When we nominated five congressmen for "Hottest Freshman" two weeks ago, some readers were shocked, appalled--and even claimed conspiracy--that New Mexico Congressman Martin Heinrich had not been included. But 10,000 of you voted anyway, and elected Aaron Schock, a Republican congressman from Peoria, Illinois, the Huffington Post's Hottest Congressional Freshman. Yet some commenters still harbored a crush on Heinrich.
Because our nomination process was wholly unscientific, we did overlook Martin Heinrich. But we've since done a little research on him, and, yeah, he's pretty cute.
So please accept our apologies for the exclusion, and enjoy this tribute to Representative Martin Heinrich.
SLIDESHOW (photos from AP and MartinHeinrich.com):
A little biographical information from Martin Heinrich's website:
Martin Heinrich has committed his life to helping people. From a young age, his parents instilled in him values of hard work, determination, and a strong sense of justice and fairness. Today, he's a strong, principled and articulate leader who puts people first.
Martin grew up in a middle class family, and Martin's parents struggled to provide their children with opportunities to succeed. His parents taught him to work hard, play by the rules and to always lend a helping hand.
Instilled with a strong foundation and a sense of values and purpose, Martin earned a Bachelor's degree in Science and Engineering from the University of Missouri and has taken several graduate courses in the University of New Mexico's Community and Regional Planning program.
Immediately after graduating college, Martin's first decision was to make New Mexico his home. He fell in love with our state's natural beauty, rich history, fascinating people and delicious food (especially the green chile enchiladas!).
In his professional life, Martin has dedicated his life to the public good. A small businessman, he founded his own public affairs consulting firm serving not-for-profit and education clients. As a non-profit executive, Martin served as Executive Director of the Cottonwood Gulch Foundation, an organization dedicated to providing young people with natural science and environmental education experiences through wilderness expeditions.
Martin is a natural leader who has been active in his community and across New Mexico. Governor Bill Richardson appointed Martin the Natural Resources Trustee for the State of New Mexico. As trustee, Martin worked with the Governor to clean up contaminated land and protect our natural environment.
Martin has been active in land use, planning and conservation policy, holding board positions with Albuquerque's Open Space Advisory Board, the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance and the Southeast Heights Neighborhood Association.
Martin is a different kind of leader - one who gives us a sense of hope. Martin served on Albuquerque City Council for four years, including a term as City Council President. During his time on the Council, Martin spearheaded measures aimed at cracking down on crime, raising the minimum wage, creating good jobs, and making New Mexico a leader in energy efficiency and alternative energy like wind and solar power.
Martin is the kind of leaders who says what he means and means what he says. You'll always know where he stands; and without a doubt, he always has the best interests of New Mexico at heart.
Martin and his beautiful wife, Julie, are blessed with two happy and healthy children, Carter and Micah.