Voters to decide on heated primary election battles

ALAMOGORDO – The 2018 primary election has officially begun and the race for several offices local and statewide is strong and competitive.

The primary election will be held June 5.

Filing day was Tuesday, March 13, and over 20 candidates threw their hat in the ring for eight different local races.

According to Otero County Clerk Robyn Holmes, 17 Republicans and 3 Democrats have filed for eight positions in Otero County.

Local candidates drew for positions on the ballot last Tuesday at the Otero County Clerk’s Office, 1104 N. White Sands Blvd., Suite C, while statewide candidates filed at the New Mexico Secretary of State’s Office in Santa Fe.

More:2018 Primary Election candidates file for office

Incumbent Democrat Sen. Martin Heinrich is running unopposed in the June primary. Heinrich will face off against Libertarian candidate and current New Mexico Land Commissioner Aubrey Dunn, and Republican Mick Rich who is an Albuquerque businessman in the November election. Dunn and Rich are also running unopposed in their respective June party primaries.

State Rep. Yvette Herrell, R, has thrown her hat in the U.S. House of Representatives District 2 race against Republicans Monty Newman, Calvin Clarkston and Clayburn Griffin in the June Republican primary.

According to a report from the Albuquerque Journal, Herrell won 58 percent of the delegates in the 2nd Congressional District which means that her name will appear first on the primary election ballots June 5.

Herrell is campaigning to succeed Congressman Steve Pearce. Pearce is running for governor rather than seek re-election to the House, according to the Albuquerque Journal.

On the Democratic Party side in the 2nd Congressional District primary race, Xochitl Torres Small and L. Madeline Hilderbrandt will go head to head June 5 and see who will go up against the Republican primary winner in November.   

In the Attorney General primary race, Libertarian and Albuquerque attorney candidate A. Blair Dunn, incumbent Democrat Attorney General Hector Balderas and Republican candidate Michael Eugene Hendricks are all running unopposed in their respective party primary elections. All three candidates will face each other in the November election.

2018 Statewide Primary Election Candidates

United States Senator

Martin Heinrich (D)

Aubrey Dunn (LIB)

Mick Rich (R)

U.S. Representative District 2

Xochitl Torres Small (D)

L. Madeline Hilderbrandt (D)

Yvette Herrell (R)

Monty Newman (R)

Gavin Clarkson (R)

Clayburn Griffin (R)

Governor

Michelle Lujan Grisham (D)

Jeff Apodaca (D)

Joseph Cervantes (D) (Pending)

Bob Walsh (Write-In) (LIB) (Pending)

Steve Pearce (R)

Lt. Governor

Howie C. Morales (D)

Rick S. Miera (D)

Billy G. Garrett (D) (Pending)

Javier M. Gonzales (D)

Robin L. Dunn (Write-In) (Pending)

Michelle Garcia Holmes (R)

Secretary of State

Maggie Toulouse Oliver (D)

Sandra D. Jeff (LIB)

Johanna Cox (R)

Attorney General

Hector Balderas (D)

A. Blair Dunn (LIB)

Michael Eugene Hendricks (R)

Local races

State Representative District 51

Jeff Swanson (D)

Rachel A. Black (R)

State Representative District 53

Willie A. Madrid (D)

Javier L. Gonzalez (D)

Rick L. Little (R)

State Representative District 54

James G. Townsend (R) (Unopposed)

State Representative District 56

Zach J. Cook (R) (Unopposed)

Public Regulation Commissioner District 5

Stephen H. Fischmann (D)

Sandy R. Jones (D)

Ben L. Hall (R)

Joseph Aaron Bizzell (R)

Chris P. Mathys (R)

District Court Judge Twelfth Judicial District, Division 1

Steven Edward Blankinship (R)

Magistrate Judge Division 1

Steve M. Guthrie (R)

Ronnie Rardin (R)

Magistrate Judge Division 2

Jen A. Garza (R)

Michael R. Suggs (R)

Wallace B. Anderson (R)

County Commission District 1

Gerald Ray Matherly (R)

Janet White (R)

Carrie I. Ludington (D)

County Commission District 2

Christopher W. Rupp (R)

Couy Dale Griffin (R)

Gregory J. Bose (R)

Christopher S. Jones (D)

County Assessor

Steven E. Boyle (R) (Unopposed)

Otero County Sheriff

Steven J. Odom (R)

David Black (R)

Rod A. Saint (R)

Bill Garza (R)

Probate Judge

LaTanya M. Boyce (R) (Unopposed)

Election info

For more information on the 2018 primary election visit the county’s website at www.co.otero.nm.us or contact the Otero County Clerk’s Office at 437-4942.

Early, absentee and mobile voting information may also be found on the County Clerk’s website.

For all the candidate listings, local and statewide, visit the SOS’s website at www.sos.state.nm.us