New Mexico House of Representatives elections, 2016

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2016 New Mexico
House Elections
Flag of New Mexico.png
PrimaryJune 7, 2016
GeneralNovember 8, 2016
2016 Election Results
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After losing the chamber in 2014, the Democrats regained control over the House, putting Democrats in control of both legislative chambers. A pickup of five seats in the November general election gave Democrats a six-seat majority. Senate Democrats also improved on their majority, gaining two seats and moving the chamber to a 10-seat Democratic majority.

All 70 seats in the New Mexico House of Representatives were up for election in 2016.

A Ballotpedia analysis identified the New Mexico State House as one of 20 battleground chambers in the November 2016 election. These are the chambers where one party might have, realistically, toppled the other party from its position of majority control.

HIGHLIGHTS
  • Republicans retook the chamber in 2014 after more than 60 years of Democratic control.
  • Democrats fielded unopposed candidates in 27 districts, while Republicans had 16 unchallenged candidates.
  • There were seven open seats—four Democratic and three Republican—in 2016. Five of those seats had general election competition.
  • Democrats looked to make gains in the 27 districts that had general election competition between two major party candidates; only 10 seats were competitive or mildly competitive in 2014.[1]
  • This election was one of Ballotpedia's top 10 state-level races in 2016.
    Click here to read the full list.

    Introduction[edit]

    Elections for the New Mexico House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election took place on June 7, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was March 8, 2016.

    Context[edit]

    The Republican Party took control of the House in 2014. Prior to that election, Democrats held the chamber by a five-seat majority (37-33). After 2014, Republicans held a five-seat majority.

    Majority control[edit]

    See also: Partisan composition of state houses

    Heading into the election, the Republican Party held the majority in the New Mexico House of Representatives:

    New Mexico House of Representatives
    Party As of November 7, 2016 After November 8, 2016
         Democratic Party 33 38
         Republican Party 37 32
    Total 70 70

    Retired incumbents[edit]

    The following incumbent representatives did not run for re-election in 2016. Those incumbents were:

    Name Party Current Office
    Conrad James Ends.png Republican House District 24
    Dona Irwin Electiondot.png Democratic House District 32
    Jeff Steinborn Electiondot.png Democratic House District 35
    Dianne Hamilton Ends.png Republican House District 38
    Luciano Varela Electiondot.png Democratic House District 48
    Nora Espinoza Ends.png Republican House District 59
    James Roger Madalena, Jr. Electiondot.png Democratic House District 65
    W. Ken Martinez Electiondot.png Democratic House District 69

    Note: W. Ken Martinez (D) resigned from the state House on July 20, 2016. Harry Garcia (D) was appointed to the seat on September 9, 2016.

    Context of the 2016 elections[edit]

    See also: State legislative battleground chambers, 2016

    The New Mexico House of Representatives was identified by RLCC as a defensive target.[2] The Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC) and Republican Legislative Campaign Committee (RLCC) planned to spend $40 million on legislative races during the 2015-2016 election cycle.

    The Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC) named Senate District 9, Senate District 29, House District 24, and House District 32 in their "16 in '16: Races to Watch." Two of those seats, both in the Senate, involved an incumbent.[3][4]

    The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) named House District 4, House District 15, and House District 30 in their "2016 Essential Races."[5][6]

    The Democratic Party lost control of the state House in 2014. Democrats needed to flip just three seats to regain control of the state House. Jessica Post, executive director of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, believed that Democrats had a great chance of retaking the New Mexico State House—as well as other chambers in the U.S. that were under Republican control—because of it being a presidential election year. Post said, "We thought that no matter who the presidential nominee was, we thought we had an excellent shot at winning back the Minnesota House, winning back the New Mexico House, for example."[7]

    Debbie Maestas, chair of the Republican Party of New Mexico, stated that five Republican incumbents were vulnerable in 2016. She did not name the five incumbents, but she said that "[w]e’ve got to make sure and push hard on those efforts."[8] House Republican incumbents in House Districts 15, 24, 37, and 39 all won election in 2014 by a small margin.


