Former U.S. Treasurer Rosario Marin thinks New Mexico’s governor has a bright future.
Marin told HuffPost Live host Caroline Modarressy Tehrani on Thursday that she thinks Gov. Susana Martinez would have a shot at running for the presidency, and that her Hispanic roots would help drive Latinos to the polls for the GOP.
Latinos will vote for an individual, number one. Number two, Susana Martinez, or any other governor or senator right now that is Latino, that is Republican, has tremendous accomplishments under their belt. Far more than, might I say, our current president who had literally no experience whatsoever. Susana Martinez is an executive. In her own right, if she wanted to, if she desired, she could seek the presidency. If she wants to seek the vice presidency, if somebody wants to offer her the vice presidency, that would be fine too. But she has significant accomplishments under her belt. And to suggest that Latinos or Hispanics will not vote for a Latino… because of other problems that other Republicans have, I think it’s underestimating the intelligence of the Hispanic voter.
President Barack Obama was a first-time U.S. senator at the time of his election to the presidency, like U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fl.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas), two of the Hispanic GOP politicians to whom Marin alludes in her comments.
Marin’s comments came as New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, another nationally prominent politician viewed by some as a presidential hopeful, traveled to New Mexico to help Martinez campaign for reelection.
Watch Marin’s comments in the video above and his full HuffPost Live conversation here.