Will New Mexico See a Female Governor in 2010?

This year, Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico will end his eight year stint in the position and so many prominent people are vying for a chance at his seat. This includes two Democrats and four Republicans. Three of the candidates are female, which gives New Mexico the chance to have its first female governor ever. They include Democrat and current Lieutenant Governor Diane Denish and Republicans, Dona Ana County Third Judicial District Attorney, Susana Martinez and State Representative from Albuquerque, Janice Arnold-Jones. Today, we'll take a look at the two GOP candidates.

Janice Arnold-Jones is currently serving her fourth term in the New Mexico House of Representatives, where she has fought for public access to government. As a matter of fact, last year she received the 2009 Lights of Liberty award from the conservative Rio Grande Foundation for using a web cam to allow the public to watch New Mexico's legislature. She currently serves on the House Taxation and Revenue Committee and the Voters and Elections Committee, and in the past has served on a number of other committees, as well as the Blue Ribbon Tax Commission, Election Reform Task Force. A Conservative, she is currently campaigning on the the four "E's," education, economy, energy, and ethics.

Her involvement in her community extends beyond her political service. She is currently the chair of the New Mexico Poison and Drug Information Center. She also works with the New Mexico Commission for Public Broadcasting and the Bernalillo County Council of Health Councils. Arnold-Jones is the chief coach of the American Youth Soccer Organization Region 104 and developed an annual training and tracking regimen for over 500 coaches and 350 referees, which has been recognized as the best in the nation.

She has worked in project management, business management consulting, as a research analysis, a technical writer and an audio/video writer and producer. She is currently employed by Parallax, Inc., where she manages the local office. She is a graduate of Albuquerque High School and the University of New Mexico, where she served as the Vice President of the Associated Students. She and her husband, John L. Jones Commander, Retired United States Navy, reside in Albuquerque and have two children.

Susana Martinez's decision to run for governor was called a "game changer" by the New Mexico media. She has served as the District Attorney for the 3rd Judicial District in Dona Ana County, New Mexico for thirteen years. Also a conservative, she pledges to "cut wasteful spending, lower taxes to create more jobs, end 'pay-to-play' practices and other corruption in government and fight to reform education." She believes in less government, lower taxes, personal responsibility and is a strong proponent of both life and the 2nd Amendment.

Martinez is popular with the people. She won her current seat by earning 60% of the vote and has been re-elected three times. Also, Republicans are generally outnumbered 3 to 1 in her county, but Martinez managed to win, anyway, with hard work and fighting for what is right. Throughout her career, she has earned a reputation as a tough prosecutor and has tried numerous child abuse and homicide cases, including convicting the killer in the case that is responsible for the creation of Katie's Law, a law that required law enforcement officials take DNA for most violent felony arrests and include the samples in a database. As a matter of fact, in 2008, she was named Heart Magazine's "Woman of the Year" for her dedication to children's advocacy. She has also worked to battle public corruption.

Martinez was born in Rio Grande Valley to a hardworking, middle class family. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Texas at El Paso and attended law school at the University of Oklahoma. She is married to Chuck Franco, who works in law enforcement and serves as the Dona Ana County Undersheriff. She has a stepson, Carlo, who is currently in the United States Navy.

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