    2016 election competitiveness[edit]

    New Mexico sees a dip in electoral competitiveness.

    Ballotpedia conducts a yearly study of electoral competitiveness in state legislative elections. Details on how well New Mexico performed in the study are provided in the image below. Click here for the full 2016 Competitiveness Analysis »

    CA 2016 New Mexico.png
    • In the New Mexico State Senate, there were 24 Democratic incumbents and 18 Republican incumbents. Four incumbents faced primary challengers in the Democratic Party. There were no incumbents that faced primary challenges in the Republican primary.
    • In the House, there were 33 Democratic incumbents and 37 Republican incumbents. Five state representatives faced primary opposition in the Democratic Party. There were no incumbents that faced primary challenges in the Republican primary.
    • Overall, 18.6 percent of Democratic incumbents and 21.4 percent of GOP incumbents faced primary opposition in all of the state legislatures with elections in 2016.
    • The cumulative figure for how many state legislative candidates faced no major party opposition in November in these states was 41.8 percent. This compares to 32.7 percent in 2010, 38.3 percent in 2012, and 43.0 percent in 2014.


    • More details on electoral competitiveness in New Mexico can be found below.

    Races we watched[edit]

    Ballotpedia identified seven notable New Mexico state primary races in 2016, four of which were state House contests.

    Click here to read more about Ballotpedia's coverage of notable New Mexico races »

    Primary contests[edit]

    State House District 21 (D)

    The Democratic incumbent faced a primary challenger backed by union groups.
    Idalia Lechuga-Tena (Inc.)       Debra Marie Sarinana       Amanda E. Kinkaid

    State House District 48 (D)

    Three Democrats competed for the open seat left by the Democratic incumbent.
    Linda Trujillo       Jeff A. Varela       Paul D. Campos

    State House District 65 (D)

    Two Democrats competed for the open seat left by the Democratic incumbent.
    Darryl F. Madalena       Derrick J. Lente

    State House District 69 (D)

    Four Democrats competed for the open seat left by the Democratic incumbent.
    Terry L. Fletcher       Harry Garcia       Bennie Shelly       Lloyd F. Felipe

    General election contests[edit]

    Ballotpedia identified 13 notable New Mexico state general election races in 2016, seven of which were state House contests.

    Click here to read more about Ballotpedia's coverage of notable New Mexico races »

    State House District 4

    The Republican incumbent faced a Democratic opponent.
    Glojean B. Todacheene       Sharon E. Clahchischilliage (Inc.)      

    State House District 15

    The Republican incumbent faced a Democratic opponent.
    Ane Romero       Sarah Maestas Barnes (Inc.)      

    State House District 24

    A Republican and a Democrat competed for the open seat left by the Republican incumbent.
    Elizabeth L. Thomson       Christina Marie Hall      

    State House District 30

    The Republican incumbent faced a Democratic opponent.
    Natalie R. Figueroa       Nathaniel Gentry (Inc.)      

    State House District 32

    A Republican and a Democrat competed for the open seat left by the Democratic incumbent.
    Candie G. Sweetser       Vicki K. Chavez      

    State House District 37

    District 37 featured a candidate rematch.
    Joanne J. Ferrary       Terry McMillan (Inc.)      

    State House District 39

    District 39 featured a candidate rematch.
    Rodolpho Martinez       John L. Zimmerman (Inc.)      

