In 2010, Susana Martinez was elected governor of the State of New Mexico becoming New Mexico’s first female governor and the first Hispanic female governor in the history of the United States. Prior to being elected governor, Martinez was a prosecutor for 25 years and Doña Ana County’s elected district attorney
for over half that time.
As governor, she prioritized keeping New Mexico’s communities safe, ensuring all students receive a high-quality education, and diversifying and growing the state’s economy.
When Governor Martinez took office in 2011, she inherited a nearly half-billion-dollar budget deficit, on a state budget that totaled just over $5.5 billion at the time. Through responsible spending and a commitment to expanding and diversifying the state’s economy, she turned the largest structural deficit in state history into a $2 billion surplus by the time she left office. She never raised taxes. In fact, she vetoed over $1 billion in proposed tax increases,
and cut taxes and fees 61 times while in office.
The Governor also implemented bold education reforms to raise standards, improve learning and school performance, and close achievement gaps. On her watch, New Mexico’s graduation rate increased 11 percentage points to an all-time high and the four-year college graduation rate at the state’s
flagship university doubled.