Free Republic

In his whole re-election campaign, Gov. Chris Christie (R-N.J.) has invited only one sitting out-of-state officeholder to campaign with him: New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez (R), who joined Christie at eight campaign events Monday, including a rally in heavily Hispanic Union City. In many ways, Martinez is the perfect complement to Christie, amplifying his strengths as a politician. She is relatively young (54) and a moderate who maintains strong popularity in a blue state. She has worked closely with a legislature held by Democrats and bucked her party by taking the Medicaid expansion in Obamacare. Perhaps most importantly, she's almost...

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...

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

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.

Like fellow Republican governor Nikki Haley of South Carolina, New Mexico's new governor, Susana Martinez, is her state's first female chief executive. She is also the nation's first Latina governor, as Haley is the first woman governor in the United States of Indian descent.But Martinez is not new to public service, having been a prosecutor for nearly a quarter-century. Her full biography is here. Her husband, Chuck Franco, has also had a long career in law enforcement. See the couple's photo below greeting a little girl.

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...

Susana Martinez Wins GOP Primary Ticket in New Mexico Gov. RaceJune 2, 2010 Steve Terrell Jun. 2--ALBUQUERQUE -- The next governor of New Mexico will be a woman. Republican voters in the state elected Susana Martinez, the district attorney from Dona Ana County, to be the GOP nominee to run against Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, who ran unopposed in the Democratic primary. Martinez defeated former state Republican chairman Allen Weh, as well as state Rep. Janice Arnold Jones, public-relations company owner Doug Turner and Pete Domenici Jr., son of the former U.S. senator. Not only are the Republicans running a...

Allen Weh struck back Wednesday ... with a television ad accusing one of his competitors seeking the Republican nomination for governor, District Attorney Susana Martinez, of misspending taxpayer dollars. Martinez, of the 3rd Judicial District in Las Cruces, aired an ad Monday criticizing Weh for his stance on immigration, turning what had been a calm race into a shouting match. She said the attack was just Weh's campaign grasping at straws. "I think its a desperate attempt to discredit the hard work of my prosecution of cases and those in my office and a way to ... avoid the real...