    List of candidates[edit]

    General election[edit]

    2016 New Mexico House candidates
    District Democratic Party Democrat Republican Party Republican Other
    1 No candidate Rodney Montoya: 10,717 (I) Approveda
    2 Kenneth Robinson: 2,369 James R.J. Strickler: 6,083 (I) Approveda
    3 No candidate Paul Bandy: 8,299 (I) Approveda
    4 Glojean B. Todacheene: 4,257 Sharon E. Clahchischilliage: 5,056 (I) Approveda
    5 D. Wonda Johnson: 7,558 (I) Approveda No candidate
    6 Eliseo Alcon: 6,707 (I) Approveda No candidate
    7 Arturo Fierro: 3,964 Kelly K. Fajardo: 5,149 (I) Approveda
    8 Jim Danner: 4,493 Alonzo Baldonado: 7,251 (I) Approveda
    9 Patricia Lundstrom: 6,446 (I) Approveda No candidate
    10 G. Andres Romero: 4,821 (I) Approveda No candidate Robert Schiller: 2,337 (Ind.)
    11 Javier I. Martinez: 10,118 (I) Approveda No candidate
    12 Patricio Ruiloba: 5,036 (I) Approveda No candidate
    13 Patricia A. Roybal Caballero: 5,525 (I) Approveda No candidate
    14 Miguel Garcia: 6,209 (I) Approveda No candidate
    15 Ane Romero: 6,467 Sarah Maestas Barnes: 7,358 (I) Approveda
    16 Antonio Maestas: 8,256 (I) Approveda No candidate
    17 Deborah Armstrong: 8,640 (I) Approveda No candidate
    18 Gail Chasey: 9,922 (I) Approveda No candidate
    19 Sheryl Williams Stapleton: (I) 8,289 Approveda No candidate
    20 Giovanni A. Haqani: 5,389 Jim Dines: 7,350 (I) Approveda
    21 Debra Marie Sarinana: 4,685 Approveda No candidate
    22 John Wallace: 7,510 James Smith: 9,630 (I) Approveda
    23 Daymon B. Ely: 7,124 Approveda Paul Pacheco: 7,022 (I)
    24 Elizabeth L. Thomson: 6,798 Approveda Christina Marie Hall: 6,198
    25 Christine Trujillo: 9,807 (I) Approveda No candidate
    26 Georgene Louis: 4,800 (I) Approveda No candidate
    27 Ronald E. Krise: 6,457 Lorenzo Larranaga: 9,110 (I) Approveda
    28 No candidate Jimmie Hall: 10,279 (I) Approveda
    29 Ronnie Martinez: 6,967 David Adkins: 6,976 (I) Approveda
    30 Natalie R. Figueroa: 6,267 Nathaniel Gentry: 6,841 (I) Approveda
    31 Robert L. Scott: 7,051 William Rehm: 10,760 (I) Approveda
    32 Candie G. Sweetser: 4,486 Approveda Vicki K. Chavez: 4,256
    33 Bill McCamley: 6,605 (I) Approveda Neal L. Hooks: 3,619
    34 Bealquin Bill Gomez: 5,757 (I) Approveda No candidate
    35 Angelica Rubio: 6,412 Approveda Joseph E. Bishop: 3,782
    36 Nathan P. Small: 5,435 Approveda Andrew Nunez: 4,184 (I)
    37 Joanne J. Ferrary: 7,483 Approveda Terry McMillan: 6,760 (I)
    38 Mary E. Hotvedt: 5,900 Rebecca L. Dow: 7,149 Approveda
    39 Rodolpho Martinez: 5,103 Approveda John L. Zimmerman: 4,880 (I)
    40 Nick Salazar: 9,038 (I) Approveda No candidate
    41 Debbie Rodella: 8,088 (I) Approveda No candidate
    42 Roberto Gonzales: 10,654 (I) Approveda No candidate
    43 Stephanie Garcia Richard: 8,452 (I) Approveda Sharon Stover: 5,910
    44 No candidate Jane Powdrell-Culbert: 12,245 (I) Approveda
    45 Jim Trujillo: 9,425 (I) Approveda No candidate
    46 Carl Trujillo: 11,563 (I) Approveda No candidate
    47 Brian Egolf, Jr.: 13,740 (I) Approveda Roger A. Gonzales: 3,675
    48 Linda Trujillo: 10,572 Approveda No candidate
    49 No candidate Don Tripp: 8,864 (I) Approveda
    50 Matthew McQueen: 8,187 (I) Approveda Jeremy R. Tremko: 5,805
    51 Denise A. Lang: 3,353 Yvette Herrell: 6,447 (I) Approveda
    52 Doreen Y. Gallegos: 5,796 (I) Approveda No candidate
    53 Willie Madrid: 2,666 Ricky Little: 2,803 (I) Approveda
    54 No candidate James Townsend: 7,098 (I) Approveda Freddie Joe Nichols, III: 2,292 (Ind.)
    55 No candidate Cathrynn Brown: 9,280 (I) Approveda
    56 No candidate Zachary Cook: 7,672 (I) Approveda
    57 Donna I. Tillman: 5,013 Jason C. Harper: 6,117 (I) Approveda
    58 No candidate Candy Spence Ezzell: 5,001 (I) Approveda
    59 Richard Garcia: 3,465 Greg Nibert: 8,594 Approveda
    60 No candidate Timothy Lewis: 9,824 (I) Approveda
    61 No candidate David M. Gallegos: 4,735 (I) Approveda
    62 No candidate Larry Scott: 7,948 (I) Approveda
    63 George Dodge Jr.: 5,142 (I) Approveda No candidate
    64 No candidate Randal Crowder: 7,732 (I) Approveda
    65 Derrick J. Lente: 7,162 Approveda No candidate
    66 No candidate Bob Wooley: 8,427 (I) Approveda
    67 No candidate Dennis Roch: 8,464 (I) Approveda
    68 No candidate Monica Youngblood: 9,637 (I) Approveda
    69 Harry Garcia: 6,155 (I) Approveda No candidate
    70 Tomas E. Salazar: 8,125 (I) Approveda No candidate
     
