New Mexico State Senate elections, 2020

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2020 New Mexico Senate Elections
General	November 3, 2020
Primary	June 2, 2020

Past Election Results

2016・2012・2008

2020 Elections
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New Mexico Democrats expanded their majority in the 2020 Senate elections but fell short of winning a supermajority. Heading into the election, Democrats held a 26-16 majority. All 42 seats were up for election in 2020. Democrats gained a net one seat from Republicans, expanding their majority to 27-15. A 28-seat majority is required to override gubernatorial vetoes.

The New Mexico State Senate was one of 86 state legislative chambers with elections in 2020. All 42 seats in the New Mexico State Senate were up for election in 2020. There are 99 chambers throughout the country. In 2018, 87 out of 99 legislative chambers held elections.

New Mexico's 2020 state legislative elections affected partisan control of redistricting following the 2020 census. In New Mexico, the state legislature is responsible for drafting both congressional and state legislative district plans. District plans are subject to gubernatorial veto.

This election was a battleground race. Other 2020 battlegrounds included:

Florida's 18th Congressional District election, 2020 (August 18 Democratic primary) Ohio's 3rd Congressional District election, 2020 (April 28 Democratic primary) Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District special election (February 18, 2020 Republican primary)

Election procedure changes in 2020

See also: Changes to election dates, procedures, and administration in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

Ballotpedia provided comprehensive coverage of how election dates and procedures changed in 2020. While the majority of changes occurred as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some changes occurred for other reasons.

New Mexico modified its absentee/mail-in voting procedures for the November 3, 2020, general election as follows:

• Absentee/mail-in voting: Absentee ballot applications were sent to all registered voters in the general election.

For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, click here.

Party control

See also: Partisan composition of state senates and State government trifectas

New Mexico State Senate
Party		As of November 3, 2020	After November 4, 2020
	Democratic Party	26	27
	Republican Party	16	15
Total		42	42

General election

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Primary election

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Incumbents who were not re-elected

See also: Annual State Legislative Competitiveness Report: Vol. 10, 2020

Incumbents defeated in the general election

Two incumbents lost in the Nov. 3 general election. Those incumbents were:

Name	Party	Office
Candace Ruth Gould	Republican	Senate District 10
Sander Rue	Republican	Senate District 23

Incumbents defeated in primary elections

Seven of the 13 incumbents facing contested primaries (54%) lost on June 2. Those incumbents were:

Name	Party	Office
Richard Martinez		Senate District 5
James White		Senate District 19
Gabriel Ramos		Senate District 28
Clemente Sanchez		Senate District 30
John Arthur Smith		Senate District 35
Mary Kay Papen		Senate District 38
Gregg Fulfer		Senate District 41

Retiring incumbents

There were two open seats where the incumbent legislator did not file for re-election in 2020. Those incumbents were:

Name	Party	Office
John Sapien	Democratic	Senate District 9
William Payne	Republican	Senate District 20

The two seats left open in 2020 were equal to the number of seats open in 2016. Both years represented decreases from 2012 when nine incumbents did not seek re-election. The table below shows the number of open seats in each election held between 2010 and 2020.

Open Seats in New Mexico State Senate elections: 2012 - 2020
Year	Total seats	Open seats	Seats with incumbents running for re-election
2020	42	2 (5 percent)	40 (95 percent)
2016	42	2 (5 percent)	40 (95 percent)
2012	42	9 (21 percent)	33 (79 percent)

Process to become a candidate

See also: Ballot access requirements for political candidates in New Mexico

See statutes: Article 8 of the New Mexico Code

A candidate in New Mexico may run with an officially recognized political party, as an independent or as a write-in.

For major party candidates

The first page of a nominating petition, 2014.

A major party candidate files for office by submitting a declaration of candidacy and nominating petition to the proper filing official. A candidate must file the nominating petition and declaration of candidacy at the same time. This paperwork must be filed in person by the candidate between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on the designated day for filing. The candidate must be affiliated with the political party with which he or she is running. Affiliation with that political party must be made before the date of the governor's proclamation for the primary election.

A candidate may seek a "pre-primary convention designation" before the primary election. A pre-primary convention designation guarantees a candidate a place on the primary election ballot. Every candidate receiving at least 20 percent of the vote at the party convention will be certified to the New Mexico Secretary of State as a convention-designated nominee for that office by the political party.

According to the New Mexico Statutes, the nominating petition for a pre-primary convention designation candidate must be signed "by a number of voters equal to at least 2 percent of the total vote of the candidate's party in the state or congressional district, or the following number of voters, whichever is greater: for statewide offices, 230 voters; and for congressional candidates, 77 voters."

