New Mexico held its general election on November 6, 2018, deciding 70 legislative seats and 7 statewide offices led by the governorship. No chamber changed party control. The Senate was not up for regular election this cycle.
Highlights
- Democrats won a trifecta by taking the governor's office back from Republicans, and they widened their House majority to within a seat of two-thirds.
- U.S. Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) defeated U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce (R) by about 14 points in the race to succeed term-limited Gov. Susana Martinez, a Republican. Her running mate, state Sen. Howie Morales (D), became lieutenant governor.
- Democrats grew their House majority from 38 seats to 46, and the gains were concentrated in Bernalillo County around Albuquerque.
- Democrats swept every statewide office. Attorney General Hector Balderas (D), Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver (D), and Treasurer Tim Eichenberg (D) were re-elected, and Brian S. Colón (D) unseated Auditor Wayne Johnson (R). In the open race for commissioner of public lands, state legislator Stephanie Garcia Richard (D) beat Patrick H. Lyons (R), a former commissioner backed by oil and gas money, by about 8 points to become the first woman to lead the State Land Office.
- In the House, 10 seats changed party hands. Dodge was the only Democratic incumbent to lose. Beyond the flips, the closest result was in District 22, where Gregg Schmedes (R) held an open Republican seat over Jessica Velasquez (D) by about 140 votes.
- Voters approved all 6 statewide questions. The headliner was Constitutional Amendment 2, creating an independent state ethics commission and leaving its details to lawmakers in 2019. Amendment 1 lets the Legislature set the appeals process for certain courts, and the bond issues fund senior citizen facilities, public libraries, school buses, and higher education, special schools, and tribal schools.
Legislature
- House (70 seats): 38 D, 32 R before the election, 46 D, 24 R after; control stayed with Democrats.
- Senate (42 seats): 26 D, 16 R before the election, 26 D, 16 R after; control stayed with Democrats.
Statewide races
Legislative races
Ballot measures
| Measure | Description | Result |
|---|
| Bond Question A | Issues $10.77 million in bonds for senior citizen facilities | Passed (70.87% yes) |
| Bond Question B | Issues $12.876 million in bonds for libraries | Passed (68.78% yes) |
| Bond Question C | Issues $6.137 million in bonds for school buses | Passed (68.85% yes) |
| Bond Question D | Issues $128.405 million for higher education, special schools, and tribal schools | Passed (65.8% yes) |
| Constitutional Amendment 1 | Empowers the legislature to pass laws determining the judicial appeal process for certain courts | Passed (58.16% yes) |
| Constitutional Amendment 2 | Creates an independent state ethics commission | Passed (75.18% yes) |