Dianna Duran
| Dianna Duran | |
|---|---|
| 24th Secretary of State of New Mexico | |
|
In office January 1, 2011 – October 22, 2015 |
|
| Governor | Susana Martinez |
| Preceded by | Mary Herrera |
| Succeeded by | Mary Quintana (Acting) |
| Member of the New Mexico Senate from the 40th district |
|
|
In office January 1, 1992 – January 1, 2010 |
|
| Succeeded by | Bill Burt |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
July 26, 1956 Tularosa, New Mexico, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Leo Barraza |
| Alma mater | New Mexico State University, Las Cruces |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Dianna Duran (born July 26, 1956) is an American politician who served as the 24th Secretary of State of New Mexico. A Republican, she was the first member of her party in 80 years to serve in the position. On October 22, 2015, she resigned her position amid a corruption and campaign law investigation. She subsequently pleaded guilty to six of 65 fraud and embezzlement charges against her as part of an agreement reached with the Attorney General of New Mexico. Duran was sentenced to 30 days in jail and began her sentence on December 18, 2015.
She was previously a New Mexico State Senator from District 40, first elected in 1992.
Duran began her political career as a deputy county clerk in Otero County, New Mexico and served from 1988 to 1992 as Otero Country Clerk. In 1993 she became a member of the New Mexico Senate and remained there until 2010 when she won election as Secretary of State Duran, a New Mexico native and resident of Tularosa, New Mexico, is married to Leo Barraza; they have five children.
Duran was born in Tularosa, New Mexico, and attended public schools there, graduating from Tularosa High School in 1973. She attended New Mexico State University.
Duran attended New Mexico State University in Alamogordo before beginning work in the Office of the Otero County Clerk in 1979. Elected county clerk in 1988, she served two consecutive two-year terms. In 1992, she was elected to the New Mexico Senate, serving until 2010, when she resigned after being elected Secretary of State on November 2. While in the Senate Duran pushed for legislation requiring citizens to produce photo ID before they could vote.
On January 1, 2011, Duran became New Mexico’s 24th Secretary of State. She was the first Republican elected to that office since 1928. She promised initiatives to modernize and streamline operations and cut costs. She said her primary objective was the integrity of the electoral system and that she believed that in a republic, legitimacy rested on the people’s belief that elections are conducted fairly, votes are counted correctly, and that only eligible voters are allowed to participate. On July 31, 2011 Duran cited a "culture of corruption" when she turned the names of 64,000 voters over to the state police, saying they did not match the Social Security and motor vehicle data bases. She also said that 117 foreign nationals had registered to vote and 37 had actually done so. The American Civil Liberties Union filed a public information request for the records in question, saying that they wanted to verify the statement. But Duran refused, citing executive privilege.
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