About Hector Balderas

The NM State Auditor - Hector Balderas

In November 2006, Hector Balderas was elected to serve as the New Mexico State Auditor, and at the age of 33 he became the youngest Hispanic statewide elected official in the nation.

Balderas was raised in Wagon Mound, New Mexico; a small northern New Mexico community with a population of 310. Balderas graduated from New Mexico Highlands University and he earned his law degree from the University of New Mexico. He was the first person in his family to earn a college degree, as well as the first person from Wagon Mound to become an attorney.

After law school, Balderas worked as a criminal prosecutor in Albuquerque. While in the district attorney’s office, Balderas prosecuted more than 1,100 criminal cases involving DUI and domestic violence. Thereafter, he developed a solo criminal and civil law practice.

In December 2003, Balderas returned to his hometown of Wagon Mound with his wife and three young children. At the age of 30, and with no prior political experience, he ran for a seat in the New Mexico House of Representatives. Balderas defeated the heavily favored incumbent in the Democratic primary by a two-to-one margin and ultimately prevailed over his Republican opponent in the general election.

In his first term as a Representative, he passed sweeping legislation to strengthen penalties for sex offenders, established incentives for investment in clean energy and funded virtual education for rural public schools. Balderas also sponsored “truthful interrogations” legislation which gained national recognition as one of the most significant reforms to the criminal justice system. In recognition of his legislative accomplishments, Balderas was named Rookie-Leader-of-the-Year by the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce and Outstanding Rookie by the League of Conservation Voters.

During his second legislative term, Balderas led the effort to amend the New Mexico Criminal Code to reflect consistency and parity in sentencing, advocated for DUI reform and led the fight to protect consumers from price gouging in a time of disaster.

Balderas recently traveled to Pakistan as a delegate for the American Council of Young Political Leaders, and he was one of only six delegates selected nationally to participate in the envoy. While there, Balderas met with the Foreign Minister and leaders from all political parties, and he participated in outreach across the country where he discussed developing better international relations and cooperation.

As New Mexico’s State Auditor, Balderas provides regulatory oversight over sixty (60) billion dollars in governmental assets and six-hundred-and-three (603) government entities. During his first year in office, Balderas has aggressively exercised his authority to combat fraud and corruption in New Mexico. Additionally, he has expanded the profile of his office by hiring criminal investigators, developing a fraud hotline and expanding training and outreach operations throughout government.