In this four-part series, Searchlight New Mexico evaluates the impact of Gov. Susana Martinez’ two terms in office. Our journalists focused in particular on how her policies and appointees influenced the lives of and prospects for our state’s children.
Oh Susana! How governor’s popularity eroded
Martinez will exit as one of the nation’s least-popular governors, with even the Republican who seeks to succeed her saying “New Mexico is in a crisis moment.”
Governor-driven understaffing keeps N.M.’s kids at risk
Ushered into office on a conservative wave that swept statehouses around the country, Martinez espoused classic Republican views on small government and fiscal conservatism. Eight years on, she can truthfully say she has kept state government lean.
Measuring Martinez on education
Searchlight examined eight education-related claims and promises Martinez made during her two successful campaigns for governor, using publicly available data to learn whether New Mexico has managed to move the needle since then.
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