LAS CRUCES – Unofficial primary election results from the New Mexico Secretary of State’s Office show several Doña Ana County races are now set for November, while statewide voters also selected major-party nominees for governor, lieutenant governor and other state offices.
At the top of the statewide ballot, Democrat Deb Haaland and Republican Greggory D. Hull won their parties’ nominations for governor. In the lieutenant governor’s race, Democrat Maggie Toulouse Oliver and Republican David M. Gallegos won their nominations. Those statewide matchups are expected to appear on the November general election ballot.
Locally, one of the most watched races was for Doña Ana County sheriff. Democrat Vanessa Ordoñez led a seven-candidate Democratic field with 6,019 votes, or 36.7%. James A. Frietze followed with 5,450 votes, or 33.2%. Jon R. Day received 1,537 votes, or 9.4%; Gabriela H. Lozano received 1,363 votes, or 8.3%; Rafael Reyes Jr. received 1,052 votes, or 6.4%; Ricardo Segovia received 571 votes, or 3.5%; and Eugene Charles Alvarez received 405 votes, or 2.5%.
On the Republican side in the sheriff’s race, Todd J. Garrison won with 4,177 votes, or 56.7%. Jaime Marquez Quezada received 1,220 votes, or 16.6%; Byron N. Hollister received 1,158 votes, or 15.7%; and Gabriel Lee Baisas received 814 votes, or 11.0%. Ordoñez and Garrison are set to face each other in November.
In Doña Ana County Commission District 1, Democrat Daisy Ann Maldonado won with 2,013 votes, or 53.7%, defeating Angela Rowe Garcia, who received 1,736 votes, or 46.3%. Republican Samantha R. Barncastle Salopek was unopposed and received 1,555 votes. Maldonado and Salopek are expected to face each other in the general election.
In Doña Ana County Commission District 3, Democrat Willie D. Madrid was unopposed and received 2,594 votes. No Republican candidate was listed in the Secretary of State’s primary results for that office.
For Doña Ana County assessor, Democrat Eugenia Montoya Ortega won with 6,989 votes, or 44.5%. Ruben Ramon Reyes received 4,537 votes, or 28.9%, and Shannon Dale Reynolds received 4,172 votes, or 26.6%. No Republican candidate was listed in the Secretary of State’s primary results for assessor.
For Doña Ana County probate judge, Democrat Judith Ann Baca was unopposed and received 13,667 votes. No Republican candidate was listed in the Secretary of State’s primary results for probate judge.
In the U.S. Senate race, incumbent Democrat Ben Ray Luján won the Democratic nomination statewide with 180,516 votes, or 84.2%, defeating Matt Dodson, who received 33,883 votes, or 15.8%. In Doña Ana County, Luján received 13,938 votes, or 84%, while Dodson received 2,677 votes, or 16%. Republican Larry E. Marker, who ran as a write-in candidate, received 4,770 votes statewide, while the Doña Ana County Republican write-in total for Marker was listed as zero on the county results page.
In Congressional District 2, Democrat Gabriel Vasquez was unopposed in the primary and received 46,723 votes districtwide. Republican Gregory G. Cunningham won his party’s nomination with 26,673 votes, or 84.6%, defeating Jose Orozco, who received 4,870 votes, or 15.4%. Vasquez and Cunningham are expected to face each other in November. In Doña Ana County, Vasquez received 15,309 votes. Cunningham received 6,080 county votes, or 84.2%, while Orozco received 1,141 votes, or 15.8%.
In the governor’s race, statewide Democratic results showed Haaland winning with 156,861 votes, or 72.3%, while Sam Bregman received 60,189 votes, or 27.7%. On the Republican side, Hull won with 56,412 votes, or 47.0%, followed by Doug W. Turner with 44,319 votes, or 36.9%, and Duke Rodriguez with 19,288 votes, or 16.1%.
Doña Ana County voters favored Haaland in the Democratic governor’s race. She received 13,286 votes, or 79.4%, while Bregman received 3,441 votes, or 20.6%. In the county’s Republican governor results, Turner narrowly led with 3,122 votes, or 41.8%, followed by Hull with 3,090 votes, or 41.4%, and Rodriguez with 1,257 votes, or 16.8%. Hull, however, won the Republican nomination statewide.
In the lieutenant governor’s race, Democrat Maggie Toulouse Oliver won statewide with 168,109 votes, or 80.0%, defeating Harold James Pope Jr., who received 42,127 votes, or 20.0%. Republican David M. Gallegos won his party’s nomination with 56,359 votes, or 49.8%, followed by Aubrey Blair Dunn with 42,752 votes, or 37.7%, and Manuel “Manny” Lardizabal with 14,147 votes, or 12.5%.
In Doña Ana County, Toulouse Oliver received 13,314 votes, or 81.4%, while Pope received 3,038 votes, or 18.6%. On the Republican side in the county, Gallegos received 3,634 votes, or 50.0%, Dunn received 2,617 votes, or 36.0%, and Lardizabal received 1,023 votes, or 14.1%.
In the secretary of state race, Democrat Amanda López Askin won statewide with 106,968 votes, or 53.1%, defeating Katharine E. Clark, who received 94,424 votes, or 46.9%. Republican Ramona L. Goolsby was unopposed and received 96,149 votes statewide. Askin and Goolsby are expected to face each other in November. In Doña Ana County, Askin received 11,510 votes, or 71.0%, while Clark received 4,711 votes, or 29.0%. Goolsby received 6,449 votes in the county.
In the attorney general race, Democrat Raul Torrez was unopposed and received 187,832 votes statewide. Republican Samuel Isaiah Kane Sr. was also unopposed and received 95,611 votes statewide. Torrez and Kane are expected to face each other in the general election. In Doña Ana County, Torrez received 14,845 votes, while Kane received 6,487.
For state auditor, Democrat Joseph M. Maestas was unopposed and received 180,229 votes statewide. Republican write-in candidate Joshua James Ryan Lawrence received 4,638 votes statewide. In Doña Ana County, Maestas received 14,603 votes, while Lawrence was listed with zero votes in the county results.
For state treasurer, Democrat Laura M. Montoya was unopposed and received 179,310 votes statewide. Republican write-in candidate James F. Ellison received 4,716 votes statewide. In Doña Ana County, Montoya received 14,604 votes, while Ellison was listed with zero votes in the county results.
For commissioner of public lands, Democrat Juan De Jesus Sanchez III won statewide with 113,881 votes, or 56.3%. Matthew McQueen received 66,232 votes, or 32.8%, and Jonas Moya received 21,988 votes, or 10.9%. Republican Michael Jack Perry was unopposed and received 96,683 votes statewide. Sanchez and Perry are expected to face each other in November. In Doña Ana County, Sanchez received 8,050 votes, or 50.8%, McQueen received 5,212 votes, or 32.9%, and Moya received 2,591 votes, or 16.3%. Perry received 6,409 county votes.
The results remain unofficial until canvassed and certified by the appropriate county and state election officials. The November general election is scheduled for November 3, 2026.
By John Krehbiel – Bravo Mic Communications – john@bravomic.com