New Mexico state executive official elections, 2012

| New Mexico's 2012 elections

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Seven state executive positions were up for election in 2012 in the state of New Mexico.

* New Mexico Public Regulation Commission (2 officers)
* New Mexico Public Education Commission (5 seats)

The primary was held on June 5, 2012, with the general election on November 6, 2012.

In the general election, Karen Montoya and Valerie Espinoza won the District 1 and District 3 seats, respectively, on the Public Regulation Commission.[1] All five candidates for the Public Education Commission, including incumbents from Districts 8, 9, and 10, were unopposed in the general election on November 6, 2012. However, a write-in challenger appeared for the open District 3 Commissioner seat, receiving about 2% of the vote.[1]

#### Impact of redistricting[edit]

A new map of PRC districts was approved by District Court Judge James Hall on January 18, 2012. The plan kept most of the geographical divisions from the previous map, leading Brian Sanderoff, a redistricting consultant, to refer to it as a "status quo oriented plan." The plan ended up in court after Gov. Susana Martinez (R) vetoed the initial proposed plan from the Legislature. The court-approved plan established a solidly Republican 2nd District, Democratic-leaning 1st, 3rd, and 4th Districts, while the 5th District remained a competitive swing district.[2]

# PRC District 1[edit]

Democratic incumbent Jason Marks held the 1st District seat since 2005 and was unable to seek re-election due to term limits. Democrat Karen Montoya was elected to his seat in the general election on November 6, 2012.[1]

### General[edit]

November 6 General election candidates:

Karen Montoya
Christopher Ocksrider
New Mexico Public Regulation Commission District 1 General Election, 2012

Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes
| Democratic  | Karen Montoya | 55% | 94,526
| Republican  |  Christopher Ocksrider  | 45% | 77,256
Total Votes | 171,782
Election results via New Mexico Secretary of State

### Primary[edit]

Bernalillo County Assessor Karen Montoya defeated PRC staff attorney Cynthia Hall and state Rep. Al Park in the June 5 Democratic primary. Republican Christopher Ocksrider was unopposed.[3]

New Mexico Public Regulation Commission, District 1, Democratic Primary, 2012

Candidate | Vote % | Votes
Karen Montoya | 36.3% | 10,972
Cynthia Hall | 33.2% | 10,038
Al Park | 30.5% | 9,221
Total Votes | 30,231

June 5 Republican primary candidates:

* Christopher Ocksrider a Attorney

# PRC District 3[edit]

Incumbent Douglas J. Howe (I) was appointed to District 3 by Governor Susana Martinez on November 7, 2011, to replace Jerome Block who resigned after pleading guilty to two felonies.[4] Howe did not seek election to a full term in 2012.[5]

### General[edit]

November 6 General election candidates:

Valerie Espinoza
New Mexico Public Regulation Commission District 3 General Election, 2012

Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes
| Democratic  | Valerie Espinoza | 100% | 127,569
Total Votes | 127,569
Election results via New Mexico Secretary of State

### Primary[edit]

In a four-way race, Valerie Espinoza won the Democratic nomination on June 5, 2012. Since no Republicans filed for the seat, Espinoza had no major party opposition in the general election.[3]

New Mexico Public Regulation Commission, District 3, Democratic Primary, 2012

Candidate | Vote % | Votes
Valerie Espinoza | 37.7% | 15,121
Virginia Vigil | 32% | 12,850
Brad Gallegos | 17.1% | 6,863
Danny Maki | 13.2% | 5,310
Total Votes | 40,144

Note: Martin Suazo and Ronald L. Rees were running for the seat but did not qualify for the primary ballot

June 5 Republican primary candidates:

* No candidates filed.

# Public Education Commission[edit]

Five seats were up on the Public Education Commission: Districts 3, 5, 8, 9, and 10. The primaries took place on June 5, 2012, and the general election was held on November 6, 2012.

### District 3[edit]

Incumbent Michael Canfield did not seek re-election. Carmie Lynn Toulouse ran unopposed in the general election on November 6, 2012.

November 6 General election candidates:

Carmie Lynn Toulouse
New Mexico Public Education Commission District 3 General Election, 2012

Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes
| Democratic  | Carmie Lynn Toulouse | 97.6% | 60,322
| Democratic  |  Vanessa Leigh Gutierrez (Write-in)  | 2.4% | 1,469
Total Votes | 61,791
Election results via New Mexico Secretary of State

### District 5[edit]

There was no District 5 incumbent at the time of the election. James F. Conyers ran unopposed for the seat in the general election.

November 6 General election candidates:

James F. Conyers
New Mexico Public Education Commission District 5 General Election, 2012

Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes
| Democratic  | James F. Conyers | 100% | 42,305
Total Votes | 42,305
Election results via New Mexico Secretary of State

### District 8[edit]

November 6 General election candidates:

Vince N. Bergman Incumbent
New Mexico Public Education Commission District 8 General Election, 2012

Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes
| Republican  | Vince N. Bergman Incumbent | 100% | 48,844
Total Votes | 48,844
Election results via New Mexico Secretary of State

### District 9[edit]

November 6 General election candidates:

Carolyn Kennedy Shearman Incumbent
New Mexico Public Education Commission District 9 General Election, 2012

Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes
| Democratic  | Carolyn Kennedy Shearman Incumbent | 100% | 35,889
Total Votes | 35,889
Election results via New Mexico Secretary of State

### District 10[edit]

November 6 General election candidates:

Jeff Carr Incumbent
New Mexico Public Education Commission District 10 General Election, 2012

Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes
| Democratic  | Jeff Carr Incumbent | 100% | 66,144
Total Votes | 66,144
Election results via New Mexico Secretary of State

# Key deadlines[edit]

Deadline  | Event

|

March 20 | Candidate filing deadline
March 30 | Deadline for challenging nomination petitions
April 3 | Deadline to withdraw from primary election
May 8 | Absentee voting for primary election begins
May 19 | Early in-person voting for primary election begins
June 2 | Early in-person voting ends for the primary election
June 5 | Primary election
June 26 | Deadline for independent, minor party, and write-in candidates to file
Sept 4 | Last day to withdraw from general election
Oct 20 | Early in-person voting for general election begins
Nov 3 | Early in-person voting for general election end
Nov 6 | General election

## See also[edit]

* Statewide elections, 2012
* State executive official elections, 2012

## External links[edit]

| Suggest a link

|

* New Mexico Secretary of State - Elections (dead link)

## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 New Mexico Secretary of State, "General Election Results," accessed November 7, 2012
2. ↑ The Republic, "Eastern NM unified in court-approved plan for redistricting Public Regulation Commission," January 18, 2012
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 New Mexico Secretary of State, "Unofficial primary election results," accessed June 6, 2012
4. ↑ The Republic, "New Mexico governor chooses Santa Fe consultant to fill vacancy on regulatory panel," November 7, 2011
5. ↑ The Republic, "New Mexico candidates for the Legislature, PRC and other offices face filing deadline," March 20, 2012

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