Although the name Pete Campos might not be widely known across the country or even the state, someday it might be.

Campos, a state senator representing northeastern New Mexico for the past 18 years, is an up-and-coming politician. Many see him as a future U.S. representative or quite possibly as the next governor of New Mexico.

Born in Las Vegas, N.M., and raised in Santa Rosa, Campos stays close to his roots. Although he has the prestige of being the longtime successful superintendent of Las Vegas schools and a highly successful business owner, Campos steadies himself by remembering where he came from. He constantly reminds people that he is a human being like everyone else.

"One of the early census of Guadalupe County indicated that my grandmother Miquela was listed as a servant," he said. "There were two people in the entire census that were listed as servants, and it was my grandmother and her sister. What makes me proud of this is that my grandmother raised two children on her own and they could have gone to the streets and they didn't."

Campos' father, Alberto Elfego Campos, owned several restaurants in Santa Rosa before prostate cancer forced him and Pete to leave the business. Campos' uncle, the late Santiago E. Campos, was a district and federal judge in Santa Fe.

"My grandma raised both of them by herself. She made a living as a maid, she ironed and cleaned rooms," Campos said. "My grandma was a humble person, but she never embarrassed me. I would take care of her. I remember when I was mayor of Santa Rosa, I would go make sure she was OK. I miss her a lot. I was very proud of who she was."

Campos says that all of us can choose from two paths.

"You can either go down the path of trouble or take the path of hard work and honesty," he says.

Campos was mayor of Santa Rosa for four years. He says that being a servant of the people has been his calling.

"I enjoy this line of work. I love serving the people," he says. "It's not difficult being in the public eye. It gives me an opportunity to talk to people and share things with them and let them know that life isn't perfect."

Campos admits that the family business was successful, but it wasn't easy.

"I remember when I was around 9, and my dad and I would stand outside our restaurant and nobody would come in. We would be there wondering if we would get any customers that day," says Campos.

And his is still haunted by the murder of his younger brother Ramon, who went missing in Albuquerque back in 1975. His remains were found eight months later in the Sandia Mountains.

"Until this day, we haven't found his murderer," said Campos. "All we found were skeletal remains and a Miraculous Medal my mother had given him."

Campos says he continues to go through triumphs and tribulations like everyone else. His wife of 15 years, Lori, has lived with a brain tumor for the last seven years and gone through two major surgeries.

"I remember when my son (Pete Jr.) and I went to visit her in the hospital after one of her operations, and when we left her room he asked me if his mommy was going to die. We couldn't recognize her because she was so swollen. I told him that we would leave everything in God's hands," he said. "I truly consider her to be a miracle and God reminds me every day through her attitude and courage anything is possible."

Campos says he is committed for life to his family.

"I tell her I love her and that I'm there for her and we'll work through it," Campos says. "I always try to be positive and give life our best. We'll make it."

And although family and his constituents are important to Campos, he says there is one force that drives his daily life.

"God is my life," says Campos. "Through him all things are possible. Through him all things happen in my life."

At age 16, Campos was considering going to the seminary.

"God had another plan for me; I was to be a servant of the people," he says.

He is taking online classes at the University of Notre Dame, studying to be a deacon. Completing classes is nothing new for a man who earned a bachelor's and a doctoral degree.

Campos may look 40, but he is 54, and he might be ready to make a move for a higher position in the political arena.

"I stay awake 20 to 21 hours a day," Campos says. "I feel like I'm 34. I trust God that whatever path he has outlined in my life I will give it my full attention. I want to continue to make a difference in people's lives and if it means undertaking the campaign for governor and if it be God's will, so be it."

Campos gives credit to his mother for his spirituality, as she would always make sure he and his siblings would attend Mass on a regular basis.

"My mother used to walk me and my brothers and sister to church every Sunday and she would make sure we would always be clean. She taught us how to pray and we would pray the rosary every night," recalls Campos.

If Campos could describe himself with one word he said it would be "optimistic." If he had two words to describe himself he said it would be "very optimistic."

"I wake up every morning with a high level of motivation," Campos said. "My life hasn't been about me, it's been about others. I share people's pains, sufferings and joys. My regret is that I wish I could do more for the people. I wish I had the ability to cure illnesses, poverty and everything else that hurts people."

So when it's all said and done, what does Pete Campos want people to say about him?

"In the end all I can say is that I will look back and know that I gave it everything I had to make people's lives better. And I hope if there was any misunderstanding that people please forgive me. My life has been a beautiful journey, and it's not over yet."

Keep the name Pete Campos in mind. Someday soon, it may be as common as Richardson, Udall or Bingaman.

Jesse Gallegos is an editorial assistant at New Mexico Highlands University. He also writes a column for The Las Vegas Times, a weekly paper in Las Vegas. If you have any ideas you would like to share with Jesse contact him at 505-429-2507.