Live Blog: 2026 Election Results
By KUNM News
November 3, 2026 at 10:39 PM MST
Torrez wins another term as Attorney General – Daniel Montaño
Incumbent Democrat Raúl Torrez will serve as New Mexico’s Attorney General for a second time. He received just over 450,000 votes, or about 63% in unofficial results from the AP.
Torrez’s opponent, republican Sam Kane of Las Cruces, had just over 265,000 votes, or about 37% of the votes.
In his acceptance speech, at the Democratic Party of New Mexico’s election night watch party, Torrez told a raucous and elated crowd that he was focused on a bright future.
“It has been a dark and difficult journey,” he said, “but tonight everything is on the table. Tonight we start taking this country back again.”
During his campaign, Torrez told KUNM that voters were making an important decision in this year’s election:
“Whether or not we're going to be a voice that stands up for our principles and our values,” he said,”whether we believe in a government that treats people decently and honestly, whether we're going to allow ourselves to continue to fall down and follow a path that is built on grievance and greed and corruption,”
During his acceptance speech, Torrez said he looks forward to working with Governor Elect Deb Haaland, and that he welcomes “a new journey.”
But he also stressed that there’s a lot of work ahead, like updating consumer protection laws, especially in the wake of his landmark legal victories against Meta. He said he’s ready to face those challenges head on and encouraged the crowd to do the same, and to keep looking toward the future.
“The best is yet to come,” he said. “Lift your voices up and make sure they hear you loud and proud: New Mexico never backs down.”
Torrez said he plans to continue "stand up for people and make sure life is affordable” especially with his proposed legislation to update consumer protection law.
“Our proposal is the most sort of modern and aggressive update of a state's consumer protection laws, probably in the last 50 years of any state in this country,” he said. “We have redesigned that core statute to reflect current business practices in the digital economy, which center on the harvesting of consumer data for purposes beyond the explicit disclosures that have been made to consumers, often to their detriment.”
Torrez has served as Attorney General since 2022, and was Bernalillo County District Attorney before that. He attended Harvard University as an undergraduate before receiving his Master’s in international political economy and international relations from the London School Of Economics, and then received his law degree from Stanford University.
Jeanette DeDios contributed to this reporting. Support for this coverage comes from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
Democrat Vasquez surfs blue wave to defend competitive house district – Florian Knowles, KUNM News
Democrat Gabe Vasquez has been reelected to House District 2 in Southern New Mexico.
Vasquez received 58.6% of votes to win the competitive district Republicans were eyeing to flip as insurance against losing the House. Republican challenger Greg Cunningham received 41.4% of votes in unofficial race results from AP.
As a first generation Mexican-American, Vasquez has been critical of both sides of the aisle when it comes to immigration and has called for Congress to better address the cost of living crisis, like grocery affordability.
“As your representative, I pledge to be the fighter that you deserve: a defender of civil rights, a fighter for the working class,” Vasquez said in his victory speech. “And a congressman with unrelenting fight, loyalty to this district, and the integrity to serve without the influence of special interests.”
Vasquez, a former Las Cruces City Council member, dethroned the incumbent republican Yvette Herrell in 2022 to represent the purple district and defended his seat in 2024 despite his district voting for Trump.
Incumbent State Auditor Joseph Maestas secures second term – Florian Knowles, KUNM News
Democrat Joseph Maestas has been reelected as New Mexico State Auditor with 60.3% of the vote. He defeated Republican challenger Joshua James Lawrence.
In an interview with KUNM, Maestas said he plans to continue his work on reducing fraud, waste, and abuse within New Mexico government agencies. In his next term he aims to maximize his office’s potential by filling vacancies caused by budgetary constraints and streamline his workload by using AI.
“For years I promised to be an independent watchdog to protect your taxpayer dollars and to work hard everyday to earn your trust,” Maestas said to the crowd at the Democratic watch party Tuesday night. “And now you’ve given me the privilege of continuing that work.”
