Meet New Mexico's Secretary of State

Dianna Duran

New Mexico Secretary of State Dianna J. Duran was born in Tularosa, New Mexico. In 1973 she graduated from Tularosa High School. She attended New Mexico State University in Alamogordo before beginning work in the office of the Otero County Clerk in 1979. She was elected Otero County Clerk in 1988 and served two consecutive two-year terms. In 1992 she was elected to the state senate, serving until the end of 2010 when she resigned after being elected Secretary of State.

Dianna Duran was elected Secretary of State in November 2010. She is the first Republican elected to that office since 1928. Among the office’s wide-ranging responsibilities, the Secretary of State is charged with ensuring the conduct of efficient, fair and secure elections, maintaining records vital to commerce and industry, and supervising the reporting of campaign finances by political candidates and committees.

As a state senator, Dianna led efforts to update the election code, and modernize the electoral process. She pursued ways to cut wasteful spending and streamline government, eliminate “red tape” and support small business growth, preserve our water resources and improve educational achievement. Dianna served from 2003 - 2010 as Caucus Chair for the Republican Senators. She served on the Senate Rules Committee, the Corporations & Transportation Committee, numerous interim committees and task forces.

Dianna is married to Leo Barraza and they make their home in Tularosa. Combined, they have five children, thirteen grandchildren and one great-grandchild.