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Stories about New Mexico

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) issues one executive order from March 6-12

By Mercedes Yanora
In State
March 20, 2023 at 1:22 AM

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) issued one executive order from March 6-12. As of March 12, Lujan Grisham has issued 37 executive orders in 2023—24 more than she did at this point a year ago.

  • Executive Order 2023-037, where the governor authorized additional emergency funds for the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management due to flooding in Grant County.

Governors use executive orders to manage executive branch operations. During the week of March 6-12, the nation’s governors issued 10 executive orders. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) issued the most with two. Governors in 41 states issued the fewest with zero. Democratic governors issued eight of the 10 orders, while Republican governors issued two.

Lujan Grisham has served as governor since Jan. 1, 2019. She issued 165 executive orders in 2022 and 68 in 2021. Nationally, governors issued at least 1,559 executive orders in 2022. Governors have issued 319 executive orders in 2023. Republican governors issued 198, while Democratic governors issued 121. New Mexico is a Democratic trifecta, meaning Democrats control the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature.

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Election legislation roundup: New Mexico State Legislature

By Mercedes Yanora
In State, Uncategorized
March 15, 2023 at 7:05 PM

As of March 12, members of the New Mexico State Legislature, which includes the New Mexico House of Representatives and the New Mexico State Senate, have passed one bill related to election administration since the beginning of the year. The bill is:   

  • NM HB4: Voting Rights Protections, No sponsors listed. 
    • Deletes a provision that a polling place on Indian lands will not be eliminated or consolidated with other polling stations without written agreement.
    • Adds automatic voter registration as an option for voters, through other state agencies, as designated by the secretary of state, and outlines administrative requirements for automatic voter registration.
    • Prohibits voter data being transferred, [copied], or shared to anyone outside the requesting agency or to the general public.
    • Allows for same day voter registration and outlines related administrative procedures.
    • Prohibits a voter changing party affiliation when registering to vote, or updating an existing voter registration, immediately before voting.

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) has not yet signed the bill.  

From March 6-12, legislators passed four bills related to election administration nationally. As of March 12, South Dakota legislators have passed the most bills this year with 16, while legislators in 40 states have passed none. Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon (R) has signed the most bills with three enacted, while governors in 43 states have signed none.

The New Mexico State Legislature is scheduled to be in session from Jan. 17 to March 18 this year. In 2022, New Mexico legislators passed one election-related bill in the state Senate. The bill was not enacted into law. New Mexico is a Democratic trifecta, meaning Democrats control the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature.

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New Mexico Supreme Court issues one opinion from Feb. 27-March 5

By Mercedes Yanora
In State
March 9, 2023 at 5:28 PM

The New Mexico Supreme Court issued one opinion from Feb. 27-March 5. As of March 5, the court issued four opinions in 2023—the same amount at this point a year ago. The opinion is below: 

From Feb. 27-March 5, state supreme courts issued 135 opinions nationally. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued the most with 39. Supreme courts in 19 states issued the fewest with zero. Courts where judges are elected have issued 83 opinions, while courts whose members are appointed have issued 52. 

The New Mexico Supreme Court is the state’s court of last resort and has five judgeships. The current chief of the court is Shannon Bacon. The court issued 27 opinions in 2022 and 34 in 2021. Nationally, state supreme courts issued 9,243 opinions in 2022 and 10,133 in 2021. The courts have issued 1,361 opinions in 2023. Courts where judges are elected have issued 864 opinions, while courts whose members are appointed have issued 497. New Mexico is a Democratic trifecta, meaning Democrats control the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature.

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Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) issues one executive order from Feb. 13-19

By Mercedes Yanora
In State
February 24, 2023 at 11:41 AM

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) issued one executive order from Feb. 13-19. As of Feb. 19, Grisham has issued 18 executive orders in 2023—eight more than she did at this point a year ago.

Governors use executive orders to manage executive branch operations. During the week of Feb. 13-19, the nation’s governors issued 14 executive orders. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) issued the most with five. Governors in 41 states issued the fewest orders with zero. Democratic governors issued 12 of the 14 orders, while Republican governors issued two.

Lujan Grisham has served as governor since Jan. 1, 2019. She issued 165 executive orders in 2022 and 68 in 2021. Nationally, governors issued at least 1,559 executive orders in 2022. Governors have issued 251 executive orders in 2023. Republican governors issued 172, while Democratic governors issued 79. New Mexico is a Democratic trifecta, meaning Democrats control the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature.

