Democratic Party primaries in New Mexico, 2022

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Democratic Party primaries, 2022

Primary Date

June 7, 2022

Federal elections

Democratic primaries for U.S. House

State party

Democratic Party of New Mexico

State political party revenue

This page focuses on the Democratic primaries that took place in New Mexico on June 7, 2022.

A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. New Mexico utilizes a closed primary process; participation in each party's primary is limited to registered party members.^[1][2][3][4]

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

Federal elections[edit]

U.S. House[edit]

See also: United States House elections in New Mexico, 2022 (June 7 Democratic primaries)

The U.S. House of Representatives elections in New Mexico are scheduled on November 8, 2022. Voters will elect three candidates to serve in the U.S. House from each of the state's three U.S. House districts. To see a full list of candidates in the primary in each district, click "Show more" below.

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District 1[edit]

 Democratic primary candidates

• Melanie Ann Stansbury (Incumbent) ✔

Did not make the ballot:

• Sheridan Lund

District 2[edit]

 Democratic primary candidates

• Darshan Patel 
• Gabriel Vasquez ✔

---

= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

District 3[edit]

 Democratic primary candidates

• Teresa Leger Fernandez (Incumbent) ✔

State elections[edit]

House of Representatives[edit]

See also: New Mexico House of Representatives elections, 2022

The New Mexico House of Representatives is one of 88 state legislative chambers holding elections in 2022. There are 99 chambers throughout the country. In 2020, 86 out of 99 legislative chambers held elections. To see a full list of state House candidates in the Democratic primaries, click "Show more" below.

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New Mexico House of Representatives elections, 2022
Incumbents are marked with an (i) after their name.
Office	Democratic	Republican	Other
District 1	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Rodney Montoya (i)
District 2	The Democratic primary was canceled.	P. Mark Duncan
District 3	The Democratic primary was canceled.	T. Ryan Lane (i)
District 4	Anthony Allison (i) Christina Aspaas	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 5	Doreen Wonda Johnson (i) Kevin M. Mitchell	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 6	Eliseo Alcon (i) Did not make the ballot: Priscilla Benally  Daniel Rogers	Jerri Rowe
District 7	Danny Bernal Jr.	Tanya Mirabal Moya
District 8	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Brian Baca (i)
District 9	Patricia Lundstrom (i)	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 10	G. Andres Romero (i)	Mary Ingham
District 11	Javier Martínez (i)	Lisa Meyer-Hagen   Adrian Trujillo
District 12	Art De La Cruz (i) Melissa Armijo Nicole Olonovich	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 13	Patricia Roybal Caballero (i)	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 14	Miguel Garcia (i)	Solomon Pena
District 15	Dayan Hochman (i)	Kimberly Kaehr-MacMillan
District 16	Antonio Maestas (i)	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 17	Cynthia Borrego Darrell Deaguero	Ellis McMath Joshua Neal
District 18	Gail Chasey (i)	Scott Cannon
District 19	Janelle Anyanonu Colton Dean Did not make the ballot: Eric Sutton	Kathleen Jackson
District 20	Meredith Dixon (i)	Robert Salazar
District 21	Debra Sariñana (i)	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 22	Augustine Montoya	Stefani Lord (i)
District 23	Ramon Montano	Alan Martinez
District 24	Elizabeth Thomson (i)	Khalid Emshadi
District 25	Christine Trujillo (i)	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 26	Eleanor Chavez Cherise Quezada	Patrick Ben Sais
District 27	Marian Matthews (i)	Robert Godshall Elisa Martinez
District 28	Pamelya Herndon (i)	Nicole Chavez
District 29	Joy Garratt (i)	Gregory Cunningham Adelious Stith
District 30	Natalie Figueroa (i)	Kurstin Johnson
District 31	Athena Ann Christodoulou	William Rehm (i)
District 32	Candie Sweetser (i)	Jenifer Jones
District 33	Micaela Lara Cadena (i)	Charles Wendler (Write-in)
District 34	Raymundo Lara (i)	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 35	Angelica Rubio (i)	Richelle Peugh-Swafford
District 36	Nathan Small (i)	Kimberly Skaggs
District 37	Joanne Ferrary (i)	Rene Rodriguez Did not make the ballot: Ronnie Sisneros
District 38	Ravi Bhasker Tara Jaramillo	Melba Aguilar Sandra Hammack
District 39	Rodolpho Martinez Karen Whitlock	Luis Terrazas (i)
District 40	Roger Montoya (i) Joseph Sanchez	Jerald Steve McFall
District 41	Susan Herrera (i) Marlo R. Martinez	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 42	Kristina Ortez (i) Florence Miera	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 43	Christine Chandler (i)	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 44	Kathleen Cates	Jane Powdrell-Culbert (i) Frida Vasquez
District 45	Linda Serrato (i)	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 46	Andrea Romero (i) Henry Roybal Ryan Salazar	Jay Groseclose
District 47	Reena Szczepanski Did not make the ballot: Francisco Lopez	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 48	Tara Lujan (i)	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 49	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Gail Armstrong (i)
District 50	Matthew McQueen (i)	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 51	Sharonlee Cummins	Rachel Black (i) John Block
District 52	Doreen Y. Gallegos (i)	John Foreman
District 53	Willie Madrid (i)	Elizabeth Winterrowd Did not make the ballot: Ricky Little
District 54	The Democratic primary was canceled.	James Townsend (i)	Libertarian Party Keith Boone (Write-in)
District 55	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Cathrynn Brown (i)
District 56	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Harlan Vincent
District 57	Michelle Sandoval	Jason Harper (i)
District 58	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Candy Spence Ezzell (i)
District 59	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Greg Nibert (i) Did not make the ballot: Tracy Delarosa
District 60	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Joshua Hernandez (i)
District 61	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Randall Pettigrew (i) Rebecca Jones
District 62	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Larry Scott (i) Elaine Sena Cortez
District 63	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Martin Ruben Zamora (i)
District 64	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Andrea Reeb
District 65	Derrick Lente (i)	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 66	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Jimmy Mason	Libertarian Party Andrew Kennedy
District 67	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Jack Chatfield (i)
District 68	Charlotte Little	Robert Moss
District 69	Harry Garcia (i) Marvin Trujillo (Write-in)	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 70	Ambrose Castellano (i) Anita Gonzales	The Republican primary was canceled.

