Unofficial results of the 2026 Primary Election
Staff Reports
The 2026 Primary Election took place June 2. According to the New Mexico Secretary of State’s website, nearly 345,500 ballots were cast statewide.
Locally, it was a bit of a mixed bag on voter turnout, but over 8,000 people cast their vote for the Democratic gubernatorial race and nearly 1,800 people cast their vote in the Republican gubernatorial race.
U.S. SENATOR
According to the unofficial election results, 7,098, or 87% of McKinley County voters, voted for incumbent Sen. Ben Ray Luján to continue his time in Washington D.C. Thirteen percent of people, or 1,086 voted for his opponent Matt Dodson, for a total of 8,184 votes.
Luján will face Independent opponent Larry E. Marker during the November general election. Marker was a write-in, and received seven votes from McKinley County residents. He received 12,963 votes statewide.
U.S. REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 2
Incumbent Rep. Gabriel Vasquez ran unopposed in the Democratic race, earning 713 votes in McKinley County.
He will face Republican nominee Gregory G. Cunningham, who beat out Jose Orozco with 81% of the vote, or 85 individual votes. Orozco won 19% of the vote, or 20 votes.
U.S. REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 3
Incumbent Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández ran unopposed in the Democratic race, earning 6,278 votes in McKinley County.
She will face Republican nominee Martin Zamora in November. Zamora is currently the Representative for District 63, but he is moving to District 3. He ran unopposed in the Republican primary, winning 1,334 votes in McKinley County.
GOVERNOR OF NEW MEXICO
The governor race saw a bit more competition than some of the other state-level races.
On the Democratic side of the aisle, former U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland won against Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman. The unofficial results show Haaland winning 75% or 6,1999 votes in McKinley County, while Bregman only won 25%, or 2,046.
Three Republican candidates battled it out for their chance to defeat Haaland in November.
Doug Turner ultimately saw victory in McKinley County, with 42% of the vote, which came out to 759. Greggory Hull won 30% of the vote, with 540 votes, and Duke Rodriguez achieved third place, with 28% of the vote and 500 individual votes.
However, ultimately, Hull won at the state level, with 47% of the entire state voting for him. He won 56,565 individual votes statewide, while Turner (44,436) and Rodriguez (19,352) ultimately fell short.
Haaland and Hull will face each other in the general election in November.
LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR
Two candidates faced each other in the Democratic race for lieutenant governor.
Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver, who is in her second and final term, threw her hat into the race, winning 74%. Statewide, she won 80% of the vote, or 169,030 votes. Her opponent, Harold Pope Jr., earned 26% of the vote in McKinley County, with 2,033 votes. He won 42,364 votes statewide.
On the Republican side of the aisle, three people tried to win the primary.
David Gallego won both McKinley County and the statewide vote, with 832 votes in the county and 56,496 votes statewide, for a total of 49.7%. Aubrey Dunn came in second, with 35% of the McKinley County vote (603 votes) and 37.8% (42,882 votes) at the state level. Rounding out the election, Manuel “Manny” Lardizabal won 297 McKinley County votes (17%), and only 12.5% of the vote statewide (14,195 votes).
Gallego is currently the N.M. State Representative for Districts 41, which covers Lea and Eddy counties.
Toulouse Oliver and Gallego will face off in the general election in November.
SECRETARY OF STATE
Two Democratic candidates voiced their intent for the Secretary of State seat.
Santa Fe County Clerk Katherine Clark saw a large showing in McKinley County, with 64% of the vote (4,888 votes), but only achieved 47% of the vote (94,853 votes) statewide. Meanwhile, Doña Ana County Clerk Amanda López Askin won by a more than 8,000-vote margin (107,651 votes, or 53%). Askin only won 36% of the vote (2,698 votes) in McKinley County.
Both Democrats are serving their second terms in office, and López Askin will leave her position two years early if she wins the general election.
Ramona Goolsby ran uncontested in the Republican primary. She won 96,435 total votes statewide—1,422 of those votes came from McKinley County.
ATTORNEY GENERAL
Both the Democratic and Republican primaries only saw one candidate for the Attorney General race, so interim Raúl Torrez will face Samuel Kane Sr. in November. Torrez is the Democratic candidate while Kane is running as a Republican.
