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
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.
I went to law school. And I became a prosecutor. I took on a specialty that very few choose to pursue. I prosecuted child abuse and child homicide cases. Cases that were truly gut-wrenching. But standing up for those kids, being their voice for justice was the honor of a lifetime.
Success is the American Dream. And that success is not something to be ashamed of, or to demonize.
New Mexico should be a tech jobs leader and a haven for innovation, a place where the best and the brightest come to bring their products to market.
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.
My father was a security guard. I was a security guard.
My dad was a golden gloves boxer in the Marine Corps, then a deputy sheriff. My mom worked as an office assistant.
We need to grow the private sector in every corner of New Mexico.
Republicans need to stop making assumptions, and they need to start talking to younger people, people of color, and ask them - not talk to them - ask them, 'What is it that we can do better? How do we earn your vote? How do we earn the ability for you to see that we can be the party that will make your life better and that of your children?'
Unfortunately, New Mexico depends significantly on federal dollars. We have four military bases here in New Mexico. We have two national labs that are very important to our national defense.
In New Mexico, I inherited the largest structural deficit in state history, and our legislature is controlled by Democrats. We don't always agree, but we came together in a bipartisan manner and turned that deficit into a surplus. And we did it without raising taxes.
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.
When there is a crisis, how you handle the crisis is just as important as the crisis.
New Mexico is an environment where we are open for business.
Republicans want to be tough and say, 'Illegals, you're gone.' But the answer is a lot more complex than that.
I didn't suddenly become conservative. It was only the label that changed.
The big corporations have a team of lawyers and accountants to help them. It's the small businesses, the mom and pop shops, that get lost in the layers of red tape.
My parents grew that small business from one 18-year-old guarding a bingo to more than 125 employees in three states. And sure, there was help along the way. But my parents took the risk. They stood up. And you better believe they built it.
When I first registered to vote I registered as a Democrat.
Despite what some would have us believe, success is not built on resentment and fear.
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.
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.
I registered Democrat because my parents did. They were, we were. There was no thinking behind it.
I have to deliver the results I promised because, as the first Hispanic female governor, I'm going to pave a path of some kind. I want it to be one that little Hispanic girls will want to follow.
It's extremely important that we elect people that look like the population they serve.
My parents were Democrats.
I will veto any tax increase.
Growing up I never imagined a little girl from a border town could one day become a governor. But this is America. In America algo es possible.
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.'
There is one candidate in this election who will protect that dream. One leader who will fight hard to keep the promise of America for the next generation. And that's why we must stand up and make Mitt Romney the next president of the United States.
Growing up, I never imagined a girl from a border town could one day become a governor.
When I was a young prosecutor, I got called to testify against my boss. I could have backed down, but I didn't. I stood up to him. And he fired me for it.
Sometimes Republicans engage in number-crunching analysis that doesn't always take the neediest into account.
I absolutely advocate for comprehensive immigration reform.
Too many Americans are out of work, and our debt is out of control.
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.
Latinos care about education, yes, so we need reform, not just money.
I've known where my heritage is from all along.
I've always known that my father's father and grandfather and grandmother were from Mexico. I've never denied it. I've always said it.
The criminal justice system should have the authority to determine the immigration status of all criminals, regardless of race or ethnicity, and report illegal immigrants who commit crimes to federal authorities.
I am my own person.
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 - that gun weighed more than I did!
Sometimes you pay a price for standing up.
In many ways, Mitt Romney and I are very different. Different starts in life. Different paths to leadership. Different cultures.
I was a prosecutor for 25 years. I saw so many 15, 16, even 20 year-olds who could not read, had little hope that they would ever find work, faced more challenges than opportunities in life, dropped out of school at some point, and turned to crime.
No child is un-teachable. I will never give up on any kid. Every child can learn.
Our laws are too lax, our justice system too weak - particularly when it comes to violent, dangerous offenders.
Every judge should have real-time access to the criminal background and history of defendants who appear in their courtrooms - so that sentencing and bail decisions can be made with that information.
As a border prosecutor, I've put criminals behind bars who worked for some of the most violent cartels in the world.
