says she will not be accepting offers from any of the candidates to be their possible running mates. “I have no intentions of doing anything different other than being governor,” said the New Mexico governor in an interview with ABC News 7 on Friday. Mr. Romney also mentioned New...

The push to ban driver's licenses for illegal immigrants appears to be gaining some momentum with the legislature's 30 day session starting in just two weeks. Governor Susana Martinez is picking up some support for her crusade against the licenses, but she appears to be losing a vote too. Some Democrats are moving into the "undecided" category. Sen. Steve Fischmann, a Dona Ana County Democrat, is switching to the governor's side, saying he will vote with her because that is what the vast majority of people in hid district want.

A survey from a right-leaning polling company says Gov. Susana Martinez’s approval rating is “sky high” as she finishes her first year in office. Some 65 percent of those surveyed by Public Opinion Strategies said they approve of the job Martinez is doing, while 29 percent said they disapprove. The survey of 500 registered voters was conducted Dec. 12 and 13 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.38 percentage points. Read the polling memo here.

New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez has acknowledged her paternal grandparents came to the U.S. illegally, amid national attention and protests over her ongoing efforts to bar illegal immigrants from getting driver's licenses. "I know they arrived without documents, especially my father's father," the Republican said Wednesday in an interview in Spanish with KLUZ-TV, the Albuquerque Univision affiliate. Martinez has long acknowledged her Mexican heritage. But when asked previously about reports that her grandfather was an illegal immigrant, her office has said Martinez was unsure of his status since he abandoned the family when her father was young. Her comments Wednesday...

New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez has acknowledged her paternal grandparents came to the U.S. illegally, amid national attention and protests over her ongoing efforts to bar illegal immigrants from getting driver's licenses. "I know they arrived without documents, especially my father's father," the Republican said Wednesday in an interview in Spanish with KLUZ-TV, the Albuquerque Univision affiliate.

New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez slammed fellow Gov. Rick Perry over immigration on the Laura Ingraham show today, albeit with only partial facts at her disposal: Ingraham: “I asked you about Rick Perry’s approach to immigration. Is his approach, including that DREAM Act, something that we should be pursuing nationally and is it something that you support?” Martinez: “No, I don’t. It is not comprehensive reform to put people who are here illegally, who violated the law, and put them in front of the line for those folks who have been waiting and doing all the right things to come...

SANTA FE, New Mexico (Reuters) - A New Mexico judge on Wednesday blocked a move by the state's Republican governor to make it harder for illegal immigrants to keep driver's licenses in the state. Governor Susana Martinez's administration last month ordered the state to reverify the physical residency of foreign nationals who hold New Mexico driver's licenses in order to get or keep their licenses.But District Court Judge Sarah Singleton in Santa Fe issued a temporary restraining order blocking the program, arguing in a brief ruling that "irreparable injury" would occur from "constitutional deprivations to the applicants

Governor Susana Martinez Requalifies for Concealed Carry License in August of 2011. 100% score with .45 and .38 caliber handguns.

Last week, the Almighty expressed His displeasure over Paul Ryan's decision not to run for president by sending us an earthquake and a storm. But Ryan still refuses to reconsider. So we at THE WEEKLY STANDARD have put dreams of Ryan-Rubio 2012 on hold, and have turned our attention to other possible GOP tickets. As Michael Warren pointed out earlier today, Rick Perry now seems to be the Republican frontrunner. Who might his running mate be? Obvious possibilities are Ryan or Rubio—or Mitch Daniels (a successful Midwestern governor who's not part of the mess in D.C. but who could reassure...

SANTA FE, N.M.—Gov. Susana Martinez is renewing her battle to make New Mexico the 49th state to prohibit illegal immigrants from getting driver's licenses, setting the stage for a heated fight during a special legislative session later this year. Democrats in both New Mexico and Washington —the last two states to permit illegal immigrants to get official driver's licenses— shot down bills aimed at tightening their rules earlier this year. Supporters of the current law say state licensing laws reduce the potential number of uninsured and untrained drivers. Ms. Martinez, a Republican, said in an interview she would try again,...

SANTA FE — A grueling day of high-stakes political wrangling over immigrant driver's licenses in the New Mexico Legislature ended without a clear resolution. However, House Republicans, with the help of several Democrats, gave life to one of Gov. Susana Martinez's campaign priorities by circumventing the usual committee process to revive a bill that would effectively repeal the state law that allows illegal immigrants to obtain New Mexico driver's licenses. A final vote on the measure, House Bill 78, was put off until today, with House Speaker Ben Lujan, D-Santa Fe, vowing it will be among the first items discussed....

