My dad was a golden gloves boxer in the Marine Corps, then a deputy sheriff. My mom worked as an office assistant.

At 18, I guarded the parking lot at the Catholic Church bingos. Now my dad made sure I could take care of myself. I carried a Smith and Wesson 357 Magnum .

I've known where my heritage is from all along.

Too many Americans are out of work, and our debt is out of control.

My parents taught me to never give up and to always believe that my future could be whatever I dreamt it to be.

Republicans want to be tough and say, 'Illegals, you're gone.' But the answer is a lot more complex than that.

In New Mexico, I inherited the largest structural deficit in state history, and our legislature is controlled by Democrats. We don't always agree, but we came together in a bipartisan manner and turned that deficit into a surplus. And we did it without raising taxes.