This story was originally published by Source New Mexico.
Campaign filings for the 2024 state legislative elections show that eight House and nine Senate seats have no incumbents running for re-election. There are also some big shake-ups among Republican leadership.
T. Ryan Lane (R-Aztec), the House minority leader, did not file campaign paperwork for re-election by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, according to the New Mexico Secretary of State website. He could not be reached for comment, and a House GOP spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
Also, Senate Minority Floor Leader Sen. Greg Baca (R-Belen), posted on Facebook on Tuesday evening that it was “an honor to serve” his District 29 constituents, urging voters to support Sen. Joshua A. Sanchez (R-Bosque), who currently represents District 30.
The two leaders’ sudden departures are among 17 open seats in the November election. Of them, eight are currently held by Democrats and nine by Republicans. Nine of the 17 open seats have at least one candidate from both major parties vying for the seats.
The open seats include three in the House abandoned by incumbent representatives seeking election to the Senate. Current state representatives Natalie Figueroa (D-Albuquerque), Candy Spence Ezzell (R-Roswell) and Larry Scott (R-Hobbs) are all seeking Senate seats, filings show. Scott is taking on incumbent Sen. Steven McCutcheon II (R-Carlsbad) in the primary for Senate District 42.
Figueroa and her Republican opponent, Kurstin Johnson, will run unopposed in their party’s primary for Senate District 18. Ezzell has a primary opponent, Chad Hamill, for Senate District 32.
Even if Republicans sweep all nine contested open seats, they won’t tilt the balance of power in the Legislature. Democrats currently outnumber Republicans by 20 members in the House and 12 members in the Senate.
Nine incumbent senators and 22 incumbent representatives are running unopposed. Filings also show that William A. Hall II, a Republican of Aztec, is running without an opponent for Lane’s seat, and Angelita Mejia, a Republican of Dexter, is running unopposed for Ezzell’s seat.
New candidates for both parties and chambers include political newcomers and those more familiar, including:
- Republican Manny Gonzalez: The former Bernalillo County Sheriff who recently withdrew from a short-lived campaign for U.S. Senate against Martin Heinrich is running against incumbent Harold Pope (D-Albuquerque) for Senate District 23.
- Republican Jay C Block: The current Sandoval County Commissioner hopes to replace outgoing senator Jerry Ortiz y Pino (D-Albuquerque) in Senate District 12.
- Democrat Marianna Anaya: Anaya is seeking to represent House District 18, left vacant by retiring Rep. Gail Chasey (D-Albuquerque). She’s a community advocate and lobbyist for reproductive rights and public education who accused Sen. Daniel Ivey-Soto (D-Albuquerque) of sexual misconduct, allegations that Ivey-Soto denies.
- Republican Audrey Trujillo: The failed New Mexico Secretary of State candidate who falsely claimed the 2020 presidential election was stolen is seeking the seat to Senate District 9 that was held by outgoing Sen. Brenda McKenna (D-Corrales).
- Democrat Debbie O’Malley: The former Bernalillo County Commissioner and Albuquerque City Councilor will run against incumbent Sen. Bill O’Neill (D-Albuquerque) for Senate District 13.
See detailed candidate information below:
Source New Mexico is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Source New Mexico maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Shaun Griswold for questions: info@sourcenm.com. Follow Source New Mexico on Facebook and Twitter.
