New Mexico is a state that leans Democratic, but Republicans had hopes for some competitive races. However, mimicking the rest of the country, Democratic performance in New Mexico was strong, dashing any hopes Republicans had of picking up seats in the Land of Enchanment.

The most notable races were Congressional District 2, which had been held by Republican incumbent Yvette Herrell prior to the new redistricting boundaries, and the race for Governor where the incumbent Democrat vied for re-election against a local TV weatherman.

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham pulled out an easy win and will serve a second term as New Mexico’s governor. The Democratic incumbent was declared winner of the November 8 general election with 52% of the vote. Gov. Lujan Grisham’s opponent, former KRQE meteorologist Republican Mark Ronchetti, trailed by more than 6%, receiving 45.6% of the vote.

The urban areas of Albuquerque and Santa Fe, along with Las Cruces and Grant Country proved strongholds for Gov. Lujan Grisham. Voters in all other areas of the state, although less populated, tipped their hats in Ronchetti’s direction.

Lea County voted red, in line with the more rural areas of the state. Final Lea County results (PDF) give 11,534 votes to Ronchetti and 2,098 to Lujan Grisham.

Ronchetti, whose campaign team predicted that the race would be closer than it actually was, tactfully conceded to the governor on the night of the election. He said, “The reality is we sat in the war room tonight. We started to watch the results come in and what we saw was two New Mexicos. We see a rural New Mexico who feels their voices have been forgotten, and it becomes more and more of a spread. And then you run into an urban New Mexico where there doesn’t seem to be a connection between the two anymore. And so the reality is for our campaign, it will likely come to an end tonight without winning, but I will tell you this: do not give up on this state. Do not give up on the promise of what New Mexico can become.”

Gov. Lujan Grisham gave her victory speech that night as well, starting off with a thinly veiled jab at her opponent’s previous career as she announced, “Tomorrow’s weather forecast is four more years!”

Vasquez Wins in Highly Competitive Congressional District 2

The race between Republican incumbent Yvette Herrell and Democratic challenger Gabe Vasquez remained “too close to call” until Wednesday afternoon when Vasquez declared himself the winner. Final results show Vasquez with 50.33% of the vote and Herrell with 49.67%, with a margin of just about 1,000 votes.

Claiming his victory Vasquez said, “Make no mistake about it, there’s nothing that happens in Washington that New Mexico can’t do better. To everyone out there struggling, no matter whether you voted for me or not, please know this – I see you, I hear you, and I’ll fight my heart out for you, because public service is a sacred responsibility that I will never take for granted.”

Not long after Vasquez’s acceptance remarks, Herrell conceded the campaign.  “While we are disappointed by the final results, I am incredibly proud of our team and the work we did serving our district, and I am grateful for the steadfast support of so many who helped us along the way. I’d also like to congratulate Gabe Vasquez on his victory.”

CD-2 Lea County voters strongly supported Herrell. She received 2,250 votes. Democratic candidate Vásquez received 611 votes. Because of recent redistricting, the county has been split between CD-2 and CD-3. The redistricting made the previously solid Republican district more competitive, but Herrell possibly fell victim to the same issues faced by many Republicans across the country as voters turned out to reject “Trumpist” candidates. The issue of abortion may have also played a significant role in Republicans’ defeats as this was the first general election following the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

Congressional District 3 Race

In the Congressional District 3 race Democrat incumbent Teresa Leger Fernandez has retained her seat. She beat Republican challenger Alexis Martinez Johnson, winning 57.8% of the vote.

In the portion of Lea County that is now in District 3, voters stayed true to their conservative history. Incumbent Fernández received 1,919 votes from county residents, with her Republican challenger bringing in an impressive 9,076 votes. Fernández will be a newcomer for locals who were previously represented by Yvette Herrell.

Other Races and Issues

Democrats won other statewide races as well, with Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver winning her reelection against a Republican challenger who has been labeled an “election denier”. Democrat Raúl Torrez won election as Attorney General, and the state legislature remains comfortably under Democratic control.

There were also three bond issues and three constitutional amendments on the ballot, all of which passed with 60-70% of the vote.

Constitutional Amendment 1 makes New Mexico the first state in the country to make early childhood education a constitutional right. The amendment supplies the funding, coming from New Mexico’s Land Grant Permanent Fund, but it will now fall to the state government to create legislation concerning its specific use. So while voters in New Mexico won themselves free daycare, the specifics of what that will look like in practice are yet to be determined.