New Mexico Primary Holds Implications for Legislature and Prosecutor in Alec Baldwin Case
New Mexico voters are picking their partisan favorites in Tuesday’s primary to reshape a Democratic-led Legislature, with all 112 seats up for election in November The New Mexico primary has implications for the state legislature and the prosecutor in relation to Alec Baldwin's case. About 117,000 ballots were cast in early and absentee voting out of about 1.3 million registered voters. In House District 69, Democrat Rep. Harry Garcia is running for a fifth term with two challengers, including attorney Michelle “Paulene” Abeyta and state employee and miner Stanley Michael. In Albuquerque, incumbent District Attorney Sam Bregman is seeking the Democratic nomination to retain his seat against Damon Martinez, who served as U.S. Attorney for New Mexico under President Barack Obama. Longstanding Democratic Sen. Daniel Ivey-Soto is facing progressive primary challenger Heather Berghmans, to compete with a GOP candidate in November. In Senate District 3, Shannon Pinto is being challenged by Sherylene Yazzie of Coyote Canyon. In District 12, Sandoval County Commissioner Jay Block of Rio Rancho is competing against Republican Candace Gould for the open seat.
Diterbitkan : 3 minggu yang lalu oleh Associated Press di dalam Entertainment Politics
Making it through to the general election might hinge on small margins because of generally low turnout. About 117,000 ballots were cast in early and absentee voting prior to Tuesday, out of about 1.3 million registered voters.
In House District 69, incumbent Democratic Rep. Harry Garcia of Grants is seeking a fifth term, with two challengers in the decisive primary. They are: attorney Michelle “Paulene” Abeyta of To’hajiilee on the Navajo Nation, and state employee and miner Stanley Michael of San Mateo. Two-thirds of registered voters in the district identify as Native American.
In Albuquerque, incumbent District Attorney Sam Bregman, an appointee of the governor, is running for the Democratic nomination to retain the seat against Damon Martinez, who served as U.S. Attorney for New Mexico under President Barack Obama.
Longstanding centrist Democratic Sen. Daniel Ivey-Soto is confronting progressive primary challenger Heather Berghmans in Albuquerque, to compete with a GOP candidate in November. Ivey-Soto resigned from a committee leadership post in 2022 amid allegations of sexual harassment and bullying behavior towards women. A complaint about his consulting work for county clerks and possible conflicts of interest was dismissed in May by the State Ethics Commission. The Albuquerque district extends from the intersection of Interstates 25 and 40 toward the city’s northeastern heights.
In House District 18, four Democrats are vying for an open seat with no GOP competitors — physician Anjali Taneja, nurse Gloria Doherty, computer technician Juan Larrañaga and Marianna Anaya. Anaya, an activist and lobbyist for progressive causes, previously accused Ivey-Soto of groping her at a hotel reception in 2015. The winner succeeds retiring Democratic Sen. Bill Tallman in an eastern Albuquerque district that straddles I-40.
Oilman and state Rep. Larry Scott of Hobbs is competing against rancher and recently appointed state Sen. Steve McCutcheon of Carlsbad for control of a Senate district in the heart of southeastern New Mexico's oil economy. McCutcheon was tapped by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham last year to succeed retired state Sen. Gay Kernan.
In District 12, Sandoval County Commissioner Jay Block of Rio Rancho is competing against Albuquerque-based Republican Candace Gould for the chance to run against Democrat Phillip Ramirez of Albuquerque in the compact urban district. Block voted twice as a commissioner in 2022 against certifying local election results while stoking doubts about election integrity.
In District 9, Audrey Trujillo of Corrales is seeking the GOP nomination for an open seat after running unsuccessfully for secretary of state in 2022. She has cheered Trump’s efforts to reverse the will of voters in 2020. Frida Susana Vasquez of Rio Rancho sought the GOP nomination in the district stretching from Bernalillo to Algodones, including portions of Sandia Pueblo. Democrats are choosing between Heather Balas of Corrales of and Cindy Nava of Bernalillo.
In Senate District 3, Shannon Pinto of Tohatchi on the Navajo Nation is being challenged in a decisive Democratic primary by Sherylene Yazzie of Coyote Canyon. Pinto succeeded her grandfather, John Pinto, a World War II Navajo Code Talker and the state's longest-serving senator. The northwestern district includes parts of the Navajo Nation and Gallup.