New Mexico Primary Election Results: Lujan Grisham To Face Pearce

ALBUQUERQUE, NM — Polls have closed in New Mexico and voters chose Democrat Michelle Lujan Grisham to face Republican Steve Pearce in the gubernatorial election this fall. The New York Times called the race for Lujan Grisham around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Sitting Republican Gov. Susana Martinez cannot seek a third term, opening the door for Democrats to flip the state executive office from red to blue.

Here's a breakdown of all the key races:

Governor

Democratic primary:

• U.S. Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham (Albuquerque)
• Former media executive Jeff Apodaca (Albuquerque)
• State Sen. Joseph Cervantes (Mesilla Park)

U.S. Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham, the frontrunner to earn the Democratic nomination, defeated Jeff Apodaca and Joe Cervantes on Tuesday Lujan Grisham, a former state Cabinet secretary who is vacating her congressional seat, held a decisive lead last week over her opponents in a poll by the Albuquerque Journal. The newspaper surveyed 444 voters and found that 57 percent of proven voters indicated they would cast a ballot – or had already done so – for Lujan Grisham. Apodaca, the next highest, had 15 percent and Joe Cervantes had 9 percent. Nearly one in five Democratic voters were undecided.

Republican primary:

• U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce (Hobbs)

Pearce, a member of the Freedom Caucus and vocal supporter of President Donald Trump, is vacating his seat to run for governor and is running unopposed on the Republican side. He was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2002.

U.S. House of Representatives, District 1

Democratic primary:

• Antoinette Sedillo-Lopez (Albuquerque)
• Damon Martinez (Albuquerque)
• Debra Haaland (Albuquerque)
• Damien Lara (Albuquerque)
• Patrick Davis (Albuquerque)
• Paul Moya (Albuquerque)

Haaland edged out Martinez and Lopez to secure the nomination Tuesday night, The New York Times reported. She will go on to face Janice Arnold-Jones.

The Democratic race for the 1st Congressional seat — which represents Albuquerque — was particularly tight, according to the Albuquerque Journal. The election featured a former state Democratic Party Chairwoman (Haaland), a former federal prosecutor (Martinez) and a retired law professor (Sedillo Lopez). Martinez had a slim lead over Haaland in the latest Journal poll with 22 percent. Haaland had 19 percent and Sedillo Lopez had 17 percent. The percentage of undecided voters sat at a whopping 29 percent. Democrats have held the seat since the 2008 election.

Republican primary:

• Former state Sen. Janice Arnold-Jones (Albuquerque)

Arnold-Jones is running unopposed in the GOP primary. She served in the state House from 2003 to 2010 and made an unsuccessful bid for governor.

Third party:

• Lloyd Princeton (Albuquerque)

Princeton, an entrepreneur, hopes to build on the relative success of 2016 presidential candidate Gary Johnson.

U.S. Representative, District 2

Democratic primary:

• Madeline Hildebrandt (Socorro)
• Xochitl Torres-Small (Las Cruces)

Water lawyer Torres-Small, the frontrunner to take the Democratic nomination, was declared the winner Tuesday by The New York Times. Torres-Small had racked up endorsements from several prominent groups, including the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and Emily’s List, Vox reported. Hildebrandt is a veteran of the U.S. Coast Guard and a history professor.

Republican primary:

• Monty Newman (Hobbs)
• Yvette Herrell (Alamogordo)
• Gavin Clarkson (Las Cruces)
• Clayburn Griffin (Lovington)

Yvette Herrell has been declared the winner by The New York Times. She will face Xochitl Torres-Small in the primary. Herrell received the support of the Freedom Caucus, but Sen. Ted Cruz endorsed Newman, the former state Republican Party chair. Clarkson is a former Interior Department official in the Trump administration and Griffin was a former campaign staffer for Gary Johnson.

Photo credit: Renee Schiavone/Patch