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New Mexico Supreme Court issues one opinion from Feb. 6-12

By Mercedes Yanora
In State
February 16, 2023 at 7:18 PM

The New Mexico Supreme Court issued one opinion from Feb. 6-12. As of Feb. 12, the court issued three opinions in 2023—one fewer than this point a year ago. The one opinion is below:

From Feb. 6-12, state supreme courts issued 195 opinions nationally. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued the most with 55. State supreme courts in 23 states issued none. Courts where judges are elected have issued 140 opinions, while courts whose members are appointed have issued 55.

The New Mexico Supreme Court is the state’s court of last resort and has five judgeships. The current chief of the court is Shannon Bacon. The court issued 27 opinions in 2022 and 34 in 2021. Nationally, state supreme courts issued 9,243 opinions in 2022 and 10,133 in 2021. The courts have issued 833 opinions in 2023. Courts where judges are elected have issued 518 opinions, while courts whose members are appointed have issued 315. New Mexico is a Democratic trifecta, meaning Democrats control the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature.

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New Mexico Supreme Court issues one opinion from Jan. 30-Feb. 5

By Mercedes Yanora
In State
February 9, 2023 at 10:59 AM

The New Mexico Supreme Court issued one opinion from Jan. 30-Feb. 5. As of Feb. 5, the court issued two opinions in 2023—the same amount as this point a year ago. The one opinion is below:

From Jan. 30-Feb. 5, state supreme courts issued 113 opinions nationally. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued the most with 31. State supreme courts in 20 states issued none. Courts where judges are elected have issued 66 opinions, while courts whose members are appointed have issued 47.

The New Mexico Supreme Court is the state’s court of last resort and has five judgeships. The current chief of the court is Shannon Bacon. The court issued 27 opinions in 2022 and 34 in 2021. Nationally, state supreme courts issued 9,243 opinions in 2022 and 10,133 in 2021. The courts have issued 638 opinions in 2023. Courts where judges are elected have issued 378 opinions, while courts whose members are appointed have issued 260. New Mexico is a Democratic trifecta, meaning Democrats control the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature.

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Incumbent Maggie Toulouse Oliver (D) defeated Audrey Mendonca-Trujillo (R) and Mayna Myers (L) in the general election for New Mexico Secretary of State on November 8, 2022

By Roneka Matheny
In 2022 elections
November 21, 2022 at 12:50 PM

Incumbent Maggie Toulouse Oliver (D) defeated Audrey Mendonca-Trujillo (R) and Mayna Myers (L) in the general election for New Mexico Secretary of State on November 8, 2022.

Toulouse Oliver was first elected to this position in 2016. According to The Albequerque Journal, her campaign focused on “voter accessibility, campaign finance transparency, and fighting election disinformation.”

Mendonca-Trujillo, whose campaign was endorsed by former President Donald Trump (R), focused on what she called election integrity and said, “The core of a strong nation is free and fair elections, which we don’t have anymore — Republican or Democrat.”

This was one of 27 elections for secretary of state taking place in 2022. Click here for an overview of these races. All but three states have a secretary of state. Although the specific duties and powers of the office vary from state to state, secretaries of state are often responsible for the maintenance of voter rolls and for administering elections. Other common responsibilities include registering businesses, maintaining state records, and certifying official documents. At the time of the 2022 elections, there were 27 Republican secretaries of state and 20 Democratic secretaries of state.

A state government triplex refers to a situation where the governor, attorney general, and secretary of state are all members of the same political party. Heading into the 2022 elections, there were 23 Republican triplexes, 18 Democratic triplexes, and nine divided governments where neither party held triplex control.

New Mexico is a Democratic triplex.



Incumbent Yvette Herrell (R), Gabriel Vasquez (D), and write-in Eliseo Luna (D) running for New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District

By Ellen Morrissey
In 2022 elections
September 28, 2022 at 9:30 AM

Incumbent Yvette Herrell (R), Gabriel Vasquez (D), and write-in Eliseo Luna (D) are running in the November 8, 2022, general election for New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District.

The Las Cruces Sun News’ Michael McDevitt wrote, “While CD2 has traditionally been a red seat, it’s been marked as a likelier Democratic district by the Cook Political Report following redistricting last year. Under New Mexico’s redrawn district map, which follows the 2020 U.S. Census, the district dominates the southwestern corner of the state.”