State executive offices[edit]

See also: New Mexico state executive official elections, 2022

Twelve state executive offices are up for election in New Mexico in 2022:

Governor
Lieutenant Governor
Attorney General
Secretary of State
Treasurer
Auditor
Public Education Commission (5 seats)
Public Lands Commissioner

To see a full list of candidates in the Democratic primaries, click "Show more" below.

Show more

Governor[edit]

 Democratic primary candidates

• Michelle Lujan Grisham (Incumbent) ✔

Lieutenant Governor[edit]

 Democratic primary candidates

• Howie Morales (Incumbent) ✔

Attorney General[edit]

 Democratic primary candidates

• Brian S. Colón
• Raul Torrez ✔

Secretary of State[edit]

 Democratic primary candidates

• Maggie Toulouse Oliver (Incumbent) ✔

Treasurer[edit]

 Democratic primary candidates

• Heather Benavidez
• Laura Montoya ✔

Auditor[edit]

 Democratic primary candidates

• Joseph Maestas ✔
• Zackary Quintero 

---

= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Public Lands Commissioner[edit]

 Democratic primary candidates

• Stephanie Garcia Richard (Incumbent) ✔

Public Education Commission[edit]

District 2[edit]

 Democratic primary candidates

The Democratic Party primary was canceled. No candidates filed for this race.

District 3[edit]

 Democratic primary candidates

• Alan Brauer Jr. ✔

District 5[edit]

 Democratic primary candidates

The Democratic Party primary was canceled. No candidates filed for this race.

District 6[edit]

 Democratic primary candidates

The Democratic Party primary was canceled. No candidates filed for this race.

