LatinaLista — South Texan Miriam Martinez is used to facing down insurmountable challenges. Sexually abused as a child, a victim of domestic violence, poverty-stricken and a single working mom of three, one with autism, Martinez learned early in life to focus on her goals and as she says, “to be immune to a lot of negatives.”
It’s a life lesson that will undoubtedly help Martinez, a resident of Edinburgh, Texas, as she tackles her next challenge — running for Texas governor.
On November 9, 2013, forty-one-year-old Martinez, born in Reynosa, Mexico and who became a naturalized citizen in 2010, joined a crowded list of candidates in a political contest that has garnered national interest and speculation as to who will win an office that hasn’t been available for the past 13 years.
Martinez, running as a Republican and identifying herself as a moderate conservative, hopes to catch people’s attention with the assertion that her filing puts her in state history books as the first naturalized Latina Republican to file for governor. Yet, it’s her non-political career that she’s banking on taking her to Austin.
A small business owner and former Rio Grande Valley television personality, Martinez is known in South Texas for hosting a Spanish-language radio talk show called “Red Hot Texas Politics with Miriam Martinez.”
“Trust me when I say I can do this job,” Martinez said. “I’m bringing a light to the real issues of Texas. I want to serve with honesty and transparency.”
That means she may find herself answering questions as to why she changed political parties last year after an unsuccessful bid
for Texas House District 41, in which local media accused her of running a negative ad campaign.
Yet, Martinez seems unfazed by the past and is busy concentrating on the present. With no funds for advertisements or travel to appearances throughout the state, Martinez is conducting a one-woman show. She’s bankrolling her own campaign, writing her own press releases, conducting her own social media outreach and making known her stand on the issues:
Her vision for Texas includes no new state taxes, more jobs from international investments, a state immigration reform plan that would help the state economy, an improved education system, and allowing Texans to vote on legalizing Medical Marijuana and casino gaming in Texas
.
“I’ve been waiting for this moment all my life,” Martinez said. “I’m here to help the state of Texas.”