A candidate who seeks but fails to receive a pre-primary convention designation may collect additional signatures totaling at least "4 percent of the total vote of the candidate's party in the state or congressional district, whichever applies to the office the candidate seeks." The candidate is required to file a new declaration of candidacy and the additional nominating petition for the office for which the candidate failed to receive a pre-primary designation. The post-convention declaration of candidacy and nominating petition must be filed with the New Mexico Secretary of State either 10 days following the date of the pre-primary convention at which the candidate failed to receive the designation, or on the date all declarations of candidacy and additional nominating petitions are due, whichever is later.

For minor party candidates

The selection method for minor party candidates varies according to the rules of the specific party. Broadly speaking, the following requirements apply:

1. The chair and secretary of the state political convention must certify to the New Mexico Secretary of State the names of their party's nominees for federal, statewide, and state legislative offices.
2. The names certified to the New Mexico Secretary of State must be filed on the 21st day following the primary election and must be accompanied by a petition containing the signatures of at least 1 percent of the total number of the votes cast at the last preceding general election for the office of governor.
3. The petition must contain a statement affirming that the voters signing the petition are residents of New Mexico and the district, county, or area to be represented by the office being sought.

For independent candidates

An independent candidate files for office by submitting a declaration of candidacy and nominating petition to the proper filing official. Candidates must file nominating petitions at the time of filing their declarations of candidacy.

The petition for an independent candidate for the United States Senate or any other statewide office must be signed by at least 3 percent of the total number of votes cast for governor in the previous general election. The petition for an independent candidate for the United States House of Representatives must be signed by at least 3 percent of the total number of votes cast for governor in the previous general election in that particular congressional district. The petition for an independent candidate for the state legislature must be signed by at least 3 percent of the total number of votes cast for governor in the respective legislative district.

All requisite paperwork must be filed with the proper filing official before 5:00 p.m. on the 21st day following the primary election.

For write-in candidates in the primary election

A write-in candidate may only seek the nomination of the party with which he or she is affiliated. The candidate must qualify to be a candidate for the political party whose nomination he or she seeks.

The candidate must file with the proper filing official a declaration of intent to be a write-in candidate. The declaration must be filed before 5:00 p.m. on the third Tuesday in March in the year of the election.

No unopposed write-in candidate can have an election certified unless the number of votes received by the candidate at least equals the number of signatures he or she would have had to acquire on a nominating petition.

For write-in candidates in the general election

A write-in candidate in a general election must file a declaration of intent to be a write-in candidate with the proper filing official no later than the 21st day after the primary election.

No person can run as a write-in candidate in the general election if he or she was a candidate in the primary election immediately preceding the general election.

No unopposed write-in candidate can have an election certified unless the candidate receives votes equal to at least 2 percent of the total number of votes cast in the electoral district for governor in the last preceding general election in which a governor was elected.

2020 ballot access requirements

The table below details filing requirements for New Mexico State Senate candidates in the 2020 election cycle.

Filing requirements for state legislative candidates, 2020
Chamber name	Party	Signatures required	Filing fee	Filing deadline	Source
New Mexico State Senate	Qualified party	Varies by party and district	N/A	3/10/2020	Source
New Mexico State Senate	Unaffiliated	Varies by party and district	N/A	6/25/2020	Source

Qualifications

See also: State legislature candidate requirements by state

Article 4, Section 3 of the New Mexico Constitution states: "Senators shall not be less than twenty-five years of age and representatives not less than twenty-one years of age at the time of their election. If any senator or representative permanently removes his residence from or maintains :No Residence in the district from which he was elected, then he shall be deemed to have resigned and his successor shall be selected as provided in Section 4 of this article. No person shall be eligible to serve in the legislature who, at the time of qualifying, holds any office of trust or profit with the state, county or national governments, except notaries public and officers of the militia who receive no salary."

Salaries and per diem

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries

State legislative salaries, 2024
Salary	Per diem
$0/year	$191/day

When sworn in

See also: When state legislators assume office after a general election

New Mexico legislators assume office on the first day of January after a general election.

New Mexico political history

Trifectas

A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government.

New Mexico Party Control: 1992-2024
Seventeen years of Democratic trifectas  •  No Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year	92	93	94	95	96	97	98	99	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24
Governor	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D
Senate	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D
House	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D

Presidential politics in New Mexico

2016 Presidential election results

U.S. presidential election, New Mexico, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes	Electoral votes
	Democratic	Hillary Clinton/Tim Kaine	48.3%	385,234	5
	Republican	Donald Trump/Mike Pence	40%	319,667	0
	Libertarian	Gary Johnson/Bill Weld	9.3%	74,541	0
	Green	Jill Stein/Ajamu Baraka	1.2%	9,879	0
	Socialism and Liberation	Gloria Estela La Riva/Dennis J. Banks	0.1%	1,184	0
	Constitution	Darrell Lane Castle/Scott Bradley	0.2%	1,514	0
	American Delta	Rocky De La Fuente/Michael Steinberg	0.1%	475	0
	Better for America	Evan McMullin/Nathan Johnson	0.7%	5,825	0
Total Votes				798,319	5
Election results via: New Mexico Secretary of State

Voter information

How the primary works

A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. New Mexico utilizes a closed primary process; participation in each party's primary is limited to registered party members.