    Notes:
    • An (I) denotes an incumbent.
    • Candidate lists can change frequently throughout an election season. Ballotpedia staff update this list monthly. To suggest changes, click here to email our State Legislature Project.

    Primary election[edit]

    2016 New Mexico House primary candidates
    District Democratic Party Democrat Republican Party Republican Other
    1 No candidate Rodney Montoya (I) Approveda
    2 Kenneth Robinson Approveda James R.J. Strickler (I) Approveda
    3 No candidate Paul Bandy (I) Approveda
    4 Glojean B. Todacheene Approveda Sharon E. Clahchischilliage (I) Approveda
    5 D. Wonda Johnson: 1,904 (I) Approveda
    Kevin M. Mitchell: 1,783
    No candidate
    6 Eliseo Alcon (I) Approveda No candidate
    7 Arturo Fierro Approveda Kelly K. Fajardo (I) Approveda
    8 Jim Danner Approveda Alonzo Baldonado (I) Approveda
    9 Patricia Lundstrom (I) Approveda No candidate
    10 G. Andres Romero (I) Approveda No candidate
    11 Javier I. Martinez (I) Approveda No candidate
    12 Patricio Ruiloba (I) Approveda No candidate
    13 Patricia A. Roybal Caballero (I) Approveda No candidate
    14 Miguel Garcia (I) Approveda No candidate
    15 Ane Romero Approveda Sarah Maestas Barnes (I) Approveda
    16 Antonio Maestas (I) Approveda No candidate
    17 Deborah Armstrong (I) Approveda No candidate
    18 Gail Chasey (I) Approveda No candidate
    19 Sheryl Williams Stapleton (I) Approveda No candidate
    20 Giovanni A. Haqani Approveda Jim Dines (I) Approveda
    21 Amanda E. Kinkaid: 305
    Debra Marie Sarinana: 706 Approveda
    Idalia Lechuga-Tena: 322 (I)
    No candidate
    22 John Wallace Approveda James Smith (I) Approveda
    23 Daymon B. Ely Approveda Paul Pacheco (I) Approveda
    24 Elizabeth L. Thomson Approveda Christina Marie Hall: 1,007 Approveda
    Ryan N. Boyle: 690
    25 Chris Berkheimer: 975
    Christine Trujillo: 3,157 (I) Approveda
    No candidate
    26 Georgene Louis (I) Approveda No candidate
    27 Ronald E. Krise Approveda Lorenzo Larranaga (I) Approveda
    28 No candidate Jimmie Hall (I) Approveda
    29 Ronnie Martinez Approveda David Adkins (I) Approveda
    30 Natalie R. Figueroa Approveda Nathaniel Gentry (I) Approveda
    31 Robert L. Scott Approveda William Rehm (I) Approveda
    32 Candie G. Sweetser: 1,384 Approveda
    Frederick H. Sherman: 1,030
    Vicki K. Chavez: 892 Approveda
    J. Scott Chandler: 876
    33 Bill McCamley (I) Approveda Neal L. Hooks Approveda
    34 Bealquin Bill Gomez: 767 (I) Approveda
    Raymundo Lara: 558