Maestas is the incumbent State Auditor and the former mayor of Española, New Mexico. He also served on the Public Regulation Commission and the city councils of Española and Santa Fe.
As Auditor, Maestas scrutinized wasteful travel spending at Western New Mexico University, and investigated missing wildfire recovery funds allocated to Mora County.
AP declares Democrat Deb Haaland as first female, Native American governor in US - Joshua Bowling, Source New Mexico
Deb Haaland, a former U.S. interior secretary who previously represented New Mexico in Congress, made history Tuesday night as the first Native American woman in the nation to be elected governor.
The Associated Press declared Haaland the winner in the race with an estimated 41% of the vote counted.
Haaland, a member of Laguna Pueblo, watched results come in at the Route 66 Casino Hotel in Albuquerque along with supporters, fellow candidates and Democratic Party of New Mexico officials after polls closed at 7 p.m. Unofficial results from the New Mexico Secretary of State’s office reported she had earned 57% of the vote by 8:49 p.m. in her contest against Republican Gregg Hull, the former mayor of Rio Rancho.
Haaland soundly defeated her primary opponent, Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman, in the June primary election and handily outfundraised Hull. Her campaign finance reports often contained so many donors that the documents, which were routinely thousands of pages, at times crashed the New Mexico Secretary of State’s website.
While Haaland and Hull ran a relatively cordial contest, Hull criticized her for backing out of a televised debate before Election Day. Haaland at the time said that KOB-TV’s preferred date conflicted with a prior obligation she made to meet with farmers in southern New Mexico.
Haaland, who served in President Joe Biden’s cabinet, on the campaign trail often vowed to be a staunch opponent of President Donald Trump. She campaigned on boosting affordability, creating a public option healthcare plan and overhauling the state’s troubled child welfare agency.
In September, she pledged to sign an executive order immediately upon taking office that would enact a statewide moratorium on new large-scale data center projects until the Legislature can pass a bill that places guardrails on the developments.
Haaland is set to replace Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who is term-limited after first winning election to the seat in 2018. Haaland previously succeeded Lujan Grisham when she was elected to U.S. Congress to represent New Mexico’s 1st Congressional District, and became one of the first of two Native American women elected to that political body.
Land commissioner-elect Juan Sanchez wants ‘strong guardrails’ for data centers – Bryce Dix, KUNM News
Democrat Juan de Jesus Sanchez III has won the Land Commissioner race – a seat that oversees 9 million surface acres and 13 million mineral acres of land that generate crucial revenue for public schools, universities, hospitals, and other public institutions.
Sanchez won the race over Republican Michael Perry with 60.3% of the vote, according to unofficial results from AP.
His win comes amid mounting pressures from the White House that have sparked questions about the use of public lands – like state trust land – for data centers, particularly in rural areas. Recent polling suggests American views of data centers on both sides of the political aisle have become increasingly pessimistic.
In a September interview, KUNM asked Sanchez what it would take for him to approve a data center on New Mexico’s trust lands.
“My stance is that we need to be putting in strong guardrails around data centers,” Sanchez said. “For me to even consider a data center on state trust land, which is really not high on the priorities, there are a lot of different guardrails that I have to reach.”
He said that includes getting at least 50% of its power from renewable energy from the outset and other things like project labor agreements.
Notably, outgoing public lands commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richards has twice rejected a proposed gas pipeline to power the massive Project Jupiter data center complex in Doña Ana County.
In response, developers are mulling over trucking-in natural gas as a way to skirt delays while the pipeline is redirected elsewhere.
Following his Democratic primary win in June, Sanchez has been widely criticized for accepting donations from large oil and gas companies such as ExxonMobil, Chevron, and Devon Energy.
Fossil fuel companies like these provide the State Land Office with a lion’s share of its revenue.
That’s despite his Republican challenger, Michael Perry, raking in over $250,000 in donations from oil and gas-connected companies and individuals, according to an analysis by New Mexico In-Depth.
