The Case for Vice President Susana Martinez
The road back to the White House should go through the Land of Enchantment
The Trump fanbase is angling for a running mate who is ideologically similar to the former president, such as Kari Lake, Tucker Carlson, or Rep. Matt Gaetz.
But that line of thinking doesn’t make sense from a strategic perspective.
The reality is there is a chunk of Republican voters that fall somewhere between reluctant acceptance of Trump and “never Trumpers” who will stay home or cast a protest vote.
Despite his popularity, nearly half of Iowa Republican caucusgoers voted for someone other than Trump. To deny this fracture within the Republican party is to deny reality.
Trump needs a running mate to unite a divided Republican electorate, and former New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez has proven she’s up to the task.
Broad Support
Trump will need a running mate that will not only unite the GOP but also appeal to voters left-of-center. This is something virtually none of his potential running mates can do.
When Martinez took the governor’s office in 2011, she inherited a half-billion budget deficit. By the time she left office, New Mexico had a budget surplus of $2 billion, despite a Democrat-controlled legislature for most of her tenure.
During her subsequent reelections, she received wide support from Democrats and independent voters without compromising her conservative values. Newspapers endorsed her and Democrat mayors announced their support of her reelection.
At her 2014 reelection, she won with the biggest margin of any Republican gubernatorial candidate in modern history at the time. The result was especially shocking considering voters elected Democrats to most other statewide races on the same ballot in a solidly blue state.
One State Representative even left the Democrat Party and later became Republican after meeting with Martinez.
Shortly after her first election, a Martinez-associated PAC supported moderate Democrats, effectively quelling a progressive uprising in seven of the eight races they were involved with. Those moderate Democrats were later key supporters and votes for her conservative budget.
In fact, New Mexico was one of only four Obama-carried states that saw the state legislature increase in Republican representation.
The bottom line? She’s a brilliant political tactician who will be crucial to helping marshall disaffected Democrats into the Republican Party.
Border Issues
Few people in American politics have a better understanding of the border crisis than Martinez - not only as governor of a border state but as someone who was born and raised near the Mexican border in El Paso, Texas.
Border security has always been a top issue with Republican voters, but with the subsequent (and predicted) increase with the end of Title 42, it’s one of the biggest issues among the wider electorate, including many in urban areas affected by the migrant surge.
Soon after taking office, Martinez ended all Sanctuary State policies by directing law enforcement to verify the immigration status of anyone arrested and ending the practice of issuing driver's licenses to illegal immigrants. In 2018, she supported a National Guard deployment to the Mexican border to assist Border Patrol agents.
For that reason, a Martinez vice president would be the foremost expert on border security with a track record demonstrating this.
Identity Politics
Yes, this topic is anathema to conservative orthodoxy. However, from a purely political standpoint, it’s a subject that can’t be ignored.
Martinez was the first female governor of New Mexico and the first Latina governor in the nation’s history. She speaks both English and Spanish fluently.
Her father was a U.S. Marine and a Korean War veteran who went on to become a Deputy with the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office. She had a sister with developmental disabilities and served as her guardian and caretaker until her passing in 2021.
She’s a gifted storyteller with a knack for weaving a compelling background into her vision for the Republican Party. Just watch her speech at the Republican National Convention in 2012, she’s far more than a name that looks good on a Republican bumper sticker.
Make no mistake, she will resonate with a segment of voters otherwise apprehensive about supporting Trump.
Isn’t Offensive to the MAGA Base
As I mentioned earlier, Trump’s biggest supporters won’t be happy if he doesn’t choose a celebrity firebrand. That’s understandable, but he also can’t enrage his core base in building a unity ticket.
Some will point out that Martinez and Trump had some minor back-and-forth during his 2016 campaign - petty issues over her decision to endorse Sen. Marco Rubio. Many of those in Trump’s crosshairs in 2015 and 2016 have gone on to be key allies of his.
Think back to Sen. Ted Cruz in 2016. Trump attacked Cruz in deeply personal ways - accusing his dad of helping to kill John F. Kennedy and questioning his American citizenship. Similarly, Cruz called Trump a “sniveling coward” and implied he has connections to the mafia. Since then, they’ve mended fences, and Cruz has endorsed and campaigned for Trump.
Martinez spoke favorably of Trump during his 2020 re-election and worked closely with him on the border issues. On a broad array of issues, there is very little Trump supporters would take issue with.
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Recently, Trump downplayed his running mate contenders, telling FOX News that the choice “won’t have any impact at all” and that “people won’t be surprised” at who he has in mind.
This means that it’s unlikely Martinez is on the short list and that he’ll probably go with someone safe and familiar such as Gov. Kristi Noem, Rep. Elise Stefanik, or Sen. Tim Scott.
While not awful choices, they’re unlikely to accomplish what Martinez is capable of.