New Mexico's legislative Democrats are busy dialing up controversy over Republican Gov. Susana Martinez' use of robocalls to voters in her effort to get an up-or-down vote on issuing driver's licenses to illegal immigrants. Lawmakers should try dialing up Illinois, Georgia, Florida or New York instead. In recent months people have been charged with bringing over immigrants who are living in those states, which do not provide driver's licenses to illegal immigrants, to New Mexico. Or they could take an extra step and punch in a foreign area code to call Mexico, Brazil, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Poland or Russia....

SANTA FE, New Mexico (Reuters) – The nation's first female Hispanic governor has angered many Latinos with a proposal to repeal a New Mexico state law allowing illegal immigrants to obtain driver's licenses. Newly-elected Governor Susana Martinez, a Republican who ran on a promise to get tough on illegal immigration, this week added fuel to the fire by using leftover campaign funds to pay for a radio ad urging support for her repeal efforts.

Governor Martinez's political team is getting congratulations for winning an award for producing the best statewide TV spot in 2010 in the USA. The ad from Lincoln Strategy Group was called "Convicted" and showed Martinez destroying the credibility of an attack ad from Dem Guv nominee Diane Denish. The ad was produced by consultant Jay McCleskey who recently announced plans to open his own consulting firm. The Reed awards were handed out by Campaign and Elections Magazine in D.C.

My wife and I braved the 8 degree temperatures and drove to Santa Fe for Susana's swearing in and Inaugural speech. I had a pretty good vantage point so I thought I would share these clips with my fellow Freepers. Sarah had campaigned here for her, which I think gave her a good boost!

Gov. Susana Martinez has had only a couple of months to hire a staff that will run the executive branch of state government, build a proposed budget and come up with a legislative agenda before New Mexico lawmakers convene Tuesday. It hasn't left much time to move. "We have boxes everywhere," the former district attorney from Las Cruces told the Journal. "I can find one shoe, but not the other. It's very difficult." Meanwhile, the official Santa Fe digs for the new governor and her husband, former Doña Ana County Undersheriff Chuck Franco, haven't been a quick fit either. They...

Former U.S. Sen. Harrison "Jack" Schmitt, a geologist and Apollo astronaut who bucks conventional theory on human-caused global warming, was named Thursday by Gov. Susana Martinez to head the state's Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department. Schmitt, a Silver City native who was elected to the Senate in 1976 and defeated after one term by current officeholder Jeff Bingaman, is one of the last people to walk on the moon. His appointment drew immediate fire from environmentalists. "We are disheartened to see the selection of a climate change denier," said Sandy Buffett, executive director of the Santa Fe-based Conservation Voters...

Former astronaut Harrison Schmitt, who walked on the moon and served in the U.S. Senate, was nominated Thursday by Gov. Susana Martinez to run a state agency that oversees energy production in New Mexico. Schmitt was selected as cabinet secretary of the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department. Schmitt, 75, was one of the last men to walk on the moon as part of the Apollo 17 mission in 1972. He won election to the Senate in 1976, but lost his re-election bid in 1982 to Democrat Jeff Bingaman, who remains in the Senate.Martinez said the Schmitt's task is to...

New Mexico, the only state besides California to move forward on comprehensive global warming regulations, is reversing course under a new Republican governor, Susana Martinez. The move threatens to cripple the Western Climate Initiative, a California-driven effort to enact a regional trading program to curb greenhouse gas emissions. Martinez, who replaced Democrat Bill Richardson, announced on Tuesday that she is removing all members of New Mexico's Environmental Improvement Board because of what she said was its "anti-business" policies. After a heated debate, the board last year approved measures to limit the emissions of the state's largest polluters and to join...

Gov. Susana Martinez on Tuesday took aim at the controversial Environmental Improvement Board, announcing that she was removing all members over concerns about the board's approval in recent months of what she considers "anti-business" policies. The board — made up of members appointed by former Gov. Bill Richardson — was at the center of a heated debate last year over whether New Mexico should regulate greenhouse-gas emissions. The board ultimately decided to approve two proposals — one from an environmental group that aimed to limit the emissions of the state's largest polluters and another from the state Environment Department that...

