“Completely honest and highly informative. To look at a legislative body is to observe democracy in the raw—with all its diverse characters and influences and its many conflicts, compromises, and achievements. Dede Feldman, a first-rate observer and chronicler, shows us the insides of the New Mexico State Senate.”—Fred Harris, former U.S. Senator and professor emeritus of political science, University of New Mexico Elected to New Mexico’s state senate in 1996, Dede Feldman faced the challenges that confront state legislators around the country along with some that are uniquely New Mexican. In this forthright account of the workings of New Mexico’s legislature, she reveals how the work of governing is actually accomplished. In New Mexico’s part-time citizen legislature, Spanish may be spoken in the halls of the capitol as often as English, and Native American issues are often pivotal. But each year the Land of Enchantment’s legislators, like those in other states, must balance revenues and expenditures, tangle with lobbyists, and struggle with redistricting and campaign finance reform. State legislatures’ approaches to air pollution, drunk driving, and chronic disease, Feldman’s book reveals, find their way into national law after they’ve been road tested on the highways of various states.

In this forthright account of the workings of New Mexico's legislature, Dede Feldman reveals how the work of governing is actually accomplished.

Includes extraordinary and special sessions.

The first woman to serve in both houses of the New Mexico legislature, Pauline Eisenstadt has witnessed many exciting moments in the state’s political history and made much of that history herself. Her memoir takes readers to the floors of the House and Senate, offering an insider’s view of how New Mexico’s government operates—or doesn’t. “I always had great respect for [Pauline’s] integrity, honesty, and leadership, and A Woman in Both Houses does a great job of conveying her character, her concerns, and her profound affection for our state and its citizens.”—Bill Richardson, former governor of New Mexico “This colorful book offers a unique view from a seat in both the House and the Senate. It is a poignant memoir of one of New Mexico’s woman legislator pioneers. Pauline is a true role model for aspiring women leaders in our state and beyond and this book shows us why.”—Diane Denish, former lieutenant governor of New Mexico “I recommend A Woman in Both Houses to anyone who enjoys viewing New Mexico politics from an insider’s perspective.”—Senator Jeff Bingaman