The land office also collects much smaller royalty payments from grazing allotments and mining.
US Rep. Stansbury wins reelection New Mexico’s 1st Congressional District - Source New Mexico
U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) won relection to her fourth term representing the 1st Congressional District on Tuesday, beating Republican challenger Ndidiamaka Ekwua Charlene Okpareke with 63.8%, according to unofficial results. The Associated Press estimated 95% of the votes had been counted.
“As a New Mexican, born and raised, it is the honor of my life to represent our families, neighbors, and communities in Congress and to fight every day for our democracy, our rights, and the future of our communities,” Stansbury said in a statement. “I’m ready to get back to work for the people of New Mexico’s 1st Congressional District. From protecting our lands and waters, to fighting for healthcare, housing, and our veterans, to conducting oversight and defending our democracy, our work has just begun. Thank you, New Mexico, for your trust and the opportunity to serve our communities for another term. I am honored to be your Representative.”
US Rep. Leger Fernández reelected to New Mexico’s 3rd Congressional District - Matt Mondschein, Source New Mexico
U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.) has won reelection in her campaign for the 3rd Congressional District against state Rep. Martin Zamora (R-Clovis).
In an interview at state Democrats’ election night party in Albuquerque, Leger Fernández told Source NM that corruption under Republican leadership “has been beyond belief, and Americans are sick of that,” and added that “there has been a lack of respect for our laws, lack of respect for immigrants, lack of respect for Latinos.”
With the House and potentially the Senate under Democratic control, Leger Fernández said congressional Democrats can now determine what legislation reaches the floor and check the Trump administration. “We have the gavel to hold Trump accountable,” she told Source NM. “We can start looking at the corruption that we know is there.”
Leger Fernández added that her water settlement bill, which would develop and maintain water infrastructure for New Mexico Tribes and Pueblos, now has life under new leadership. “I know that under Democrat leadership, I’ll be able to put those on the floor and get them passed,” she said. “Those water rights settlements benefit the tribes. They benefit the sick kids. That will be one of my priority legislative tasks.”
Montoya re-elected to State Treasurer and pledges to continue her advocacy - Megan Kamerick, KUNM News
Democratic incumbent Laura Montoya has won re-election to State Treasurer. The office now manages 24 billion dollars worth of assets.
Montoya defeated challenger James Ellison with 60% of the vote in unofficial results from AP.
Montoya grew up in New Mexico and served for two terms as Sandoval County treasurer before being elected State Treasurer in 2022. During her term, assets under her management grew by 10 billion dollars. The treasurer also sits on the board of New Mexico’s State Investment Council, which oversees one of the country’s largest sovereign wealth funds.
Montoya has been outspoken as state treasurer, advocating for policies such as baby bonds and mandatory financial literacy in high schools. In her victory speech, she pledged to continue creating opportunities for people left behind.
"Whether we're expanding financial education, supporting individuals with disabilities, or advancing conversations around general racial wealth and baby bonds, our work must always be about creating a better future for the next generation," she told supporters.
Her opponent, Ellison, argued such advocacy is for lawmakers and criticized what he said was a lack of attention to core details in the treasurer’s office.
Secretary of State-elect Amanda López Askin promises to further safeguard against federal interference in elections – Robert Frederick, KUNM News
Democrat Amanda López Askin has won the race for Secretary of State, an office that oversees and administers state elections and is third in succession behind the governor and lieutenant governor.
López Askin won the race over Republican Ramona Goolsby with 60.7% of the vote according to unofficial results from AP.
Her win comes amid mounting concerns that the White House will interfere with elections.
In a September interview, KUNM asked López Askin how she would respond to any pressure from the Trump administration about the 2028 election.
I will do what I've been doing for the last eight years,” said López Askin. “I will follow the law. I will continue to remind anybody and everybody, including the current administration, that the Constitution guarantees us that we have states' rights to run elections.”
Notably, López Askin said that in addition to staying in touch with her mentor and friend – current Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver – Secretary of States around the country are all on the same page and will work together in further safeguarding elections against federal interference.