    Paul C. Maxwell: 382
    No candidate
    35 Ray Jaramillo: 852
    Angelica Rubio: 1,248Approveda
    Paul Martinez: 667
    Joseph E. Bishop Approveda
    36 Nathan P. Small Approveda Andrew Nunez (I) Approveda
    37 Joanne J. Ferrary Approveda Terry McMillan (I) Approveda
    38 Mary E. Hotvedt: 1,761 Approveda
    Karen C. Whitlock: 1,732
    Rebecca L. Dow: 1,904 Approveda
    Daniel A. Galindo: 479
    39 Rodolpho Martinez Approveda John L. Zimmerman (I) Approveda
    40 Barney R. Trujillo: 2,736
    Nick Salazar (I): 3,637 Approveda
    No candidate
    41 Debbie Rodella (I) Approveda No candidate
    42 Roberto Gonzales (I) Approveda No candidate
    43 Stephanie Garcia Richard (I) Approveda Sharon Stover Approveda
    44 No candidate Jane Powdrell-Culbert (I) Approveda
    45 Jim Trujillo (I) Approveda No candidate
    46 Carl Trujillo (I) Approveda No candidate
    47 Brian Egolf, Jr. (I) Approveda Roger A. Gonzales Approveda
    48 Linda Trujillo: 2,415 Approveda
    Jeff A. Varela: 1,773
    Paul D. Campos: 1,931
    No candidate
    49 Conrad G. Guajardo Approveda Don Tripp (I) Approveda
    50 Matthew McQueen (I) Approveda Jeremy R. Tremko Approveda
    51 Denise A. Lang Approveda Yvette Herrell (I) Approveda
    52 Doreen Y. Gallegos (I) Approveda No candidate
    53 Cliff Reed Approveda Ricky Little (I) Approveda
    54 No candidate James Townsend (I) Approveda
    55 No candidate Cathrynn Brown (I) Approveda
    56 No candidate Zachary Cook (I) Approveda
    57 Donna I. Tillman Approveda Jason C. Harper (I) Approveda
    58 No candidate Candy Spence Ezzell (I) Approveda
    59 Richard Garcia Approveda Greg Nibert Approveda
    60 No candidate Timothy Lewis (I) Approveda
    61 No candidate David M. Gallegos (I) Approveda
    62 No candidate Larry Scott (I) Approveda
    63 George Dodge Jr. (I) Approveda No candidate
    64 No candidate Randal Crowder (I) Approveda
    65 Darryl F. Madalena: 1,430
    Derrick J. Lente: 2,125 Approveda
    No candidate
    66 No candidate Bob Wooley (I) Approveda
    67 No candidate Dennis Roch (I) Approveda
    68 No candidate Monica Youngblood (I) Approveda
    69 Terry L. Fletcher: 629
    Harry Garcia: 1,097Approveda
    Bennie Shelly: 568
    Lloyd F. Felipe: 707
    No candidate
    70 Tomas E. Salazar (I) Approveda No candidate
     
    Notes:
    • An (I) denotes an incumbent.
    • Candidate lists can change frequently throughout an election season. Ballotpedia staff update this list monthly. To suggest changes, click here to email our State Legislature Project.

