Raúl Torrez (born July 24, 1976) is an American lawyer and politician from New Mexico. A member of the Democratic Party, Torrez is the

Attorney General of New Mexico The attorney general of New Mexico, an elected executive officer of the state, oversees the New Mexico Attorney General's Office and serves as head of the New Mexico Department of Justice. The officeholder, who is required to be a licensed at ...

Early life and education

Torrez's father, Presiliano Torrez, was a federal prosecutor and his mother taught Spanish at

Sandia Preparatory School Sandia Preparatory School is an independent college preparatory school located in Albuquerque, New Mexico serving students in sixth through twelfth grade. The school is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest (ISAS) ...

. He graduated from Sandia Prep, and then attended

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

, where he graduated ''

cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

'' with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

in government. He earned a

Master of Science A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medici ...

in international political economy from the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...

, and then worked for the Cesar Chavez Foundation in Los Angeles before attending

Stanford Law School Stanford Law School (SLS) is the Law school in the United States, law school of Stanford University, a Private university, private research university near Palo Alto, California. Established in 1893, Stanford Law had an acceptance rate of 6.28% i ...

, earning his

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

Career

After graduating from law school in 2005, Torrez became an assistant district attorney in

Valencia County, New Mexico Valencia County () is a county in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2020 census, the population was 76,205. The county seat is Los Lunas. Valencia County is included in the Albuquerque Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county was a ...

. The next year, he took a job in the office of the

New Mexico attorney general The attorney general of New Mexico, an elected executive officer of the state, oversees the New Mexico Attorney General's Office and serves as head of the New Mexico Department of Justice. The officeholder, who is required to be a licensed at ...

. In 2008, Torrez was chief counsel to Ben Luján, the

speaker Speaker most commonly refers to: * Speaker, a person who produces speech * Loudspeaker, a device that produces sound ** Computer speakers Speaker, Speakers, or The Speaker may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * "Speaker" (song), by David ...

of the

New Mexico House of Representatives The New Mexico House of Representatives () is the lower house of the New Mexico State Legislature. There are 70 members of the House. Each member represents roughly 25,980 residents of New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the South ...

, and then he served as a

White House Fellow The White House Fellows program is a non-partisan fellowship established via Executive Order 11183 by President Lyndon B. Johnson in October 1964. The fellowship is one of the United States' most prestigious programs for leadership and public se ...

in the class of 2009–2010 during the

presidency of Barack Obama Barack Obama's tenure as the 44th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2009, and ended on January 20, 2017. Obama, a Democrat from Illinois, took office following his victory over Republican nomine ...

. He returned to Albuquerque to work in the

United States attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal ...

's office and operated a solo law firm. Torrez won the Democratic Party nomination for

district attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represen ...

Bernalillo County, New Mexico Bernalillo County (; ) is the most populous List of counties in New Mexico, county in the U.S. state of New Mexico.

, in 2016. He won the general election without opposition from a Republican.

Attorney General of New Mexico

With

Hector Balderas Hector Hugo Balderas Jr. (born August 16, 1973) is a distinguished lawyer, executive leader, and public servant who has dedicated his career to advancing justice, accountability, and educational opportunity in New Mexico. A trailblazing Hispanic l ...

unable to run for reelection as

New Mexico Attorney General The attorney general of New Mexico, an elected executive officer of the state, oversees the New Mexico Attorney General's Office and serves as head of the New Mexico Department of Justice. The officeholder, who is required to be a licensed at ...

in the 2022 election due to

term limit A term limit is a legal restriction on the number of terms a person may serve in a particular elected office. When term limits are found in presidential and semi-presidential systems they act as a method of curbing the potential for monopoly, w ...

s, Torrez announced his candidacy to succeed him in May 2021. Torrez won the Democratic nomination, defeating

New Mexico State Auditor The state auditor of New Mexico is a constitutional officer in the executive branch, executive branch of government of the U.S. state of New Mexico. Twenty-eight individuals have held the office of state auditor since statehood. The incumbent is J ...

Brian Colón, and faced Republican Jeremy Gay. Torrez defeated Gay in the general election.

Personal life

Torrez's wife, Nasha, is also an attorney and is a dean at the

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; ) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. Founded in 1889 by the New Mexico Territorial Legislature, it is the state's second oldest university, a flagship university in th ...

. They have two children.

Electoral history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Torrez, Raul Alumni of the London School of Economics District attorneys in New Mexico Harvard University alumni Living people New Mexico attorneys general New Mexico Democrats Politicians from Albuquerque, New Mexico Stanford Law School alumni 1976 births 21st-century New Mexico politicians