Joseph J. Carraro is an Independent

Independent (politician)

In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...

 politician in New Mexico

New Mexico

New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...

, and was a member of the New Mexico Senate

New Mexico Senate

The New Mexico Senate is the upper house of the New Mexico State Legislature. The Senate consists of 42 members, with each senator representing an equal amount of single-member constituent districts across the state. All senatorial districts are divided to contain a population on average of 43,300...

 representing the 26rd district from 1985 to 1989. After his neighborhood was moved into another district as part of the 1990 redistricting

Redistricting

Redistricting is the process of drawing United States electoral district boundaries, often in response to population changes determined by the results of the decennial census. In 36 states, the state legislature has primary responsibility for creating a redistricting plan, in many cases subject to...

 of the New Mexico Legislature

New Mexico Legislature

The New Mexico Legislature is the legislative branch of the state government of New Mexico. It is a bicameral body made up of the New Mexico House of Representatives and the New Mexico Senate....

, he was elected as the Senator for the 23rd district from 1993 until 2009. He was formerly a member of the Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 until he left the party to become an Independent in 2008.

In 2006, Carraro ran in the Republican state primary for the United States Senate

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

. Subsequently, Carraro ran in the Republican primary in a bid for the seat vacated by Heather Wilson

Heather Wilson

Heather A. Wilson , is a former Republican member of the United States House of Representatives representing from 1998 to 2009...

 in New Mexico's 1st congressional district

New Mexico's 1st congressional district

New Mexico District 1 of the United States House of Representatives serves the central area of New Mexico, in and around Albuquerque. The current Representative is Democrat Martin Heinrich, who became the district's first Democratic representative in 2009.-History:Until the 1968 elections, New...

in 2008.

He has since retired to work as a consultant and lobbyist with his firm, Carraro & Associates, Inc.

External links

• Joe Carraro's New Mexico Senate site
• Carraro & Associates, Inc. official website
• (http://theaveragejoe.us/ The Average Joe website)