Torrez won 6,830 votes in McKinley County while Kane won 1,440.
STATE AUDITOR
Democratic nominee Joseph Maestas is seeking another term as state auditor. He ran unopposed in the primary, and won 6,530 votes in McKinley County.
The Republican nominee who is trying to take Maestas’ seat is Joshua Lawerence. He was a write-in, and only eight people voted for him in McKinley County, but 12,174 people voted for him statewide.
STATE TREASURER
There were no primary oppositions in the state treasurer race. Incumbent Democrat Laura Montoya will face James Ellison. Ellison was initially running for governor.
When no Republican candidate filed to run for state treasurer, Ellison decided to run as a write-in candidate for the position. He won 12,390 votes statewide, and eight votes in McKinley County.
Montoya won 6,590 votes in McKinley County, and 180,293 statewide.
COMMISSION OF PUBLIC LANDS
Three Democrats entered the primary race for Commissioner of Public Land.
Juan De Jesus Sanchez III, a former political director for Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., won the Democratic nomination, with 56% (114,500 votes) of the statewide vote, and 55% (4,184 votes) of the McKinley County vote. Matthew McQueen came in second, with 29% (2,175 votes) in the McKinley County race and 33% (66,642 votes) in the statewide race. Jonas Moya rounded out the race, with 11% (22,076 votes) in the statewide race and 1,235 votes (16%) in the McKinley County race.
Sanchez will face Michael Perry, the Republican candidate, who ran uncontested. Almost 1,500 people voted for him in McKinley County, and nearly 97,000 people voted for him statewide.
STATE REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 5
Incumbent Democrat Rep. D.Wonda Johnson ran uncontested. This will be her seventh term as a state representative.
STATE REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 6
Rep. Martha Garcia, the incumbent Representative for New Mexico’s sixth legislative district, sought reelection this election. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham appointed Garcia as the district representative March 7, 2025 after former Rep. Eliseo “Lee” Alcon resigned due to health reasons.
Garcia won her primary bid for reelection with 47% of the vote, for a total of 970 votes.
Current Gallup-McKinley County School Board Vice President Priscilla Benally came in second in the race, with a total of 769 votes, which comes out to 37% of the vote.
David L. Alcon also ran for his later father’s former seat. He was arrested April 14 and charged with his third stalking charge. He won 8% of the vote, for a total of 169 votes.
Finally, Johnny Valdez won 7% of the vote, for a total of 154 votes.
Garcia will face Republican nominee Paul Spencer, who ran unopposed in the primary. He received 350 votes.
District 6 encompasses San Juan County and McKinley County
STATE REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 9
Rep. Patty Lundstrom, D-N.M., will serve her 13th consecutive term as the District 9 representative. She ran unopposed.
District 9 serves McKinley County.
STATE REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 69
Incumbent Rep. Michelle Abeyta, D-N.M., will serve her second term as a representative for the district after she took on former Representative Harry Garcia.
Garcia sought out a rematch after Abeyta unseated him in the 2024 primary.
Abeyta won the most recent primary with 272 votes (56%), while Garica only saw 44% (217 votes) in McKinley County. Abeyta won over 1,300 votes statewide.
District 69 encompasses six counties; Bernalillo, McKinley, Valencia, San Juan, Socorro, and Cibola; the pueblos of Acoma and Laguna; and portions of the Navajo Nation.
JUDGE OF COURT OF APPEALS
Judge Kris Houghton, a Democrat, was appointed to the New Mexico Court of Appeals in August by Lujan Grisham, after being recommended by the Bi-Partisan Judicial Nominating Commission. He replaced Judge Kris Bogardus who retired.
Houghton won his bid for reelection going unopposed. He won 6,244 votes in McKinley County.
DISTRICT COURT JUDGE FOR THE ELEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT: DIVISION 2
Lujan Grisham appointed Brad Keeler as an Eleventh Judicial Court Judge May 21, 2024, after Honorable Judge Louis E. DePauli Jr. retired.
Keeler was uncontested when he ran for reelection in this year’s primary election. Nearly 6,500 people voted for him.