Herrell was first elected to Congress in 2020, defeating then-incumbent Xochitl Torres Small (D) 54% to 46%. Before being elected to Congress, Herrell served in the New Mexico House of Representatives from 2011 to 2018. In a campaign ad, Herrell said, “Costs and crime are rising, so I’m fighting to stop Biden’s out-of-control inflation, secure our border, and make our neighborhoods safer.”

Vasquez currently works as director of strategy and partnerships at HECHO (Hispanics Enjoying Camping, Hunting, and the Outdoors), a program sponsored by the National Wildlife Federation. He previously served as a Las Cruces city councilor from 2017 to 2021. In a campaign ad, Vasquez said “To protect a woman’s right to choose, lower costs for families, and give New Mexico what it deserves, I’ll stand up to any party leader.”

Both the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) and the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) have selected their candidates in this race to be part of their respective Red to Blue and Patriot funding and support programs.

The outcome of this race will affect the partisan balance of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 118th Congress. All 435 districts in the House are up for election. As of September 20, 2022, Democrats hold a 221-212 advantage in the U.S. House with two vacancies. Republicans need to gain a net of six districts to win a majority in the chamber.

Daily Kos calculated what the results of the 2020 presidential election in this district would have been following redistricting. Joe Biden (D) would have received 51.9% of the vote in this district and Donald Trump (R) would have received 46.1%.



New Mexico sees the fewest candidates running for the U.S. House since 2016

By Juan Garcia de Paredes
In Federal
May 23, 2022 at 11:41 PM

The filing deadline for candidates running for Congress in New Mexico this year was March 24, 2022. Eight candidates are running for New Mexico’s three U.S. House districts, including four Democrats and four Republicans. That’s 2.67 candidates per district, less than the 6.3 candidates per district in 2020 and the five in 2018.

Here are some other highlights from this year’s filings:

  • This is the first election to take place under new district lines following the 2020 census. New Mexico was apportioned three districts, the same number it was apportioned after the 2010 census.
  • The eight candidates running this year are the fewest candidates running for New Mexico’s U.S. House seats since 2016, when seven candidates filed.

  • All three incumbents are running for re-election, meaning there are no open seats. 
  • There are two contested primaries this year, the fewest since 2016, when there was one contested primary.
  • Candidates filed to run in the Republican and Democratic primaries in all three districts, so no seats are guaranteed to either party this year. 
  • No incumbents are facing primary challengers this year. The last year an incumbent was in a contested primary was 2014, when then-incumbent Rep. Ben Ray Lujan (D) and Robert Blanch ran in the 3rd Congressional District. 

New Mexico and six other states — California, Iowa, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, and South Dakota — are holding primary elections on June 7. In New Mexico, the winner of a primary election is the candidate who receives the greatest number of votes, even if he or she does not win more than 50 percent of votes cast.

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Percentage of New Mexico state legislative incumbents facing primaries at its highest since 2014

By Douglas Kronaizl
In State
May 23, 2022 at 11:33 PM

Twelve of the 57 New Mexico state legislators running for re-election—eight Democrats and four Republicans—face contested primaries. That equals 21% of incumbents seeking re-election, the highest rate since 2014. The remaining 45% of incumbents are not facing primary challengers.

While there are fewer incumbents in contested primaries this year than in 2020 (12, down from 20), a higher percentage of incumbents running for re-election face contested primaries than in 2020.

The state House of Representatives holds elections in its 70 districts every two years. The state Senate, on the other hand, holds elections every four years to coincide with presidential elections. Only the House districts are up for election this year.

Despite the fact that only one chamber is holding elections this year, the number of open districts is at its highest since 2014. An open seat is one where no incumbents filed to run. This means 18.6% of the districts holding elections this year will be represented by newcomers.

Open districts most commonly exist when an incumbent chooses not to seek re-election. During redistricting, open districts might also exist if an incumbent is drawn into a new district, leaving their old district open.

In New Mexico, all 13 open districts were caused by incumbents choosing not to seek re-election. Every incumbent who filed for re-election did so in the district he or she represented before redistricting.

The filing deadline for candidates running for state legislative office in New Mexico this year was March 24. Candidates filed to run for all of the state’s 70 House districts.

Overall, 129 major party candidates filed to run: 69 Democrats and 60 Republicans. That’s 1.8 candidates per district, down from 2.1 in 2020 but up from 1.7 in 2018.

New Mexico has been a Democratic trifecta since voters elected Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) in 2018. Democrats currently hold a 26-15-1 majority in the Senate and a 44-24-1 majority in the House.

New Mexico’s state legislative primaries are scheduled for June 7, the sixth statewide state legislative primary date of the 2022 election cycle.

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