New Mexicans vote to pay lawmakers - by Jeanette DeDios, KUNM News
Voters have approved Constitutional Amendment 4, which means state lawmakers will now get a salary.
The amendment passed with 63.4% of the votes according to unofficial AP results.
Starting in 2029, members of the 58th legislature will be sworn in and be provided compensation equal to the annual median household income for New Mexico, which currently is $68,000 dollars.
New Mexico was the only unpaid legislature in the United States until last night with the state only providing per diem and mileage reimbursement as a form of compensation.
Arguments against the measure include disproportionate pay compared to other states, unfair advantages to incumbents, and doubling the pay for lawmakers that already have jobs.
Former Democratic lawmaker Dede Feldman told KUNM last month that with the passing of this measure, legislators will have to take their job more seriously and it will become competitive.
"I think more people will run for office. So that means that people who are in office will have to perform," Feldman said. "They will have to perform well and be accountable to their constituents. So, I think it's really beneficial."
Lawmakers who disagree with the salary can still opt-out.
SE NM Republican wins lone contested state Senate race
–Mark Haslett, KUNM News
Senate District 33 includes Ruidoso and Carrizozo and stretches to include parts of Alamogordo and Roswell. The seat became vacant after Republican Nicholas Paul resigned for health reasons. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham appointed Republican Rex Wilson to the office in January.
On Tuesday, Wilson retained the seat, defeating Democratic opponent William Griffin by winning a little more than 62 percent of the vote.
Wilson, a Lincoln County rancher, has described himself as a pragmatic conservative, who doesn’t mind working with Democrats to achieve his goals of helping rural communities, particularly with healthcare access. He’s a former healthcare administrator for Presbyterian Medical Services, for which he managed early childhood and community healthcare access programs across Chaves, Lincoln, and Otero counties. Prior to the legislature, Wilson served on the Lincoln County Commission.
In the state Senate, Wilson has served on the Senate Health & Public Affairs Committee as well as the Tax, Business & Transportation Committee.
Voters approve bonds for seniors, libraries, schools
–Mark Haslett, KUNM News
On Tuesday, New Mexicans approved all three of the statewide bond measures. Each proposal was approved by roughly two-thirds of voters.
The Senior Citizen Facilities Bond will authorize the acquisition of up to $21,582,213 for the improvement, construction, and equipment acquisition projects of senior citizen facilities.
The Library Acquisitions Bond will provide up to $19,324,188 to fund resources and acquisitions—such as books, digital materials, and educational resources—for academic, public school, public, and tribal libraries statewide.
But the biggest bond to pass last night was the Higher Education, Special Schools, and Tribal Schools Bond, which will provide up to $352,225,379 for capital improvements, modernizations, equipment acquisitions, and construction projects at public colleges, universities, special schools such as the New Mexico Military Institute, and tribal schools across New Mexico.
New amendments: Pocket veto gone, school elections get timing flexibility, university regent selection process overhauled
–Mark Haslett, KUNM News
Yesterday, New Mexico’s voters approved all our proposed amendments to the state constitution. In advance of the vote, the provision to pay state lawmakers received the most attention, but the other three amendments will also bring significant changes to state and local public entities.
The first proposed amendment eliminated the gubernatorial pocket veto, which allowed the governor to kill a bill by neglecting to sign it into law. Now, any bill that the governor fails to sign or veto within a designated time frame automatically becomes law.
Another amendment will affect the timing of school elections. School districts may now schedule their elections to coincide with general elections in November. Proponents of the measure say schools could benefit from no longer having to fund stand-alone elections in the spring.
The third state constitutional amendment voters approved changes the process for selecting members for state university boards of regents. The governor will still appoint regents, but will be limited to a list of candidates approved by a nominating committee. Similarly, student regents will be chosen by university presidents from a list of nominees provided by student governments. Finally, to be eligible all appointees must have maintained their political party registration for at least a year, meaning they have not switched parties in the previous year.
