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DOÑA ANA COUNTY ELECTIONS

12 Democratic candidates will have no opponents in county races in November

Posted

Thursday, June 30, was filing day for write-in candidates for offices that will be on the Nov. 8 general election ballot in New Mexico. One Republican candidate filed in Doña Ana County to run for state representative.

That means 12 local Democrats will have no opponents on the Nov. 8 general election ballot: seven candidates, including six incumbents, running for magistrate judge; two candidates, including one incumbent, for district judge; candidates for Doña Ana County Commission district one (Christopher Schaljo-Hernandez), county assessor (Gina Ortega) and probate judge (Judith Ann Baca).

The race for county sheriff is contested, as incumbent Democrat Kim Stewart takes on Republican Byron Hollister. The race for county commission district three has incumbent Democrat Shannon Reynolds against Republican Patricia Kimble.

In New Mexico House of Representatives races that include Doña Ana County, Republican Mark Vieth of La Mesa filed June 30 as a write-in candidate against incumbent Democrat Ray Lara of Chamberino in District 34. Republican write-in candidate Charles Wendler of Las Cruces had previously field to run against incumbent Democrat Micaela Lara Cadena of Mesilla in House District 34.

The other contested House races that include Doña Ana County are District 32 (incumbent Democrat Candie Sweetser vs. Republican Jenifer Jones, both of Deming); District 35 (incumbent Democrat Angelica Rubio vs. Republican Richelle Peugh-Swafford, both of Las Cruces, in a rematch of the 2020 race); District 36 (incumbent Democrat Nathan Small vs. Republican Kimberly Skaggs [chair of the Doña Ana County Republican Party], both of Las Cruces); District 37 (incumbent Democrat Joanne Ferrary vs. Republican Rene Rodriguez, both of Las Cruces); District 38 (Democrat Tara Jaramillo of Socorro vs. Republican Sandra Hammack of San Antonio running for an open seat, as incumbent Republican Rebecca Dow of Truth or Consequences ran for governor); District 52 (incumbent Democrat Doreen Gallegos vs. John Foreman, both of Las Cruces, in a rematch of the 2020 race); and District 53 (incumbent Democrat Willie Madrid of Chaparral vs. Republican Elizabeth Winterrowd of Las Cruces).

Doña Ana County is included in two House districts for the first time in 2022 because of legislative redistricting: District 32, which also includes Luna and Hidalgo counties; and District 38, which also includes portions of Socorro and Sierra counties. As a result of redistricting, Doña Ana County is no longer part of District 39, which now includes Grant County and portions of Catron and Hidalgo counties.

Statewide, there are contested races for governor/lieutenant governor (they run on the same ticket), attorney general, land commissioner, secretary of state, state treasurer and state auditor; and three U.S. House seats, voted on by district, including the NM02 race between incumbent Republican Yvette Herrell of Alamogordo and Democrat Gabriel Vasquez of Las Cruces.

There are also contested races for two seats on the New Mexico Supreme Court and two on the New Mexico Court of Appeals, as Republicans challenge incumbent Democrats appointed by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham in all four races. State Supreme Court Justice Michael Vigil and state Court of Appeals Judge Jane B. Yohalem are on the ballot in a retention election.

Two candidates for the New Mexico Public Education Commission in districts six (a Republican) and seven (an incumbent Democrat), which include Doña Ana County, are unopposed in November.

The November ballot will also include three proposed constitutional amendments and three statewide bond issues. City of Las Cruces voters will also be asked to vote on questions about spending $23 million in general obligation bond funds for city projects.

Doña Ana County

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