It appears this morning that for the first time in 60 years, the Republican Party will hold the majority in the New Mexico House of Representatives. GOP candidates were victorious in a handful of high-profile races Tuesday, and the Democrats who entered the election with a 37 to 33 majority lost five of them, and now the Republicans hold that 37 to 33 edge in seats. Not all votes have been counted, but Republican incumbents facing stiff challenges were leading, with the exception of Representative Vickie Perea of Belen, who appeared headed for defeat, as she trailed in her House District 50 race against Matthew McQueen, a Democrat from Eldorado. Another notable race saw Democratic Representative Stephanie Garcia-Richard of Los Alamos on her way to being re-elected. She was well ahead of Republican Geoff Rodgers, also of Los Alamos.
Democratic Senator Tom Udall has won a second term in a victory over Republican Allen Weh. A popular former attorney general and congressman, Udall had a sizeable campaign fund and was favored by pollsters early as one of a handful of Senate members who had a 99 percent chance of retaining his seat. Weh, a retired Marine colonel and a longtime Albuquerque businessman, put up some of his personal fortune to launch an aggressive challenge and narrowed Udall's lead in the weeks leading up to Election Day. The campaign was peppered with negative television ads, including one in which Udall claimed his opponent would back tax cuts for the wealthy. Weh criticized Udall for his support of President Barack Obama's effort to overhaul the nation's health care system and inaction to address the growing national debt. In other Congressional races, all three incumbents—Democrats Michele Lujan-Grisham and Ben Ray Lujan, along with Republican Steve Pearce—were easily re-elected.
New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez rolled to a second term Tuesday, furthering her national reputation as a Republican who can appeal to Hispanics and voters who cross party lines. Martinez said in a speech to supporters that she hoped her strong win would send a message that the state wants "leaders who choose to work across party lines and not point fingers." She also said her victory was personally important as the nation's only Latina governor. King's campaign never gained traction against Martinez despite the state's weak economy and nagging social problems, such as the nation's second-highest poverty rate. King said, "we're very dedicated to carrying on the fight." Martinez maintains that she's uninterested in a national political office and has pledged to serve a full four-year term if re-elected.
State auditor Hector Balderas, considered a rising star in the state Democratic Party, rolled to a win over Republican Susan Riedel in the contest for attorney general Tuesday after a race in which he touted his rise from poverty to the top levels of government and built a huge advantage in campaign cash. Balderas had stockpiled more money than any other statewide office candidate — except Gov. Susana Martinez — early on and had a more than 8-to-1 cash advantage with three weeks to go. Balderas has served as auditor since 2007. Riedel is a former judge and a prosecutor from Las Cruces. There was no incumbent in Tuesday's election because Gary King vacated the post to run for governor. Both Balderas and Riedel had agreed during the campaign that the attorney general's office needed to be more proactive in fighting corruption.
New Mexico is determining who will hold several important posts such as Secretary of State, land commissioner, treasurer and public regulatory commissioner. But the races remained too close to call late Tuesday. Republican Secretary of State Dianna Duran’s race with Bernalillo County Clerk Maggie Toulouse-Oliver was neck-and-neck. Democratic land Commissioner Ray Powell and Republican challenger Aubrey Dunn were locked in a close contest. Meanwhile, Democrat Tim Eichenberg held a slight leader over Republican Rick Lopez for the open Treasurer seat. Republican Ben Hall is seeking to hold his District 5 seat on the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission against former commissioner Sandy Jones. District 5 stretches from Los Lunas south to Dona Ana County and west to Arizona.
Voter turnout dropped sharply in New Mexico's general election. Unofficial incomplete returns from the secretary of state's office show that nearly 509,000 voters cast ballots. That's roughly 39 percent of the state's registered voters and would represent the lowest turnout rate in decades. The turnout rate could increase somewhat once final returns become available. Four years ago when New Mexicans last elected a governor, nearly 608-thousand votes were cast.
Santa Fe Weather: Sunny today through tomorrow with highs in the upper 50s. Tonight: Clear skies with the overnight low, 33.