Susana Martinez tried to reach out to both Latino voters and the GOP base Wednesday with a speech that touched on her heritage and brought delegates to their feet with a story about packing a .357-magnum pistol as an 18-year-old helping out her parents’ security company.

“En America, todo es posible,” she said towards the beginning. She also recounted her parents’ old security guard business, which gave her the job of guarding the parking lot at Catholic church bingos. “I carried a Smith & Wesson .357 magnum,” Ms. Martinez said to one of the louder cheers during her speech.

Warming up delegates for the appearance of vice-presidential nominee Rep. Paul Ryan, Ms. Martinez described the lunch with local GOP officials that caused to her to leave the Democratic Party when she was mounting a bid for district attorney.

Afterwards, she looked at her husband, Chuck, and said, “I’ll be damned, we’re Republicans.”

Although President Barack Obama is still expected to handily win the Latino vote this year, the GOP is still trying to remind voters that on many issues, the voting bloc may line up with the party of Mitt Romney. (The stumbling block: Immigration policy, among other things.)

Ms. Martinez sometimes strove for a post-partisan tone, playing up themes of personal responsibility and self-improvement.

Earlier this year, Ms. Martinez made headlines when she questioned Mr. Romney’s suggestion.