re: O-T: Tell me about New Mexico.

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Government and politics[edit]
Government[edit]
Main article: Government of New Mexico

Governor Susana Martinez (R)
The governmental structure of New Mexico is established by the Constitution of New Mexico. The executive branch of government is fragmented as outlined in the state constitution. The executive is composed of the Governor and other statewide elected officials including the Lieutenant Governor (elected on the same ticket as the Governor) Attorney General, Secretary of State, State Auditor, State Treasurer, and Commissioner of Public Lands. The governor appoints a cabinet that leads agencies statutorily designated under his/her jurisdiction. The New Mexico Legislature consists of the House of Representatives and Senate. The judiciary is composed of the New Mexico Supreme Court and lower courts. There is also local government, consisting of counties, municipalities and special districts.

Politics[edit]
See also: Elections in New Mexico and Political party strength in New Mexico
Current Governor Susana Martinez (R) and Lieutenant Governor John Sanchez (R), were first elected in 2010 and re-elected in 2014. Terms for both the Governor and Lieutenant Governor expire in January 2019. Governors serve a term of four years and may seek re-election for one additional term (limit of two terms). Other constitutional officers, all of whose terms also expire in January 2019, include Secretary of State Dianna Duran (R),[110] Attorney General Hector Balderas (D),[111] State Auditor Timothy Keller (D),[112] State Land Commissioner Aubrey Dunn (R),[113] and State Treasurer Tim Eichenberg (D).[114]

Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of December 1, 2014[115][116]
Party Number of Voters Percentage
Democratic 600,644 46%
Republican 402,347 32%
Unaffiliated 247,629 19%
Minor parties 39,674 3%
Total 1,290,294 100%
Currently, the New Mexico State Legislature has split majorities, with Democrats controlling the Senate and the House of Representatives being controlled by Republicans. There are 24 Democrats and 18 Republicans in the Senate, and 37 Republicans and 33 Democrats in the House of Representatives.

New Mexico's members of the United States Senate are Democrats Martin Heinrich and Tom Udall. Democrats Michelle Lujan Grisham, and Ben R. Luján represent the first and third congressional districts, respectively, and Republican Steve Pearce represents the second congressional district in the United States House of Representatives. See New Mexico congressional map.

New Mexico is considered a swing state, whose population has favored both Democratic and Republican presidential candidates in the past. The current governor is Susana Martinez (R), who succeeded Bill Richardson (D) on January 1, 2011 after he served two terms as governor from 2003 to 2011. Prior to Richardson, Gary Johnson served as governor from 1995 to 2003. Johnson served as a Republican, but in 2012 he ran for President from the Libertarian Party. Governors in New Mexico are limited to two terms. In previous presidential elections, Al Gore carried the state (by 366 votes) in 2000; George W. Bush won New Mexico's five electoral votes in 2004, and the state's electoral votes were won by Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012. Since achieving statehood in 1912, New Mexico has been carried by the victor in every presidential election except 1976 and 2000.[117]

Presidential elections results
Year Republican Democratic
2012 42.84% 335,788 52.99% 415,335
2008 41.78% 346,832 56.91% 472,422
2004 49.8% 376,930 49.1% 370,942
2000 47.85% 286,417 47.91% 286,783
1996 42% 232,751 49% 273,495
1992 43% 212,617 51% 261,617
1988 51% 270,341 46% 244,49
1984 59% 307,101 39% 201,769
1980 55% 250,779 36% 167,826
1976 50% 211,419 48% 201,148
1972 60% 235,606 36% 141,084
1968 51% 169,692 39% 130,081
Democratic strongholds in the state include the Santa Fe Area, various areas of the Albuquerque Metro Area (such as the southeast and central areas, including the affluent Nob Hill neighborhood and the vicinity of the University of New Mexico), Northern and West Central New Mexico, and most of the Native American reservations, particularly the Navajo Nation. Republicans have traditionally had their strongholds in the eastern and southern parts of the state, the Farmington area, Rio Rancho, and Albuquerque's Northeast Heights and the newly developed areas in the Northwest mesa. While registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans by nearly 200,000, New Mexico voters have historically favored moderate to conservative candidates of both parties at the state and federal levels.

On major political issues, New Mexico abolished its death penalty statute, though not retroactively, effective July 1, 2009. This means individuals currently on New Mexico's Death Row can still be executed, and those convicted of capital crimes prior to July 1, 2009 may still be sentenced to capital punishment under the pre-existing death penalty statute. On March 18, 2009, then Governor Bill Richardson signed the law abolishing the death penalty in New Mexico following the assembly and senate vote the week before, thus becoming the 15th U.S. state to abolish the penalty.[118]

On gun control, New Mexico arguably has some of the least restrictive firearms laws in the country. State law pre-empts all local gun control ordinances. Unlike states with strong gun control laws, a New Mexico resident may purchase any firearm deemed legal under federal law. There are no waiting periods under state law for picking up a firearm after it has been purchased, and there are no restrictions on magazine capacity. Additionally, New Mexico allows open carry of a loaded firearm without a permit, and is "shall-issue" for concealed carry permits.

Prior to December 2013, New Mexico law did not explicitly allow nor prohibit same-sex marriage. Policy concerning the issuance of marriage licenses to same-sex couples was determined at the county level; that is, some county clerks issued marriage licenses to same-sex couples, while others did not. In December 2013, the New Mexico Supreme Court issued a unanimous ruling directing all county clerks to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, thereby making New Mexico the 17th state to recognize same-sex marriage at the statewide level.

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