Susana Martinez

Susana Martinez

15 quotes

Biography

Susana Martinez is an American politician and attorney who served as 31st governor of New Mexico from 2011 to 2019. A Republican, she served as chair of the Republican Governors Association (RGA) from 2015 to 2016.

"We talked about many issues, like welfare, is it the way of life or hand up? Talked about size of government, how much should it tax families and small businesses? And when we left that lunch, we got in the car and I looked over at Chuck and said, 'I'll be damned. we're Republicans.'"

Susana Martinez

"I fear some of our leaders today have lost the courage to stand up. What we have now are politicians. They won't offer real plans, and only stand up when they want to blame someone else."

Susana Martinez

"As the first Hispanic female governor in history, little girls often come up to me in the grocery store or the mall. They look and point, and when they get the courage, they ask 'Are you Susana?' and they run up and give me a hug."

Susana Martinez

"At 18, I guarded the parking lot at the Catholic church bingos. Now my dad made sure I could take care of myself. I carried a Smith and Wesson 357 magnum."

Susana Martinez

"My dad was a golden gloves boxer in the Marine Corps, then a deputy sheriff. My mom worked as an office assistant."

Susana Martinez

"I hope I've been able to show other young girls that as long as you work hard and you're committed to fight for your education, that anything's possible."

Susana Martinez

"Latinos care about education, yes, so we need reform, not just money."

Susana Martinez

"My parents taught me to never give up and to always believe that my future could be whatever I dreamt it to be."

Susana Martinez

"My dad was a golden gloves boxer in the Marine Corps, then a deputy sheriff. My mom worked as an office assistant."

Susana Martinez

"New Mexico is an environment where we are open for business."

Susana Martinez

"In many ways, Mitt Romney and I are very different. Different starts in life. Different paths to leadership. Different cultures."

Susana Martinez

"During my administration, we've welcomed a broad and diverse group of industries to New Mexico, including high-tech and traditional manufacturing, health care, information technology and finance. Some are homegrown New Mexico companies; others are global leaders in their industries."

Susana Martinez

"Success, they taught me, is built on the foundation of courage, hard-work and individual responsibility. Despite what some would have us believe, success is not built on resentment and fears."

Susana Martinez

"Success is the American Dream. And that success is not something to be ashamed of, or to demonize."

Susana Martinez

"When we set up our kids for failure, we set up our workforce for failure, and we set up our economy for failure. I can't emphasize enough the importance, the absolute importance, of education in achieving long-term economic growth."

Susana Martinez