Madrid won her first campaign in 1978 when she became the first woman elected to sit as a
district court judge in New Mexico. In 1994, she was the Democratic nominee for
Lieutenant Governor of New Mexico as Governor
Bruce King's running mate, but lost the general election. In 1998, she became the first woman elected Attorney General of the State of New Mexico. She was re-elected in 2002. In 2005, Madrid became the chairperson of the
Conference of Western Attorneys General, which focuses on energy, environmental, and
Indian gaming issues. Madrid was
term limited from seeking reelection in 2006. She chose instead to run for
U.S. Representative in
New Mexico's 1st congressional district. She lost to
Republican incumbent
Heather Wilson by 875 (out of 211,000) votes. When it appeared that
Senator Pete Domenici was going to run for re-election in 2008, a Wilson-Madrid rematch was considered a strong possibility, especially considering Wilson's role in the firing of
US Attorney for New Mexico
David Iglesias. But Domenici's poll numbers dropped as a result of the scandal, and Madrid may have considered running against him. When Domenici announced his retirement from the Senate and Wilson announced her candidacy for the open Senate seat, it appeared Madrid may have been facing a rematch with Wilson on the statewide level. When Democratic Representative
Tom Udall entered the race, Madrid opted against running for the U.S. Senate. ==Notable actions as Attorney General==