This post is being updated. Check back for the latest results.
Incumbent Democrat Raúl Torrez will serve as New Mexico’s Attorney General for a second time. He received just over 450,000 votes, or about 63% in unofficial results from the AP.
Torrez’s opponent, republican Sam Kane of Las Cruces, had just over 265,000 votes, or about 37% of the votes.
In his acceptance speech, at the Democratic Party of New Mexico’s election night watch party, Torrez told a raucous and elated crowd that he was focused on a bright future.
“It has been a dark and difficult journey,” he said, “but tonight everything is on the table. Tonight we start taking this country back again.”
During his campaign, Torrez told KUNM that voters were making an important decision in this year’s election:
“Whether or not we're going to be a voice that stands up for our principles and our values,” he said,”whether we believe in a government that treats people decently and honestly, whether we're going to allow ourselves to continue to fall down and follow a path that is built on grievance and greed and corruption,”
During his acceptance speech, Torrez said he looks forward to working with Governor Elect Deb Haaland, and that he welcomes “a new journey.”
But he also stressed that there’s a lot of work ahead, like updating consumer protection laws, especially in the wake of his landmark legal victories against Meta. He said he’s ready to face those challenges head on and encouraged the crowd to do the same, and to keep looking toward the future.
“The best is yet to come,” he said. “Lift your voices up and make sure they hear you loud and proud: New Mexico never backs down.”
Torrez said he plans to continue "stand up for people and make sure life is affordable” especially with his proposed legislation to update consumer protection law.
“Our proposal is the most sort of modern and aggressive update of a state's consumer protection laws, probably in the last 50 years of any state in this country,” he said. “We have redesigned that core statute to reflect current business practices in the digital economy, which center on the harvesting of consumer data for purposes beyond the explicit disclosures that have been made to consumers, often to their detriment.”
Torrez has served as Attorney General since 2022, and was Bernalillo County District Attorney before that. He attended Harvard University as an undergraduate before receiving his Master’s in international political economy and international relations from the London School Of Economics, and then received his law degree from Stanford University.
Jeanette DeDios contributed to this reporting. Support for this coverage comes from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
Democrat Vasquez surfs blue wave to defend competitive house district – Florian Knowles, KUNM News
Democrat Gabe Vasquez has been reelected to House District 2 in Southern New Mexico.
Vasquez received 58.6% of votes to win the competitive district Republicans were eyeing to flip as insurance against losing the House. Republican challenger Greg Cunningham received 41.4% of votes in unofficial race results from AP.
As a first generation Mexican-American, Vasquez has been critical of both sides of the aisle when it comes to immigration and has called for Congress to better address the cost of living crisis, like grocery affordability.
“As your representative, I pledge to be the fighter that you deserve: a defender of civil rights, a fighter for the working class,” Vasquez said in his victory speech. “And a congressman with unrelenting fight, loyalty to this district, and the integrity to serve without the influence of special interests.”
Vasquez, a former Las Cruces City Council member, dethroned the incumbent republican Yvette Herrell in 2022 to represent the purple district and defended his seat in 2024 despite his district voting for Trump.
Incumbent State Auditor Joseph Maestas secures second term – Florian Knowles, KUNM News
Democrat Joseph Maestas has been reelected as New Mexico State Auditor with 60.3% of the vote. He defeated Republican challenger Joshua James Lawrence.
In an interview with KUNM, Maestas said he plans to continue his work on reducing fraud, waste, and abuse within New Mexico government agencies. In his next term he aims to maximize his office’s potential by filling vacancies caused by budgetary constraints and streamline his workload by using AI.
“For years I promised to be an independent watchdog to protect your taxpayer dollars and to work hard everyday to earn your trust,” Maestas said to the crowd at the Democratic watch party Tuesday night. “And now you’ve given me the privilege of continuing that work.”
Maestas is the incumbent State Auditor and the former mayor of Española, New Mexico. He also served on the Public Regulation Commission and the city councils of Española and Santa Fe.
