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Susana Martinez will become one of 35 women in U.S. history to take office as a governor when she is sworn in today, and she will become the first elected female chief executive in New Mexico's 98 years of statehood.
Martinez, 51, has pioneered another path, that as the nation's first Hispanic female elected to a governorship.
Raised in El Paso, she made her political mark in Las Cruces. She was the district attorney for the last 14 years in Do-a Ana County, winning elections as a Republican in a place that generally tilted to Democrats.
Martinez prevailed in a crowded Republican gubernatorial primary election last spring, then swept to an easy victory in November against the sitting lieutenant governor, Democrat Diane Denish.
It was a heady time for Martinez, and the historic nature of her race with Denish brought her a national spotlight. All of New Mexico's previous 26 governors were men, so their race made certain the streak would end.
But two of those men who have been governor say the campaign glories will fade in a hurry as Martinez begins the daunting job of trying to balance the state budget.
"It's a horrendous mess," said David F. Cargo, a Republican from Albuquerque, who was governor from 1967-71. "This was a peculiar campaign. I had a chance to talk to Susana about the budget early on, and she and her opponent both placed the state deficit at $150 million. It's much worse."
Cargo, still a student of government at age 81, said New Mexico will face a
"Just on Medicaid alone, the deficit is at $365 million," Cargo said. "Then you add the obligations on pensions for state retirees and you are left with one immediate conclusion - she has some monumental budget problems."
Jerry Apodaca, a Democrat originally from Las Cruces, was governor from 1975-79. He does not know Martinez, but said she will find governing much more difficult than campaigning.
"Taking the office is an unbelievable experience," Apodaca said. "After that, she's in for some real challenges. The economy and the financial problems, not only in New Mexico but all across the country, are much worse than anything I faced when I became governor."
New Mexico's 60-day legislative session begins Jan. 18. How to make ends meet will be a primary issue.
Cargo said a history of waste, overspending and campaign promises all complicate what is ahead for Martinez, who succeeds eight-year Gov. Bill Richardson, a Democrat.
"During the campaign, Susana and Diane Denish both pledged that they would not cut any money from secondary education," Cargo said. "But Medicaid, secondary and higher education make up 65 percent of the state budget."
Cargo said state government has lacked discipline, and he faulted Richardson for taking stop-gap federal money to stimulate the economy and using it for operational expenses. Such spending, he said, will make Martinez's job more difficult as she digs into the budget and tries to balance it.
With Martinez and two other Republican newcomers, the number of women governors will remain at six. Also taking office in 2011 are Mary Fallin of Oklahoma and Nikki Haley of South Carolina.
Though New Mexico had never elected a woman as governor until Martinez, the state briefly had a female chief executive in 1924.
Soledad Chˆvez Chac˜n, a Democrat, was acting governor for about two weeks that summer. The elected secretary of state, she took over when Gov. James F. Hinkle attended the Democratic National Convention in New York City.
The schedule
•Swearing-in ceremony: 10 a.m., Santa Fe Plaza. Open to everyone.
•Public reception: Noon, the Museum of Fine Arts, 107 W. Palace Ave. Open to everyone.
•The Children's Ball: 2 to 4 p.m., the Santa Fe Children's Museum, 1050 Old Pecos Trail. Open to children 5 to 11 and one chaperone.
•The Bold Inaugural Ball: 8 p.m. to midnight, the Santa Fe Convention Center. By invitation only.
Source: Susana Martinez Inaugural Committee