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

Poll times

In New Mexico, all polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Mountain Time on Election Day. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.

Registration requirements

Check your voter registration status here.

To register to vote in New Mexico, each applicant must be a citizen of the United States, a resident of New Mexico, and at least 18 years old by the time of the next election. People convicted of a felony are eligible to vote after their prison time is completed, even if they are still on probation, parole, or another form of supervised release. Individuals who have been declared mentally incapacitated may not register to vote.

Potential New Mexico voters who were not registered automatically may use the New Mexico voter registration form or national voter registration form to register. Completed registration materials may be mailed or delivered by hand to election officials. First-time applicants by mail must attach a valid form of identification to their registration materials. Registration can also be completed online.

Automatic registration

New Mexico allows automatic voter registration. Eligible voters are automatically registered to vote when they interact with a department of motor vehicles unless they opt out.

Online registration

See also: Online voter registration

New Mexico has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.

Same-day registration

New Mexico allows same-day voter registration.

Residency requirements

In New Mexico, individuals can register to vote as soon as they become residents of the state.

Verification of citizenship

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

New Mexico does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual must attest that they are a U.S. citizen when registering to vote.

All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment. As of November 2024, five states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, and New Hampshire — had passed laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration. However, only two of those states' laws were in effect, in Arizona and New Hampshire. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allowed noncitizens to vote in some local elections as of November 2024. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.

Verifying your registration

The New Mexico Secretary of State’s Office allows residents to check their voter registration status online by visiting this website.

Voter ID requirements

New Mexico does not require voters to present identification while voting, in most cases. However, if an individual registered to vote for the first time by mail and did not provide verification of his or her identity then, the voter will have to show identification.

Those voters can present the following forms of identification:

• Current and valid photo identification
• Current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, student identification card, or other government document, including identification issued by an Indian nation, tribe, or pueblo that shows the voter’s name and current address

Some municipalities require identification when voting in local elections. Click here for more information.

Early voting

New Mexico permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.

Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee/mail-in ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.

As of February 2024, 47 states and the District of Columbia permitted no-excuse early voting.

Absentee voting

All voters are eligible to vote absentee in New Mexico. There are no special eligibility requirements for voting absentee.

The county clerk must receive the absentee ballot application no later than 5 p.m. on Friday before the election. Completed ballots must be returned to the county clerk or voter's precinct before 7 p.m. on Election Day in order to be counted.

See also

• New Mexico State Senate
• New Mexico State Legislature
• State legislative elections, 2020

External links

Suggest a link

• New Mexico State Legislature

Footnotes

[show]

Current members of the New Mexico State Senate

Leadership

Majority Leader:Peter Wirth

Senators

District 1

William Sharer (R)

District 2

Steven Neville (R)

District 3

Shannon Pinto (D)

District 4

George Munoz (D)

District 5

Leo Jaramillo (D)

District 6

Roberto Gonzales (D)

District 7

Pat Woods (R)

District 8

Pete Campos (D)

District 9

Brenda McKenna (D)

District 10

Katy Duhigg (D)

District 11

Linda Lopez (D)

District 12

Jerry Pino (D)

District 13

William O'Neill (D)

District 14

Michael Padilla (D)

District 15

Daniel Ivey-Soto (D)

District 16

Antoinette Lopez (D)

District 17

Mimi Stewart (D)

District 18

Bill Tallman (D)

District 19

Gregg Schmedes (R)

District 20

Martin Hickey (D)

District 21

Mark Moores (R)

District 22

Benny Shendo (D)

District 23

Harold Pope (D)

District 24

Nancy Rodriguez (D)

District 25

Peter Wirth (D)

District 26

Antonio Maestas (D)

District 27

Greg Nibert (R)

District 28

Siah Correa Hemphill (D)

District 29

Gregory Baca (R)

District 30

Joshua Sanchez (R)

District 31

Joseph Cervantes (D)

District 32

Cliff Pirtle (R)

District 33

Bill Burt (R)

District 34

Ron Griggs (R)

District 35

Crystal Diamond Brantley (R)

District 36

Jeff Steinborn (D)

District 37

William Soules (D)

District 38

Carrie Hamblen (D)

District 39

Liz Stefanics (D)

District 40

Craig Brandt (R)

District 41

David Gallegos (R)

District 42

Steve McCutcheon (R)

Democratic Party (27)

Republican Party (15)