    Margins of victory[edit]

    The average margin of victory for contested races in the New Mexico House of Representatives in 2016 was lower than the national average. Out of 70 races in the New Mexico House of Representatives in 2016, 29 were contested, meaning at least two candidates competed for that seat in the general election. The average margin of victory across these races was 18 percent. Across contested single-winner state legislative elections in 2016, the average margin of victory was 29.01 percent.[9]

    Republican candidates in the New Mexico House of Representatives saw larger margins of victory than Democratic candidates in 2016. Republicans won 32 races. In the 17 races where a winning Republican faced a challenger, the average margin of victory was 18.4 percent. Democrats won 38 races in 2016. In the 12 races where a winning Democrat faced a challenger, the average margin of victory was 17.5 percent.
    More Republican candidates than Democratic candidates saw margins of victory that were less than 10 percentage points. 12 of the 29 contested races in 2016—41.4 percent—saw margins of victory that were 10 percent or less. Seven races saw margins of victory that were 5 percent or less. Republicans won seven races with margins of victory of 10 percent or less.
    The average margin of victory for incumbents in the New Mexico House of Representatives who ran for re-election and won in 2016 was lower than the national average. 56 incumbents who ran for re-election in 2016 won. The average margin of victory for the 20 winning New Mexico House of Representatives incumbents who faced a challenger in 2016 was 20.9 percent. The average margin of victory for all winning incumbents in contested single-winner state legislative elections in 2016 was 31.8 percent.
    Democratic incumbents in the New Mexico House of Representatives saw larger margins of victory than Republican incumbents. 26 Democratic incumbents won re-election. In the five races where a winning Democratic incumbent faced a challenger, the average margin of victory was 31.3 percent. 30 Republican incumbents won re-election. In the 15 races where a winning Republican incumbent faced a challenger, the average margin of victory was 17.4 percent.
    New Mexico House of Representatives: 2016 Margin of Victory Analysis
    Party Elections won Average margin of victory[10] Races with incumbent victories Average margin of victory for incumbents[10] Unopposed incumbents Unopposed races Percent unopposed
    Democratic 38 17.5 percent 26 31.3 percent 21 26 68.4 percent
    Republican 32 18.4 percent 30 17.4 percent 15 15 46.9 percent
    Total 70 18.0 percent 56 20.9 percent 36 41 58.6 percent

    Click [show] on the tables below to see the margin of victory in New Mexico House of Representatives districts in 2016.

    Important dates and deadlines[edit]

    See also: New Mexico elections, 2016

    The calendar below lists important dates for political candidates in New Mexico in 2016.

    Dates and requirements for candidates in 2016
    Deadline Event type Event description
    February 2, 2016 Ballot access Filing deadline for major party candidates for federal and statewide office
    March 8, 2016 Ballot access Filing deadline for major party candidates for all other offices
    April 11, 2016 Campaign finance First primary report due
    May 9, 2016 Campaign finance Second primary report due
    June 2, 2016 Campaign finance Third primary report due
    June 7, 2016 Election date Primary election
    June 30, 2016 Ballot access Filing deadline for independent and minor party candidates
    July 7, 2016 Campaign finance Fourth primary report due
    September 12, 2016 Campaign finance First general report due
    October 10, 2016 Campaign finance Second general report due
    November 3, 2016 Campaign finance Third general report due
    November 8, 2016 Election date General election
    December 8, 2016 Campaign finance Fourth general report due
    Sources: New Mexico Secretary of State, "2016 Election FAQ's," accessed June 12, 2015
    New Mexico Secretary of State, "Campaign Finance Reporting Schedule," accessed August 7, 2015

    Competitiveness[edit]

    Candidates unopposed by a major party[edit]

    In 43 of the 70 districts up for election in 2016, there was only one major party candidate running for election. A total of 27 Democrats and 16 Republicans were guaranteed election barring unforeseen circumstances.

    Two major party candidates faced off in the general election in 27 (38.5 percent) of the 70 districts up for election.