As Auditor, Maestas scrutinized wasteful travel spending at Western New Mexico University, and investigated missing wildfire recovery funds allocated to Mora County.
AP declares Democrat Deb Haaland as first female, Native American governor in US - Joshua Bowling, Source New Mexico
Deb Haaland, a former U.S. interior secretary who previously represented New Mexico in Congress, made history Tuesday night as the first Native American woman in the nation to be elected governor.
The Associated Press declared Haaland the winner in the race with an estimated 41% of the vote counted.
Haaland, a member of Laguna Pueblo, watched results come in at the Route 66 Casino Hotel in Albuquerque along with supporters, fellow candidates and Democratic Party of New Mexico officials after polls closed at 7 p.m. Unofficial results from the New Mexico Secretary of State’s office reported she had earned 57% of the vote by 8:49 p.m. in her contest against Republican Gregg Hull, the former mayor of Rio Rancho.
Haaland soundly defeated her primary opponent, Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman, in the June primary election and handily outfundraised Hull. Her campaign finance reports often contained so many donors that the documents, which were routinely thousands of pages, at times crashed the New Mexico Secretary of State’s website.
While Haaland and Hull ran a relatively cordial contest, Hull criticized her for backing out of a televised debate before Election Day. Haaland at the time said that KOB-TV’s preferred date conflicted with a prior obligation she made to meet with farmers in southern New Mexico.
Haaland, who served in President Joe Biden’s cabinet, on the campaign trail often vowed to be a staunch opponent of President Donald Trump. She campaigned on boosting affordability, creating a public option healthcare plan and overhauling the state’s troubled child welfare agency.
In September, she pledged to sign an executive order immediately upon taking office that would enact a statewide moratorium on new large-scale data center projects until the Legislature can pass a bill that places guardrails on the developments.
Haaland is set to replace Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who is term-limited after first winning election to the seat in 2018. Haaland previously succeeded Lujan Grisham when she was elected to U.S. Congress to represent New Mexico’s 1st Congressional District, and became one of the first of two Native American women elected to that political body.
Land commissioner-elect Juan Sanchez wants ‘strong guardrails’ for data centers – Bryce Dix, KUNM News
Democrat Juan de Jesus Sanchez III has won the Land Commissioner race – a seat that oversees 9 million surface acres and 13 million mineral acres of land that generate crucial revenue for public schools, universities, hospitals, and other public institutions.
Sanchez won the race over Republican Michael Perry with 60.3% of the vote, according to unofficial results from AP.
His win comes amid mounting pressures from the White House that have sparked questions about the use of public lands – like state trust land – for data centers, particularly in rural areas. Recent polling suggests American views of data centers on both sides of the political aisle have become increasingly pessimistic.
In a September interview, KUNM asked Sanchez what it would take for him to approve a data center on New Mexico’s trust lands.
“My stance is that we need to be putting in strong guardrails around data centers,” Sanchez said. “For me to even consider a data center on state trust land, which is really not high on the priorities, there are a lot of different guardrails that I have to reach.”
He said that includes getting at least 50% of its power from renewable energy from the outset and other things like project labor agreements.
Notably, outgoing public lands commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richards has twice rejected a proposed gas pipeline to power the massive Project Jupiter data center complex in Doña Ana County.
In response, developers are mulling over trucking-in natural gas as a way to skirt delays while the pipeline is redirected elsewhere.
Following his Democratic primary win in June, Sanchez has been widely criticized for accepting donations from large oil and gas companies such as ExxonMobil, Chevron, and Devon Energy.
Fossil fuel companies like these provide the State Land Office with a lion’s share of its revenue.
That’s despite his Republican challenger, Michael Perry, raking in over $250,000 in donations from oil and gas-connected companies and individuals, according to an analysis by New Mexico In-Depth.
The land office also collects much smaller royalty payments from grazing allotments and mining.