Martinez Halts Environmental RulesPOSTED: 1:51 pm MST January 5, 2011 ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Gov. Susana Martinez's administration is making good on campaign promises to drop new regulations aimed at curbing greenhouse gas emissions by canceling their planned publication in the state register. Officials at the state Environment Department made the request to keep the rules from being published. A state records official confirmed Wednesday that he has received the request and the rules will not be published. The move is being criticized by environmental groups and lawyers who spent the past two years debating the merits of the rules before...

Alamogordo, New Mexico (CNN) – When CNN interviewed Susana Martinez, New Mexico's Republican candidate for Governor, we got a surprise. Our cameraman John Torigoe was trying to clip the microphone pack to the candidate's belt when she pulled away and said "Be careful, that's a gun back there." Martinez tells CNN she has a permit to carry a concealed weapon. She was packing heat when she addressed a gathering in Alamogordo, New Mexico on Monday. She warned them not to get too confident because "as Republicans we're outnumbered."

SANTA FE — Hours before she was sworn in as New Mexico's new governor, Susana Martinez was welcomed for New Year's Eve Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. Martinez, a Catholic, arrived Friday evening behind dozens of friends and family members who piled out of a bus to fill the pews inside the century-and-a-half-old church. Wrapped up against single-digit temperatures in a long black coat and purple scarf, Martinez walked with her husband, Chuck Franco, up the steps leading to the front of the church as the bells pealed. She paused to wave at a spectators...

Gov.-elect Susana Martinez named certified public accountant and business owner Demesia Padilla as her nominee for the state Taxation and Revenue Department Secretary on Friday. "I selected Ms. Padilla because she is a professional administrator, one who understands how New Mexico tax code affects businesses, families and certainly the parents that live in New Mexico," Martinez told an Albuquerque news conference Friday. Padilla has owned and operated her own tax preparation and consulting business in New Mexico for 18 years, formerly worked as an IRS agent and ran an unsuccessful campaign for state treasurer in 2006. Martinez said Padilla has...

So, the talk has started already: Susana Martinez, Republican vice presidential prospect, 2012. And note the date: Less than a month after she was elected on Nov. 2 to become New Mexico's first female governor and just over a month before she's inaugurated and officially moves into the Roundhouse. The first national speculation registering with me was from columnist Matt Lewis on the Politics Daily website on Nov. 29 (Why the next Republican VP nominee will likely be Hispanic). Lewis cited the growing percentage of Hispanic voters and Republicans having "a new generation of qualified Hispanic leaders." For the 2012...

Chuck Franco will soon be a household name in New Mexico. As the husband of Gov.-elect Susana Martinez, he will become the state's first first gentleman when she takes office in January. He's been there every step of the way, from the long car rides between rallies to the huddles with his wife's campaign managers, to the debates and the news conferences. If Martinez is around, that stocky southern New Mexico lawman with the big black cowboy hat is likely not far behind. And, yes, he plans to be standing right there when his wife gives her historic inauguration speech....

Gov. Bill Richardson took his lumps during New Mexico's gubernatorial campaign and said Thursday he wished he'd had the opportunity to punch back. Two days after Republican Susana Martinez won a decisive victory to become the state's first elected female governor, the two-term Democratic officeholder voiced frustration at having his policies repeatedly -- and forcefully -- targeted by Martinez's campaign. "My only regret is that I wasn't able to defend myself and the accomplishments of my administration in so many areas," Richardson said after a news conference in Santa Fe. Richardson, who cited teacher salary increases, a decrease in DWI...

Susana Martinez is likely to become the very fist female Hispanic governor of New Mexico. Surely, Hispanic, women and Hispanic women’s organizations country wide are supporting her. But there is a problem with Susana Martinez, a big problem—cue evil music—she is a…who dare say it?…a…oh, the horror!…an “R” word!…she is a Republican—oh, the humanity!!!... No question that Clayton Williams managed to concoct one of the most malicious statements in human history when he likened bad weather to rape and stated that in both cases, “'If it's inevitable, just relax and enjoy it.” The issue, the local issue, the political issue,...

Another great video posted by The Governor. Don't mess with Susana Martinez!

Susana Martinez was a cheerleader and member of the Rangerette drill team at El Paso's Riverside High School. But when a group of seniors running for student council asked her to join their slate of candidates, she took a pass. "I told them I don't want to be (council) secretary," Martinez recalled, noting that it was the only slot still open on the ticket. Martinez studied the job descriptions and decided she'd rather be student body president. So she ran against the candidate whose ticket tried to enlist her. And she won. The Democrat-turned-Republican has already risen to national prominence...

