Otero County and New Mexico 2026 Election Results

New Mexico Democrats swept every statewide and congressional race Tuesday, led by Deb Haaland's election as governor, while Otero County stayed Republican down the ballot. Republicans won both contested county commission seats, and Rep. John Block held House District 51 in the closest race of his career.

Otero voters also rejected a proposed county gross receipts tax for economic development by nearly 2 to 1. Statewide turnout was 49.7%, with 726,684 ballots cast. All results are unofficial until the state certifies the canvass.

Statewide and federal results

Democrats won every statewide and congressional race on the ballot. Haaland, a member of Laguna Pueblo, becomes the first Native American woman elected governor of any state.

Haaland and running mate Stephanie Garcia Richard defeated Republicans Gregg Hull and David Gallegos with 57.2% of the vote. Sen. Ben Ray Luján won a second term with 63.2% over Republican write-in candidate Larry Marker. In the 2nd Congressional District, which includes Otero County, Rep. Gabe Vasquez beat Republican Greg Cunningham with 58.7%.

Down the ballot, Attorney General Raúl Torrez defeated Republican Samuel Kane, and Doña Ana County Clerk Amanda López Askin beat Republican Ramona Goolsby for secretary of state. State Auditor Joseph Maestas defeated Republican Joshua Lawrence, State Treasurer Laura Montoya beat Republican James Ellison, and Democrat Juan de Jesús Sanchez III defeated Republican Michael Perry for land commissioner.

Shares are from NBC News with about 98% of the vote counted. Elsewhere, Reps. Melanie Stansbury (District 1) and Teresa Leger Fernández (District 3) also won reelection.

Otero County went the other way at the top of the ticket: early returns showed Hull carrying the county by double digits. Final county-level totals for the statewide races were not yet posted.

Otero County legislative races

Block won a third term in House District 51, 5,037 votes to 4,045 (55.5% to 44.5%) over independent Grace Nagamine, with all 31 precincts reporting. His 11-point margin was less than half of his 26-point win in 2022 and 22-point win in 2024. Nagamine congratulated Block, said she supports the will of the voters and pledged to keep fighting for children and working families.

• House District 56: Rep. Harlan Vincent (R) was unopposed.
• House District 53: Ben Luna Jr. (R) of Chaparral was the Republican nominee; final totals pending.
• House District 54: Final totals pending.
• Senate District 33 (special election): Appointed Sen. Rex Wilson (R-Ancho) faced Ruidoso attorney William "Liam" Griffin (D) for the seat Alamogordo Republican Nicholas Paul resigned last year. Final totals pending.

Otero County offices and questions

Republicans won every county office, and the closest contest was the District 1 commission seat, decided by 333 votes. All 66 precincts reported.

In Commission District 1, Republican Christopher Wayne Glidden defeated Democrat Alan David Gonzalez 2,593 votes to 2,260, or 53.4% to 46.6%. In Commission District 2, Republican Jonathan T. Emery beat independent Evan Christopher Lambert 2,947 to 1,628, or 64.4% to 35.6%.

Three county officials won without opposition: Sheriff-elect Geraldine Yazza Martinez (R) with 12,475 votes, Assessor-elect James M. Bowman (R) with 11,736 and Probate Judge-elect Jessica Lynn Suggs (R) with 11,519.

Martinez, a Mescalero Apache tribal member, becomes Otero County's first female sheriff and its first Native American sheriff. Emery reached the general election by ousting Commissioner Amy Barela, the state Republican Party chair, in the June primary. Magistrate judges John Robinson Secrest III (Division 1) and Joseph W. Cutts (Division 2) ran unopposed.

Economic development tax fails: Voters rejected a countywide 0.125% gross receipts tax that would have funded Local Economic Development Act projects, 9,971 votes (63.2%) to 5,818 (36.8%).

Constitutional amendments and bonds

All four constitutional amendments and all three statewide bond questions passed. Amendment 4 ends New Mexico's status as the only state that doesn't pay legislators, setting their salary at the state's median household income starting in 2029.

• Amendment 1: Bills the governor neither signs nor vetoes become law, and every veto needs a written message.
• Amendment 2: School elections may be held alongside partisan elections.
• Amendment 3: University regents will be picked from nominating-committee lists.
• Amendment 4: Legislators get a salary.
• Bond 1: $21.6 million for senior centers, including $260,000 for Otero County senior-center vehicles.
• Bond 2: $19.3 million for libraries.
• Bond 3: $352.2 million for higher education, including $1 million for NMSU-Alamogordo.

Sources

• New Mexico Secretary of State: Otero County results (unofficial, updated Nov. 4, 4:56 a.m.)

More News from Alamogordo

• Unity over Division, Ethics and Positivity on Display at Emery, Nagamine Watch Party Last night showed that Otero County can disagree at the ballot box without turning on each other afterward.
• Block vs. Nagamine: Rep John Blocks Closest Race Yet Block slips a victory in the most competitive race of his lifetime.