US Rep. Stansbury wins reelection New Mexico’s 1st Congressional District - Source New Mexico
U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) won relection to her fourth term representing the 1st Congressional District on Tuesday, beating Republican challenger Ndidiamaka Ekwua Charlene Okpareke with 63.8%, according to unofficial results. The Associated Press estimated 95% of the votes had been counted.
“As a New Mexican, born and raised, it is the honor of my life to represent our families, neighbors, and communities in Congress and to fight every day for our democracy, our rights, and the future of our communities,” Stansbury said in a statement. “I’m ready to get back to work for the people of New Mexico’s 1st Congressional District. From protecting our lands and waters, to fighting for healthcare, housing, and our veterans, to conducting oversight and defending our democracy, our work has just begun. Thank you, New Mexico, for your trust and the opportunity to serve our communities for another term. I am honored to be your Representative.”
US Rep. Leger Fernández reelected to New Mexico’s 3rd Congressional District - Matt Mondschein, Source New Mexico
U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.) has won reelection in her campaign for the 3rd Congressional District against state Rep. Martin Zamora (R-Clovis).
In an interview at state Democrats’ election night party in Albuquerque, Leger Fernández told Source NM that corruption under Republican leadership “has been beyond belief, and Americans are sick of that,” and added that “there has been a lack of respect for our laws, lack of respect for immigrants, lack of respect for Latinos.”
With the House and potentially the Senate under Democratic control, Leger Fernández said congressional Democrats can now determine what legislation reaches the floor and check the Trump administration. “We have the gavel to hold Trump accountable,” she told Source NM. “We can start looking at the corruption that we know is there.”
Leger Fernández added that her water settlement bill, which would develop and maintain water infrastructure for New Mexico Tribes and Pueblos, now has life under new leadership. “I know that under Democrat leadership, I’ll be able to put those on the floor and get them passed,” she said. “Those water rights settlements benefit the tribes. They benefit the sick kids. That will be one of my priority legislative tasks.”
Montoya re-elected to State Treasurer and pledges to continue her advocacy - Megan Kamerick, KUNM News
Democratic incumbent Laura Montoya has won re-election to State Treasurer. The office now manages 24 billion dollars worth of assets.
Montoya defeated challenger James Ellison with 60% of the vote in unofficial results from AP.
Montoya grew up in New Mexico and served for two terms as Sandoval County treasurer before being elected State Treasurer in 2022. During her term, assets under her management grew by 10 billion dollars. The treasurer also sits on the board of New Mexico’s State Investment Council, which oversees one of the country’s largest sovereign wealth funds.
Montoya has been outspoken as state treasurer, advocating for policies such as baby bonds and mandatory financial literacy in high schools. In her victory speech, she pledged to continue creating opportunities for people left behind.
"Whether we're expanding financial education, supporting individuals with disabilities, or advancing conversations around general racial wealth and baby bonds, our work must always be about creating a better future for the next generation," she told supporters.
Her opponent, Ellison, argued such advocacy is for lawmakers and criticized what he said was a lack of attention to core details in the treasurer’s office.
Secretary of State-elect Amanda López Askin promises to further safeguard against federal interference in elections – Robert Frederick, KUNM News
Democrat Amanda López Askin has won the race for Secretary of State, an office that oversees and administers state elections and is third in succession behind the governor and lieutenant governor.
López Askin won the race over Republican Ramona Goolsby with 60.7% of the vote according to unofficial results from AP.
Her win comes amid mounting concerns that the White House will interfere with elections.
In a September interview, KUNM asked López Askin how she would respond to any pressure from the Trump administration about the 2028 election.
I will do what I've been doing for the last eight years,” said López Askin. “I will follow the law. I will continue to remind anybody and everybody, including the current administration, that the Constitution guarantees us that we have states' rights to run elections.”
Notably, López Askin said that in addition to staying in touch with her mentor and friend – current Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver – Secretary of States around the country are all on the same page and will work together in further safeguarding elections against federal interference.
