Susana Martinez 2016: 8 Facts About Personal Life of Potential GOP Presidential Hopeful

To say Susana Martinez is a darling of the Republican Party may be an understatement. For a party desperate for fresh, strong female candidates, with a Latino background, particularly from the West, the GOP would be ecstatic to see Susana Martinez 2016 advertisements come next year.

While Republican Party officials and other political watchers know who she is — the first woman elected as governor in New Mexico and the first Latina governor in the U.S. — average Americans may be less familiar with Martinez and her accomplishments.

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That may be difficult to believe for an elected official named to the top 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine in 2013. But Martinez’s name can tend to get buried among the onslaught of names, both well-known and obscure, being tossed around for the GOP presidential nomination.

Additionally, Martinez has not indicated a desire to leave behind her goals governing New Mexico, according to Real Clear Politics. This stance may be shying major media outlets from engaging Martinez more often in presidential race commentary — something that would change should her focus shift to a Susana Martinez 2016 presidential mindset.

Martinez’s political accolades are well documented. For her nonpolitical background, consider the following eight facts about her personal life.

1. Karl Rove wrote the Martinez bio for the Time issue with the top 100 most influential people in the world.

2. In her youth, Martinez served as an armed guard for her parents’ security business, including at church bingo nights.

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3. Martinez met her first husband while they attended the same law school in Oklahoma. The marriage lasted three years.

4. Martinez has a stepson, Carlo, who served the U.S. Navy.

5. She is a great-granddaughter of a Mexican Revolutionary, Gen. Toribio Ortega.

6. Martinez was named “Prosecutor of the Year” in 2010 by the Bar of New Mexico.

7. She was born in El Paso, Texas, and raised in a middle-class family.

8. Martinez is caretaker for her older sister, Lettie, who suffers from cerebral palsy and is developmentally disabled.

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