Historic Night as Sharon McDonald Becomes Presumptive Mayor Elect in Alamogordo Mayor’s Race

Alamogordo, NM – November 4, 2025 – In a historic victory now confirmed with all precincts reporting, Democrat Sharon McDonald is the presumptive Mayor Elect in the race for mayor of Alamogordo, marking a significant shift in the city’s leadership

McDonald, renowned for her soft spoken approach and nonpartisan governance style, secured 40% of the vote, defeating her closest challenger by 4 percentage points according to the New Mexico Secretary of State’s office, which shows 100% of the count completed. A total of 4321 votes were cast in the mayoral race, reflecting strong voter turnout in this local election. The 2021 Mayors race had a total of 2931 votes cast. The 2025 race just concludes had a 32% increase in voter participation showing a strong ground game for this election cycle.

This win makes Mayor-Elect McDonald the first person of color to be elected as mayor of Alamogordo. She will serve as the 36th mayor of Alamogordo and only the 3rd female among the 36 mayors to hold the position. McDonald hosted a Win, Loose or Draw Party in honor of her volunteers at Infinity Sweets Bakery at 908 New York in the heart of the Alamogordo MainStreet District. The event featured live music by J Cameron Stewart, complimentary appetizers from Infinity Sweets Catering, Rizos Mexican Restaurant and Moni Cakes Bakery.

The first release of the ballot count showed a tight race with Jason Baldwin with a 9 vote lead. The second release of the vote count showed Mrs McDonald with a strong lead and the atmosphere of the over 120 guests and supporters of McDonalds showed a climb in enthusiasm. The 3rd release of the vote count confirmed a solid 4% lead. Mayor Susan Payne joined the celebration and congratulated Sharon McDonald as the presumptive Mayor Elect. 

 Outgoing Mayor Susan Payne, as well as multiple other regional elected officials, contacted Mrs McDonald solidifying her status as the presumptive Mayor-Elect pending official certification of the results.

Mayor Susan Payne Congratulates Sharon McDonald as Presumptive Mayor Elect- Dr Stephanie Martinez Joins - AlamogordoTownNews.org

Payne, who chose not to seek re-election, commended McDonald’s dedication to fostering community unity in a post-election statement. McDonald’s campaign focused on cross-party collaboration, which evidently appealed to voters in this predominantly conservative deep red region.

The final tallies show Jason R. Baldwin with 36%, La’Tanya Boyce at 15%, Ted Morgan at 5%, and Richard R. Cota at 4%. The diverse field of candidates brought forward varied platforms on key issues like economic growth, public safety, and infrastructure.

In other Alamogordo city races, the City Commission results are also finalized. In District 2, incumbent Stephen Burnett won with 58% over challenger newcomer Evan Ross at 42%. Districts 1 and 4 were unopposed, with Robert Pattillo elected in District 1 and Josh Rardin re-elected in District 4.

Throughout Otero County, the 2025 Regular Local Election featured additional contests. In Cloudcroft, the school district general obligation bond question passed with approval from voters to fund educational facilities. Other municipal races, including those in Tularosa and Cloudcroft, saw various outcomes, with full details available below. 

These results remain unofficial until certified, expected in the coming days. Residents can view the complete data on the New Mexico Secretary of State’s election results portal. https://electionresults.sos.nm.gov/resultsSW.aspx?type=CTYALL&map=CTY&cty=15&name=Otero

Citations:

[0] Otero County Results - New Mexico Secretary of State - https://electionresults.sos.nm.gov/resultsSW.aspx?type=CTYALL&map=CTY&c…

[2] County Results Last Updated - New Mexico Secretary of State - https://electionresults.sos.nm.gov/resultsCountyLastUpdated.aspx

[4] Sharon McDonald - BLUE CD2 NEW MEXICO - https://www.bluecd2nm.com/sharon-mcdonald.html

[12] Staff Directory • City Commission - Alamogordo, NM - https://ci.alamogordo.nm.us/Directory.aspx?did=60

[37] guest column - New Mexico Political Journal - https://www.newmexicopoliticaljournal.com/default.aspx?f8c38a75aa484b4d…

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