New Mexicans vote to pay lawmakers - by Jeanette DeDios, KUNM News
Voters have approved Constitutional Amendment 4, which means state lawmakers will now get a salary.
The amendment passed with 63.4% of the votes according to unofficial AP results.
Starting in 2029, members of the 58th legislature will be sworn in and be provided compensation equal to the annual median household income for New Mexico, which currently is $68,000 dollars.
New Mexico was the only unpaid legislature in the United States until last night with the state only providing per diem and mileage reimbursement as a form of compensation.
Arguments against the measure include disproportionate pay compared to other states, unfair advantages to incumbents, and doubling the pay for lawmakers that already have jobs.
Former Democratic lawmaker Dede Feldman told KUNM last month that with the passing of this measure, legislators will have to take their job more seriously and it will become competitive.
"I think more people will run for office. So that means that people who are in office will have to perform," Feldman said. "They will have to perform well and be accountable to their constituents. So, I think it's really beneficial."
Lawmakers who disagree with the salary can still opt-out.
SE NM Republican wins lone contested state Senate race
–Mark Haslett, KUNM News
Senate District 33 includes Ruidoso and Carrizozo and stretches to include parts of Alamogordo and Roswell. The seat became vacant after Republican Nicholas Paul resigned for health reasons. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham appointed Republican Rex Wilson to the office in January.
On Tuesday, Wilson retained the seat, defeating Democratic opponent William Griffin by winning a little more than 62 percent of the vote.
Wilson, a Lincoln County rancher, has described himself as a pragmatic conservative, who doesn’t mind working with Democrats to achieve his goals of helping rural communities, particularly with healthcare access. He’s a former healthcare administrator for Presbyterian Medical Services, for which he managed early childhood and community healthcare access programs across Chaves, Lincoln, and Otero counties. Prior to the legislature, Wilson served on the Lincoln County Commission.
In the state Senate, Wilson has served on the Senate Health & Public Affairs Committee as well as the Tax, Business & Transportation Committee.
Voters approve bonds for seniors, libraries, schools
–Mark Haslett, KUNM News
On Tuesday, New Mexicans approved all three of the statewide bond measures. Each proposal was approved by roughly two-thirds of voters.
The Senior Citizen Facilities Bond will authorize the acquisition of up to $21,582,213 for the improvement, construction, and equipment acquisition projects of senior citizen facilities.
The Library Acquisitions Bond will provide up to $19,324,188 to fund resources and acquisitions—such as books, digital materials, and educational resources—for academic, public school, public, and tribal libraries statewide.
But the biggest bond to pass last night was the Higher Education, Special Schools, and Tribal Schools Bond, which will provide up to $352,225,379 for capital improvements, modernizations, equipment acquisitions, and construction projects at public colleges, universities, special schools such as the New Mexico Military Institute, and tribal schools across New Mexico.
New amendments: Pocket veto gone, school elections get timing flexibility, university regent selection process overhauled
–Mark Haslett, KUNM News
Yesterday, New Mexico’s voters approved all our proposed amendments to the state constitution. In advance of the vote, the provision to pay state lawmakers received the most attention, but the other three amendments will also bring significant changes to state and local public entities.
The first proposed amendment eliminated the gubernatorial pocket veto, which allowed the governor to kill a bill by neglecting to sign it into law. Now, any bill that the governor fails to sign or veto within a designated time frame automatically becomes law.
Another amendment will affect the timing of school elections. School districts may now schedule their elections to coincide with general elections in November. Proponents of the measure say schools could benefit from no longer having to fund stand-alone elections in the spring.
The third state constitutional amendment voters approved changes the process for selecting members for state university boards of regents. The governor will still appoint regents, but will be limited to a list of candidates approved by a nominating committee. Similarly, student regents will be chosen by university presidents from a list of nominees provided by student governments. Finally, to be eligible all appointees must have maintained their political party registration for at least a year, meaning they have not switched parties in the previous year.
This post is being updated. Check back for the latest results.