We haven’t heard much from the New Mexico gubernatorial race, but it looks like we’re missing an entertaining election, to say the least. Susana Martinez became the first Hispanic woman nominated for governor in any state by either major party when she won the Republican nomination this year, and is running against the first woman in New Mexico to be Lieutenant Governor, Diane Denish, who was Bill Richardson’s running mate. Despite Denish’s experience with the political master in Richardson, it doesn’t appear that she learned much during her tenure. Denish hit Martinez with an attack ad on education policy featuring...

Republican Susana Martinez picked off the support of one in five Democrats and had strong backing from members of her own party to take an early lead over Diane Denish in New Mexico's race for governor, a Journal Poll found. Sixteen percent of voters were still undecided, but Journal pollster Brian Sanderoff said erosion of the Democratic vote is a problem for Denish, who has served as lieutenant governor [under Bill Richardson] for the past eight years. Martinez drew more votes than her Democratic opponent among men, Anglos and voters over 50 years old — all categories that tend to...

A new Albuquerque Journal poll in New Mexico finds Susana Martinez (R) has taken an early lead over Diane Denish (D) in the race for governor, 45% to 39% with 16% undecided. Denish also is suffering from a successful Martinez strategy to tie her to Gov. Bill Richardson (D), with whom Denish has served since 2003, and now holds a dismal 33% approval rating. Among those who disapprove of Richardson's performance, 62% said they would vote for Martinez compared to 22% who said they would vote for Denish.

Republican Susana Martinez earns her highest support yet against Democrat Diane Denish in the race to be New Mexico’s next governor. The latest Rasmussen Reports statewide telephone survey of Likely Voters shows Martinez picking up 48% support, while Denish, the state's current lieutenant governor, earns 43% of the vote. Three percent (3%) prefer some other candidate in the race, and six percent (6%) are undecided. The two women were tied in the past two surveys conducted in May and June after Denish led Martinez, a county district attorney, by 19 points in the first Rasmussen Reports survey of the race...

The office of Doña Ana County District Attorney Susana Martinez bought more than $60,000 in office supplies from a home-based company owned by one of her top deputies and political ally. There was no contract or competitive bidding process that covered the purchases from 2003 to 2005, and a former state auditor questions whether state law was followed. But Martinez, the Republican gubernatorial candidate, said the arrangement was legal, had approval from two state agencies and saved the taxpayers money. She also said she would do it all over again as governor, "so long as there was transparency in that...

The Legislature gave New Mexico Lt. Gov. Diane Denish $106,500 to hire personal security. D.A. Susan Martinez purchased her own gun and hasn’t asked taxpayers to pay for body guards. The two women, opposing each other in the race to be elected New Mexico’s next governor, have very different ideas on what they need for personal security, and what taxpayers should pay to make them feel safe. Susana Martinez has been the Dona Ana County District Attorney for 13 years. In that job she makes enemies of the kinds of people who create work for body guards. She and members...

Sarah Palin had a pretty good Super Tuesday. Three of the four candidates she endorsed won, bringing her record in tightly contested races to 8-3 overall this midterm election year. Earlier in the day, TIME asked Palin how she makes her endorsement decisions. "Oftentimes I'm looking at the candidate who shares the circumstances in which I've been: underfunded, up against the machine, no big endorsements, running a grassroots campaign with the help of volunteer friends and family," Palin told TIME. "When I see that, and can feel the momentum they can create with their passion in spite of greater challenges...

Nobody gets to pick and choose where they're born - but it pops up again and again in New Mexico politics. In fact, it's happening right now, in the race for governor. Eyewitness News politics reporter Stuart Dyson calls it "The Native Thing." "The native thing turns up when one candidate was born in New Mexico and the other one wasn't,"

Susana Martinez, a prosecutor from southern New Mexico, won the Republican nomination for governor and will face Democrat Diane Denish in a general election race deciding who becomes New Mexico's first woman governor.

In their final televised debate before Tuesday's primary election, candidates seeking the Republican nomination for governor agreed on top issues while emphasizing personal qualities they said make them the best bet for the job. Susana Martinez, Allen Weh, Doug Turner, Pete Domenici Jr. and Janice Arnold-Jones all agreed on the importance of better securing New Mexico's border with Mexico and ending the practice of granting driver's licenses to illegal immigrants. Weh, an Albuquerque businessman and retired Marine Corps Reserve colonel who served in Vietnam, Somalia and Iraq, pointed to his leadership abilities. He said his military experience of 38 years,...