DISTRICT COURT JUDGE FOR THE ELEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT: DIVISION 6
Judge Brenna Clani-Washinawatok, a Democrat, became the first Native American judge to serve the Eleventh Judicial Court when she was sworn into office April 18, 2024.
She sought reelection during the 2026 primary election, and ran uncontested. She won over 6,000 votes in McKinley County.
On the Republican side, Brian Decker is also trying to fill the seat. He ran uncontested in the primary, and won 1,439 votes.
Decker and Clani-Washinawatok will face off in the November general election.
DISTRICT COURT JUDGE FOR THE ELEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT: DIVISION 8
Two Republican candidates were vying for the District Court Judge position for the Eleventh Judicial District Division 8 seat. Stephen Wayne won 1,000 votes, for 60% of the vote, and Ned Fuller won 654 votes, for 40% of the vote.
MAGISTRATE JUDGE – MCKINLEY COUNTY DIVISION 1
The first division sea of the McKinley County Magistrate Court became vacant after former Division 1 Magistrate Judge Brent Detsoi was removed from the bench by the New Mexico Supreme Court Feb. 25. As a result, the seat became part of the 2026 election.
Four Democrats ran for the position in the primary election, with it ending up being a tight race. with Rochelle Garnenez coming out on top with 30% of the vote (2,296 votes). Patricia Dare came in at a close second, with 29% of the vote (2,214 votes). Shanella Franklin won 27% of the vote (2,100 votes), and Faye Armstrong won 14% (1,097 votes).
MAGISTRATE JUDGE – MCKINLEY COUNTY DIVISION 2
Judge Virgina Yazzie, a Democrat, sought reelection unopposed. She received 6,704 votes.
MAGISTRATE JUDGE – MCKINLEY COUNTY DIVISION 3
Democratic nominee Raymond Calderon ran unopposed in the primary election. He received 6,197 votes.
Republican nominee Steve Hester also ran unopposed in the primary election. He received 1,421 votes.
The two men will face off in the November general election.
MCKINLEY COUNTY COMMISSIONER – DISTRICT 1
Four people ran for the County Commissioner District 1 seat.
Incumbent Danielle Notah fell to Ernest Becenti III, with Notah only receiving 23% (834 votes) and Becenti receiving 33%(1,164 votes).
Becenti previously backed out of the 2022 election for the same seat mere days before the primary election, and although he won the primary, Notah ultimately took the seat.
Also of note, Becenti was terminated from his previous position as the McKinley County Deputy Assessor in March. McKinley County Deputy Manager Brian Money alerted the public to the situation during the May 26 commissioner meeting.
As for the remaining two candidates, current GMCS School Board President Kevin Mitchell received 32% of the vote (1,153 votes) and Vincent Muskett won 11% (399 votes).
MCKINLEY COUNTY COMMISSIONER – DISTRICT 2
Incumbent District 2 Commissioner Walt Eddy lost his bid for reelection, having only 20% of the vote (489 votes).
Former County Commissioner Genevie Jackson won the race, for a total of 809 votes (34%). Kathleen Arviso came in second, with 740 votes (31%), and Gloria Skeet rounded up the race, with 356 votes (34%).
MCKINLEY COUNTY SHERIFF
Incumbent McKinley County Sheriff James Mariano III, a Democrat, is seeking out his second term as sheriff. He ran uncontested in the primary, receiving 6,627 votes.
He will face a Republican opponent in the general election, though. Jeremy Shirley ran uncontested in the primary, receiving 1,465 votes.
MCKINLEY COUNTY ASSESSOR
Incumbent McKinley County Assessor Edward Becenti Jr. won his bid for reelection, with 3,654 votes, for a total of 45%.
He faced two fellow Democrats in the primary. Current GMCS Board Secretary Georgiana Desideiro received 2,205 votes, for 27% of the vote. Nathan Notah also received 27% of the vote, for a total of 2,196 votes.
MCKINLEY COUNTY PROBATE JUDGE
Incumbent Monica Martinez, a Democrat, won the race for probate judge, with 5,408 votes (71%), while her opponent Leslie Chavez received 2,187 votes (29%).
The general election, in which the general public will vote between Democrat and Republican candidates, will take place Nov. 3.