District 7[edit]

 Democratic primary candidates

• Patricia Gipson (Incumbent) ✔

State supreme court[edit]

See also: New Mexico Supreme Court elections, 2022

The terms of three New Mexico Supreme Court justices will expire on December 31, 2022. Two seats are up for partisan election and one seat is up for retention election. To see a full list of candidates in the Democratic primaries, click "Show more" below.

Show more

Vargas' seat[edit]

 Democratic primary candidates

• Julie Vargas (Incumbent) ✔

Zamora's seat[edit]

 Democratic primary candidates

• Briana H. Zamora (Incumbent) ✔

Court of Appeals[edit]

See also: New Mexico intermediate appellate court elections, 2022

The terms of three New Mexico intermediate appellate court judges will expire on December 31, 2022. To see a full list of candidates in the Democratic primaries, click "Show more" below.

Show more

Wray's seat[edit]

 Democratic primary candidates

• Katherine Anne Wray (Incumbent) ✔

Baca's seat[edit]

 Democratic primary candidates

• Gerald Baca (Incumbent) ✔

Primary election competitiveness[edit]

See also: Primary election competitiveness in state and federal government, 2022

This section contains information about the primary election competitiveness of election in New Mexico. For more information about this data, click here.

New Mexico's primary filing deadline was on February 1, 2022. Candidates filed to run for U.S. House, state executive offices, and the state legislature. The table below shows cumulative primary competitiveness and incumbency statistics by office in this state.

U.S. House competitiveness

Post-filing deadline analysis[edit]

The following analysis covers all U.S. House districts up for election in New Mexico in 2022. Information below was calculated on May 20, 2022, and may differ from information shown in the table above due to candidate replacements and withdrawals after that time.

Eight candidates filed to run for New Mexico’s three U.S. House districts, including four Democrats and four Republicans. That’s 2.67 candidates per district, less than the 6.3 candidates per district in 2020 and the five in 2018.

This was the first election to take place under new district lines following the 2020 census. New Mexico was apportioned three districts, the same number it was apportioned after the 2010 census. The eight candidates who filed to run this year were the fewest candidates running for New Mexico's U.S. House seats since 2016, when seven candidates filed.

All three incumbents filed to run for re-election, meaning there were no open seats. There were two contested primaries this year, the fewest since 2016, when there was one contested primary.

Candidates filed to run in the Republican and Democratic primaries in all three districts, so no seats were guaranteed to either party. No incumbents faced primary challengers this year. The last year an incumbent was in a contested primary was 2014, when then-incumbent Rep. Ben Ray Lujan (D) and Robert Blanch ran in the 3rd Congressional District.

State executive competitiveness

State legislative competitiveness

Post-filing deadline analysis[edit]

The following analysis covers all state legislative districts up for election in New Mexico in 2022. Information below was calculated on May 20, 2022, and may differ from information shown in the table above due to candidate replacements and withdrawals after that time.

Twelve of the 57 New Mexico state legislators who filed for re-election—eight Democrats and four Republicans—{{{after}}} contested primaries. That equals 21% of incumbents who filed for re-election, the highest rate since 2014. The remaining 45% of incumbents {{{after}}} primary challengers.

The total number of incumbents in contested primaries in 2022, 12, {{{after}}} lower than the total number in 2020, which had 20. Still, the percentage in 2022 {{{after}}} higher because fewer incumbents {{{after}}} on the ballot.

The state House of Representatives holds elections in its 70 districts every two years. The state Senate, on the other hand, holds elections every four years to coincide with presidential elections. Only the House districts {{{after}}} up for election in 2022.

Despite the fact that only one chamber is holding elections this year, the number of open districts is at its highest since 2014. An open seat is one where no incumbents filed to run. This means 18.6% of the districts up for election in 2022 are guaranteed to be won by newcomers.

Open districts most commonly exist when an incumbent chooses not to seek re-election. During redistricting, open districts might also exist if an incumbent is drawn into a new district, leaving their old district open.

