Rep. Javier Martinez (D-Albuquerque) was appointed House majority floor leader by New Mexico House Democrats earlier this week.
Martinez will serve as a replacement for Rep. Sheryl Williams Stapleton, who resigned after a corruption investigation was opened against her to uncover any involvement in newfound racketeering and money laundering acts at Albuquerque Public Schools, KOB4 reports.
"Congratulations Mr. Majority Leader! Javier Martínez picked as House floor leader @JavierForNM," state Sen. Antoinette Sedillo Lopez (D-Albuquerque) wrote in a tweet.
Martinez got the nod over other candidates, which included Reps. Liz Thomson and Miguel P. Garcia, both Democrats from Albuquerque. The decision was made in a 44-24 majority in-favor vote over Republicans, The Albuquerque Journal reported.
“It has been a tremendous pleasure serving alongside Rep. Martínez and seeing his growth as a legislator over the years,” Majority Whip Doreen Gallegos told KOB4. “I am confident in his abilities to lead our caucus so we can continue delivering the policies New Mexico’s hardworking families deserve.”
The newly assigned representative will maintain his position until the following 60-day legislature session begins in January 2023.
“I am honored and humbled that my colleagues have put their faith in me and selected me to serve as their new Majority Floor Leader,” said Martínez, according to KOB4. “As a first-generation American, raised in New Mexico, I know the unique strengths of our communities and the challenges they face. I look forward to the increased responsibility and opportunity of this role to move our caucus, legislature, and state forward in a way that’s truly representative of New Mexico’s diverse communities.”
