Susana Martinez

Who is Susana Martinez?

Susana Martinez is an American politician who is the 31st and current Governor of New Mexico. A Republican, Martinez was first elected Governor in 2010 and was sworn into office on January 1, 2011.

Born in El Paso, Texas, Martinez is the graduate of the University of Oklahoma College of Law. After graduating from college and being admitted to the State Bar of New Mexico, Martinez began her career as an assistant district attorney for New Mexico's 3rd Judicial District in Las Cruces in 1986, before being appointed deputy district attorney in 1992. She then ran for District Attorney for the 3rd Judicial District in Doña Ana County, New Mexico in 1996 after joining the Republican Party and defeating her former boss; she served three terms as district attorney from 1997 to 2011.

After incumbent Governor Bill Richardson was term limited, Martinez declared her candidacy for the governorship. She won in a five-candidate republican primary and went on to defeat the former Lieutenant Governor of New Mexico Diane Denish with 53% of the vote in the general election. She is the first woman to be elected Governor of New Mexico and the first Hispanic female governor in the United States. In 2013, Martinez was named one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people in the world.