Governor of New Mexico

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The Governor of the State of New Mexico is an elected Constitutional officer, the head of the Executive branch, and the highest state office in New Mexico. The Governor is popularly elected every four years by a plurality and is limited to two consecutive terms.

Current officer

The 31st and current governor is Susana Martinez, a Republican elected in 2010.

Authority

The state Constitution addresses the office of the governor in Article V, the Executive Department.

Under Article V, Section 4:

The supreme executive power of the state shall be vested in the governor...

Qualifications

Governors
Current Governors
Gubernatorial Elections
2012 • 2011 • 2010 Lists of candidates
Current Lt. Governors
Lt. Governor Elections
2012 • 2011 • 2010
Breaking news

Under Article V, Section 3, a candidate for the governorship must be:

• at least 30 years old

• a citizen of the United States

• a resident of New Mexico continuously for five years on the day of the election

Elections

New Mexico elects governors in the midterm elections, that is, even years that are not Presidential election years. For New Mexico, 2006, 2010, 2014, and 2018 are all gubernatorial election years. Legally, the gubernatorial inauguration is always set for the first day in the January following an election. Thus, January 1, 2011 and January 1, 2015 are inaugural days.

In the event of a tie vote, the legislature shall convene and case ballots to choose among the two top vote getters.

Term limits

See also: States with gubernatorial term limits

New Mexico governors are restricted to two consecutive terms in office, after which they must wait one term before being eligible to run again.

New Mexico Constitution, Article V, Section 1

[The Governor] shall, after having served two terms in a state office, be ineligible to hold that state office until one full term has intervened.

Vacancies

See also: How gubernatorial vacancies are filled

Details of vacancy appointments are addressed under Article V, Section 7.

If a Governor-elect dies, the Lieutenant Governor-elect shall take office as the Governor. However, if a Governor-elect fails to qualify, or, for some reason, no one has been elected by Inauguration Day, the Lieutenant Governor-elect shall take office as Acting Governor only until a Governor does qualify.

The Constitution also allows the legislature to set the procedure for a special election if a Governor-elect cannot qualify.

Any temporary or permanent vacancy during a term is filed by the Lieutenant Governor, who has the full powers, duties, and emoluments of the Governor. If the Lieutenant Governor's office is also vacant, the line of succession is the Secretary of State, the President Pro Tem of the Senate, and then the Speaker of the House.

Duties

As governor he/she has the duty to see see that the New Mexico Constitution and the laws of the state are faithfully executed. The governor has the power to appoint and supervise the directors of each executive department. The governor has the responsibility to carry out the duties of commander-in-chief of the militia forces of the state. (§ 4)

Other duties and privileges of the office include:

• Nominating and, with Senate consent, appointing all offices not otherwise provided for by law, including appointing vacancies in all offices except members of the legislature and the Lieutenant Governor (§ 5)

• Removing any appointees for any reason, unless specifically precluded by law (§ 5)

• Granting pardons and reprieves, except in cases of treason and impeachment (§ 6)

• Taking an annual report, given under oath, from the head of each executive department, concerning the spending of public money. If that report is the only made made in a year, it must be given no later than 30 days prior to start of the legislature's regular session (§ 9)

• Issuing and signing all commissions granted in the name of the state of New Mexico

• Submitting all cabinet heads and cabinet levels appointees for confirmation or reconfirmation by the Senate at the beginning of each gubernatorial term (§ 15)

Compensation

See also: Comparison of gubernatorial salaries

The governor's salary is legally fixed and may not be raised or decreased effective during the current term. The Governor may receive no other compensation aside from the salary.

As of 2010, the Governor of New Mexico is paid $110,000 a year, the 34th highest gubernatorial salary in America.

Contact information

Office of the Governor
490 Old Santa Fe Trail
Room 400
Santa Fe, NM 87501
Phone:505-476-2200

See also

• Governor Susana Martinez
• Lieutenant Governor of New Mexico
• Lieutenant Governor John A. Sanchez
• New Mexico Attorney General
• New Mexico Secretary of State

External links

Suggest a link

• Office of the New Mexico Governor