Alamogordo NM
11-04-2026 6:28am

Block vs. Nagamine: Rep John Blocks Closest Race Yet

Alamogordo N.M - Republican Rep. John Block won a third term in Otero County's House District 51 on Tuesday, but independent Grace Nagamine held him to the narrowest margin of his career. With all 31 precincts reporting, Block led 5,037 votes to 4,045, or 55.5% to 44.5%, according to unofficial Secretary of State results.

That 992-vote, 11-point margin is less than half the gap Block posted in either of his previous general elections. And Nagamine did it without a party line on the ballot: she filed as a decline-to-state candidate in late June, after Block had run unopposed in the Republican primary.

A first-time challenger, not a rematch

Nagamine was not on the ballot in 2022 or 2024. Block's earlier general-election opponents were Democrats Sharonlee Cummins in 2022 and Ashlie Myers in 2024. The comparison below measures how Nagamine performed against the same incumbent, in the same district, relative to the challengers who came before her.

A lifelong Alamogordo resident, Nagamine founded the charity Royal Angels and is a former Mrs. New Mexico. She ran on the district's aging water system, child-welfare reform and housing for military families, arguing none of them belong to one party.

Nagamine concedes, vows to keep fighting

Nagamine congratulated Block on his victory and said she supports the will of the voters. She thanked her supporters and promised to keep fighting for children and working families. Her message ended with a hint at what comes next: "Stay tuned."

How the margin shrank

Block's winning margin fell from 26 points in 2022 and 22 points in 2024 to 11 points this year. Nagamine's 44.5% share beat the 2024 challenger by 5.6 points and the 2022 challenger by 7.5 points.

In 2022, Block defeated Democrat Sharonlee Cummins 5,856 votes to 3,434, or 63% to 37%, a margin of 26 points and 2,422 votes. In 2024, he beat Democrat Ashlie Myers 7,514 to 4,781, or 61.1% to 38.9%, a margin of 22.2 points and 2,733 votes. This year, he defeated independent Grace Nagamine 5,037 to 4,045, or 55.5% to 44.5%, a margin of 11 points and just 992 votes.

Turnout matters for reading the raw votes. 2024 was a presidential year with about 12,300 ballots cast in the race, so Myers' 4,781 votes exceed Nagamine's total even though her share was far lower. In the more comparable 2022 midterm, Nagamine topped Cummins by about 600 votes while Block's own total dropped by about 800.

2026 figures are unofficial; 2022 and 2024 figures are certified results via Ballotpedia.

What drove the closer race

Nagamine's path depended on combining Democrats with decline-to-state voters and some Republicans. Early-vote data through Oct. 16 showed the district's ballots split 43% Republican, 40% Democratic and 17% decline-to-state, a closer partisan mix than Block's past margins suggest.

  • Turnout tilt: The Republican share of in-person early votes rose in the second week, from 47.5% to 51%, which helped Block hold on late.
  • A sharp closing fight: In October, Block mailed voters a fundraising letter attacking Nagamine's personal record; her campaign owned it and countered with criticism of his legislative effectiveness.
  • Statewide backdrop: Democrats swept New Mexico's statewide and congressional races Tuesday, a favorable environment for any challenger to a Republican incumbent.

Nagamine’s campaign hit a cord of hope with many working class families and families with children whereas Block held enough of his base to squeeze a victory in a race he had to fight for. Alamogordo Town News congratulates the candidates and looks forward to covering Block in the new legislature in 2027. 

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