New Mexico 2016 Election Results

New Mexico held its general election on November 8, 2016, deciding 112 legislative seats and the office of Secretary of State, including 1 special election. Control shifted: the House moved from a 37-33 Republican majority to a 38-32 Democratic majority.

Highlights

• Republican Gov. Susana Martinez, who was not on the ballot, will face Democratic majorities in both chambers: Democrats took back the House after two years of Republican rule and grew their Senate majority to 26-16. In January, Brian Egolf, Jr. (D) was elected Speaker by acclamation.
• Every House seat that changed hands went to Democrats, including the open House District 24, won by Liz Thomson (D). Four Republican incumbents lost:
  • Nathan Small (D) beat Andrew Nunez (R) by about 13 points in House District 36.
  • Joanne Ferrary (D) unseated Terry McMillan (R) in House District 37, avenging a 2012 race she lost by eight votes.
  • Rodolpho S. Martinez (D) beat John L. Zimmerman (R) by about 220 votes in House District 39.
  • Daymon Ely (D) edged Paul Pacheco (R) by about 100 votes in House District 23.
• Democrats unseated three Republican senators but lost their majority leader. Michael Sanchez (D), who had stood against Martinez on many priorities, lost Senate District 29 to Gregory Baca (R) by about 10 points after a super PAC run by Martinez’s top political advisers spent more than $370,000 on TV ads against him. Senate Democrats chose a new majority leader, Peter Wirth (D). The three pickups:
  • Jeff Steinborn (D) beat Lee S. Cotter (R) by about 19 points in Senate District 36.
  • Bill Tallman (D) beat Lisa Torraco (R) by about 450 votes in Senate District 18.
  • Liz Stefanics (D) beat Ted Barela (R) by about 370 votes in Senate District 39. Gov. Martinez had appointed Barela after a Democrat resigned.
• Three races went to automatic recounts, and none changed the winner: Ely's House win over Pacheco, David Adkins (R) holding House District 29 by nine votes over Ronnie Martinez (D), and John Sapien (D) keeping Senate District 9 by about 200 votes over Diego L. Espinoza (R).
• Democrats also picked up the secretary of state's office: Maggie Toulouse Oliver (D) defeated state Rep. Nora Espinoza (R) by about 13 points in a special election to finish the term of Republican Dianna Duran, who resigned in 2015 as she faced criminal charges.
• Voters approved all 5 ballot measures, including four bond issues and Amendment 1, which lets judges hold dangerous defendants without bond until trial and lets those held only because they cannot afford bail ask the court for release.

Legislature

• House (70 seats): 33 D, 37 R before the election, 38 D, 32 R after; control moved from Republicans to Democrats.
• Senate (42 seats): 25 D, 17 R before the election, 26 D, 16 R after; control stayed with Democrats.

Statewide races

Legislative races

Ballot measures