In New Mexico, all 13 open districts were caused by incumbents choosing not to seek re-election. Every incumbent who filed for re-election did so in the district he or she represented before redistricting.

Overall, 129 major party candidates filed to run: 69 Democrats and 60 Republicans. That's 1.8 candidates per district, down from 2.1 in 2020 but up from 1.7 in 2018.

Context of the 2022 elections[edit]

State party overview[edit]

Democratic Party of New Mexico[edit]

See also: Democratic Party of New Mexico

New Mexico has a Democratic trifecta. The Democratic Party controls the office of governor and both chambers of the state legislature.

State political party revenue[edit]

See also: State political party revenue and State political party revenue per capita

State political parties typically deposit revenue in separate state and federal accounts in order to comply with state and federal campaign finance laws.

The Democratic Party and the Republican Party maintain state affiliates in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and select U.S. territories. The following map displays total state political party revenue per capita for the Democratic state party affiliates.

Voter information[edit]

How the primary works[edit]

A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. New Mexico utilizes a closed primary process; participation in each party's primary is limited to registered party members.^[5][6][7][8]

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

Poll times[edit]

In New Mexico, all polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Mountain Time on Election Day. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.^[9]

Registration requirements[edit]

To register to vote in New Mexico, each applicant must be a citizen of the United States, a resident of New Mexico, and at least 18 years old by the time of the next election. Convicted felons who have not completed the terms and conditions of a felony sentence are not eligible to register to vote, and individuals who have been declared mentally incapacitated may not register to vote.^[10] Either the New Mexico voter registration form or the national voter registration form may be used to register. Completed registration materials can be mailed or delivered by hand to election officials. First-time applicants must attach a valid form of identification to their registration materials. Registration can also be completed online.^[11] On March 27, 2019, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) signed into law a bill enacting same-day voter registration, which was scheduled to go into effect in 2021. The bill also expanded automatic voter registration.^[12][13]

Automatic registration[edit]

New Mexico practices automatic voter registration.

Online registration[edit]

See also: Online voter registration

New Mexico has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.

Same-day registration[edit]

New Mexico enacted same-day voter registration in 2019; it was scheduled to go into effect in 2021.

Residency requirements[edit]

In New Mexico, individuals can register to vote as soon as they become residents of the state.

Verification of citizenship[edit]

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

New Mexico does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration.

Verifying your registration[edit]

The New Mexico Secretary of State’s Office allows residents to check their voter registration status online by visiting this website.

Voter ID requirements[edit]

New Mexico does not require voters to present identification while voting, in most cases. However, if an individual registered to vote for the first time by mail and did not provide verification of his or her identity then, the voter will have to show identification.^[14]

Those voters can present the following forms of identification:

• Current and valid photo identification
• Current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, student identification card, or other government document, including identification issued by an Indian nation, tribe, or pueblo that shows the voter’s name and current address

Some municipalities require identification when voting in local elections. Click here for more information.

Early voting[edit]

New Mexico permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.

Absentee voting[edit]

All voters are eligible to vote absentee in New Mexico. There are no special eligibility requirements for voting absentee.^[15]

The county clerk must receive the absentee ballot application no later than 5 p.m. on Friday before the election. Completed ballots must be returned to the county clerk or voter's precinct before 7 p.m. on Election Day in order to be counted.^[15]

Pivot Counties[edit]

See also: Pivot Counties by state

Three of 33 New Mexico counties—9 percent—are Pivot Counties. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

In the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton (D) won New Mexico with 48.3 percent of the vote. Donald Trump (R) received 40 percent. In presidential elections between 1912 and 2016, New Mexico voted Democratic 56 percent of the time and Republican 44 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, New Mexico voted Democratic four times. The state voted Republican in 2004.^[16]

Presidential results by legislative district[edit]

The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in New Mexico. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.^[17][18]

See also[edit]

2022 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. Congress U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

Who represents me? U.S. Congress State executives State legislature State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards

Newsletters

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External links[edit]

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Footnotes[edit]

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