    Primary challenges[edit]

    Five incumbents faced primary competition on June 7. Seven incumbents did not seek re-election and another 58 incumbents advanced past the primary without opposition.

    Retired incumbents[edit]

    Seven incumbents did not run for re-election, while 63 ran for re-election. A list of those incumbents—four Democrats and three Republicans—can be found above. Another incumbent, W. Ken Martinez (D), did not seek re-election, but he resigned before the end of his term and a new member was appointed to the seat.

    Results from 2014[edit]

    See also: 2014 state legislative elections analyzed using a Competitiveness Index

    There were 6,057 seats in 87 chambers with elections in 2014. All three aspects of Ballotpedia's Competitiveness Index—the number of open seats, incumbents facing primary opposition, and general elections between partisan candidates—showed poor results compared to the prior election cycle. States with elections in 2014 held fewer general elections between partisan candidates. Additionally, fewer incumbents faced primary opposition and more incumbents ran for re-election than in recent years.

    Since 2010, when the Competitiveness Index was established, there had not been an even-year election cycle to do statistically worse in any of the three categories. See the following chart for a breakdown of those scores between each year.

    Overall Competitiveness
    2010 2012 2014
    Competitiveness Index 36.2 35.8 31.4
     % Open Seats 18.6% 21.2% 17.0%
     % Incumbent with primary challenge 22.7% 24.6% 20.1%
     % Candidates with major party opposition 67.3% 61.7% 57.0%

    The following table details New Mexico's rates for open seats, incumbents that faced primary challenges, and major party competition in the 2014 general election.

    New Mexico Legislature 2014 Competitiveness
     % Open Seats  % Incumbent with primary challenge  % Candidates with major party opposition Competitiveness Index Overall rank
    15.7% 11.9% 45.7% 24.4 34

    Historical context[edit]

    See also: Competitiveness in State Legislative Elections: 1972-2014

    Uncontested elections: In 2014, 32.8 percent of Americans lived in states with an uncontested state senate election. Similarly, 40.4 percent of Americans lived in states with uncontested house elections. Primary elections were uncontested even more frequently, with 61 percent of people living in states with no contested primaries. Uncontested elections often occur in locations that are so politically one-sided that the result of an election would be a foregone conclusion regardless of whether it was contested or not.

    F5 Pop. % with uncontested state legislative races.png

    Open seats: In most cases, an incumbent will run for re-election, which decreases the number of open seats available. In 2014, 83 percent of the 6,057 seats up for election saw the incumbent running for re-election. The states that impose term limits on their legislatures typically see a higher percentage of open seats in a given year because a portion of incumbents in each election are forced to leave office. Overall, the number of open seats decreased from 2012 to 2014, dropping from 21.2 percent in 2012 to 17.0 percent in 2014.

    Incumbent win rates: Ballotpedia's competitiveness analysis of elections between 1972 and 2014 documented the high propensity for incumbents to win re-election in state legislative elections. In fact, since 1972, the win rate for incumbents had not dropped below 90 percent—with the exception of 1974, when 88 percent of incumbents were re-elected to their seats. Perhaps most importantly, the win rate for incumbents generally increased over time. In 2014, 96.5 percent of incumbents were able to retain their seats. Common convention holds that incumbents are able to leverage their office to maintain their seat. However, the high incumbent win rate may actually be a result of incumbents being more likely to hold seats in districts that are considered safe for their party.

    Marginal primaries: Often, competitiveness is measured by examining the rate of elections that have been won by amounts that are considered marginal (5 percent or less). During the 2014 election, 90.1 percent of primary and general election races were won by margins higher than 5 percent. Interestingly, it is usually the case that only one of the two races—primary or general—will be competitive at a time. This means that if a district's general election is competitive, typically one or more of the district's primaries were won by more than 5 percent. The reverse is also true: If a district sees a competitive primary, it is unlikely that the general election for that district will be won by less than 5 percent. Primaries often see very low voter turnout in comparison to general elections. In 2014, there were only 27 million voters for state legislative primaries, but approximately 107 million voters for the state legislative general elections.

