Popular New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez says she isn’t ready to trade Sante Fe for Pennsylvania Avenue, at least not yet, RealClearPolitics reports.
During a visit to New Jersey to stump for Gov. Chris Christie, Martinez explained that she is focused on fixing New Mexico’s problems, not America’s.
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"I’m the first female Hispanic governor in the country," she told a crowd gathered in Lakewood, N.J. "There are a lot of little girls watching, and because there are a lot of little girls watching, I can’t walk away from a position not having accomplished the things I said I was going to do."
Like Christie, Martinez is a wildly popular moderate Republican governor in a blue state. She has shot to the top of pundits’ lists for presidential or vice-presidential potential. Christie sidestepped questions about a potential Christie-Martinez ticket in the 2016 presidential election.
"I have absolutely no idea," he said. "But I’m glad Susana is here."
Martinez said America is overdue for its first woman president — but it won't be her.
Martinez, a former district attorney and the granddaughter of Mexican immigrants, took office in January 2011 and almost immediately signed an executive order rescinding sanctuary status for illegal immigrants who commit crimes in New Mexico.
During her tenure, she has sold the state's jet — "a symbol of waste and excess," expanded Katie’s Law to require DNA samples from all suspects booked on felony charges, and prohibited state agencies from hiring lobbyists. Reforming the state’s lagging education system — it ranks near the bottom nationwide — and job creation are two of Martinez’s initiatives.
Martinez has enjoyed stellar popularity ratings — never dipping below the 60 percent mark — by reaching across the aisle. She opted to expand Medicaid expansion under Obamacare.
Her leadership style coupled with the fact that she’s both Latina and female has many in the GOP predicting that she is the
party’s future.
But Martinez has so far remained firm about remaining in her home state, where she is the legal guardian for a developmentally disabled sister.
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