    Campaign contributions[edit]

    The following chart shows how many candidates ran for State House in New Mexico in past years and the cumulative amount of campaign contributions in State House races, including contributions in both primary and general election contests.[11]

    New Mexico House of Representatives Donations
    Year Candidates Amount
    2014 129 $5,732,203
    2012 142 $4,834,065
    2010 136 $4,620,384
    2008 125 $3,954,763
    2006 124 $3,866,403

    State comparison[edit]

    The map below shows the average contributions to 2014 candidates for state houses. The average contributions raised by state house candidates in 2014 was $59,983. New Mexico, at $44,436 per candidate, is ranked 23 of 45 for state house chambers with the highest average contributions. Hover your mouse over a state to see the average campaign contributions for that state’s house candidates in 2014.[11][12]

    Qualifications[edit]

    Article 4, Section 3 of the New Mexico Constitution states: "Senators shall not be less than twenty-five years of age and representatives not less than twenty-one years of age at the time of their election. If any senator or representative permanently removes his residence from or maintains no residence in the district from which he was elected, then he shall be deemed to have resigned and his successor shall be selected as provided in Section 4 of this article. No person shall be eligible to serve in the legislature who, at the time of qualifying, holds any office of trust or profit with the state, county or national governments, except notaries public and officers of the militia who receive no salary."

    See also[edit]

    External links[edit]

    BP-Initials-UPDATED.png
    Suggest a link

    Footnotes[edit]

    1. Under Ballotpedia's competitiveness criteria, districts that have a margin of victory of less than 5 percent are considered highly competitive. Districts that have a margin of victory from 5 to 10 percent are considered mildly competitive.
    2. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named rslc
    3. Republican State Leadership Committee, "RSLC Announces First Round of “16 in ’16: Races to Watch”," accessed October 5, 2016
    4. Republican State Leadership Committee, "RSLC Releases Second Round of “16 in ’16: Races to Watch”," accessed October 5, 2016
    5. Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, "DLCC Expands List of 2016 Essential Races," accessed October 7, 2016
    6. Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, "DLCC ANNOUNCES 2016 ESSENTIAL RACES," accessed October 7, 2016
    7. The Atlantic, "Will Donald Trump Hand State Capitols to Democrats?" accessed September 13, 2016
    8. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named roswell
    9. This calculation excludes chambers that had elections where two or more members were elected in a race. These chambers are the Arizona House, the New Hampshire House, the North Dakota House, the South Dakota House, the Vermont House, the Vermont Senate, and the West Virginia House.
    10. 10.0 10.1 Excludes unopposed elections
    11. 11.0 11.1 followthemoney.org, "Contributions to candidates and committees in elections in New Mexico," accessed July 28, 2015
    12. This map relies on data collected in July 2015.


    Leadership
    Speaker of the House:Brian Egolf
    Representatives
    District 1
    District 2
    District 3
    District 4
    District 5
    District 6
    District 7
    District 8
    District 9
    District 10
    G. Romero (D)
    District 11
    District 12
    District 13
    District 14
    District 15
    District 16
    District 17
    District 18
    District 19
    District 20
    District 21
    District 22
    District 23
    District 24
    District 25
    District 26
    District 27
    District 28
    District 29
    District 30
    District 31
    District 32
    District 33
    District 34
    District 35
    District 36
    District 37
    District 38
    District 39
    District 40
    District 41
    District 42
    District 43
    District 44
    District 45
    District 46
    District 47
    District 48
    District 49
    District 50
    District 51
    District 52
    District 53
    District 54
    District 55
    District 56
    District 57
    District 58
    District 59
    District 60
    District 61
    District 62
    District 63
    District 64
    District 65
    District 66
    District 67
    District 68
    District 69
    District 70
    Democratic Party (45)
    Republican Party (24)
    Independent (1)



    Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 | Original source: https://ballotpedia.org/New_Mexico_House_of_Representatives_elections,_2016
    Status: cached on November 18 2021 16:41:14
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