A general election was held in the U.S. state of New Mexico on November 8, 2016. In the presidential election, voters in the state chose five electors to represent them in the Electoral College via popular vote. All three New Mexico seats to the United States House of Representatives were up for election. A special election was held for Secretary of State, along with all seats in both houses of the New Mexico Legislature. Primary elections were held on June 7.
See main article: 2016 United States presidential election in New Mexico.
See main article: 2016 United States House of Representatives elections in New Mexico.
All three incumbents were reelected: Democrat Michelle Lujan Grisham of the 1st district, Republican Steve Pearce of the 2nd district, and Democrat Ben Ray Luján of the 3rd district.
| Election Name: | 2016 New Mexico Secretary of State special election |
| Country: | New Mexico |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 2014 New Mexico elections#Secretary of State |
| Previous Year: | 2014 |
| Next Election: | 2018 New Mexico elections#Secretary of State |
| Next Year: | 2018 |
| Image1: | File:Maggie Toulouse Oliver.jpg |
| Nominee1: | Maggie Toulouse Oliver |
| Party1: | Democratic Party of New Mexico |
| Popular Vote1: | 433,227 |
| Percentage1: | 56.4% |
| Nominee2: | Nora Espinoza |
| Party2: | Republican Party of New Mexico |
| Popular Vote2: | 334,733 |
| Percentage2: | 43.6% |
| Map Size: | 175px |
| Secretary of State | |
| Before Election: | Brad Winter |
| Before Party: | Republican Party of New Mexico |
| After Election: | Maggie Toulouse Oliver |
| After Party: | Democratic Party of New Mexico |
On October 22, 2015, incumbent Secretary of State Dianna Duran resigned amid a corruption and campaign law investigation.[1] Democrat Maggie Toulouse Oliver, who ran against Duran in 2014, defeated Republican Nora Espinoza to fill the remainder of her term.[2]
Republican Brad Winter, who was appointed by Governor Susana Martinez following Duran's resignation, chose not to run for a full term.[3] Because of this, state representative Nora Espinoza ran unopposed in the primary election.
Bernalillo County clerk Maggie Toulouse Oliver was the only Democrat to declare her candidacy, and ran unopposed in the primary election.
All seats of the New Mexico Legislature were up for election in 2016. The New Mexico Senate has 42 members elected to four-year terms, while the New Mexico House of Representatives has 70 members elected to two-year terms.
| Party | Before | Won | +/- | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | 24 | 26 | 2 | |
| Republican | 18 | 16 | 2 | |
| Total | 42 | 42 | ||
| Party | Before | Won | +/- | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | 33 | 38 | 5 | |
| Republican | 37 | 32 | 5 | |
| Total | 70 | 70 | ||
Democrats strengthened their control of the Senate and regained control of the House, securing both legislative chambers.[4] [5]
The New Mexico Denial of Bail Measure is a constitutional amendment that allows courts to deny bail to a defendant charged with a felony, but only if the defendant is deemed a threat to the public. It was designed to retain the right to pretrial release for non-dangerous defendants.[6]
| Election Name: | 2016 New Mexico Supreme Court election |
| Country: | New Mexico |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 2012 New Mexico elections# Supreme Court |
| Previous Year: | 2012 |
| Next Election: | 2020 New Mexico elections# Supreme Court |
| Next Year: | 2020 |
| Nominee1: | Judith Nakamura |
| Party1: | Republican Party of New Mexico |
| Popular Vote1: | 396,303 |
| Percentage1: | 52.0% |
| Nominee2: | Michael Vigil |
| Party2: | Democratic Party of New Mexico |
| Popular Vote2: | 365,790 |
| Percentage2: | 48.0% |
| Map Size: | 175px |
| Supreme Court Justice | |
| Before Election: | Judith Nakamura |
| Before Party: | Republican Party of New Mexico |
| After Election: | Judith Nakamura |
| After Party: | Republican Party of New Mexico |
Incumbent justice Judith Nakamura was appointed by Governor Susana Martinez on November 12, 2015 after Justice Richard C. Bosson retired.[7] Justice Nakamura ran to complete the remainder of Justice Bosson's term ending in 2020, and was challenged by Democratic candidate Michael Vigil, the chief judge of the New Mexico Court of Appeals.
Incumbent justice Barbara Vigil was up for retention for a full 8-year term.
Incumbent Judge Stephen French was appointed by Governor Susana Martinez on February 18, 2016 after Judge Cynthia Fry retired.[8] Judge French ran for re-election to complete the remainder of Judge Fry's term ending in 2022. He was challenged by Democratic candidate Julie Vargas, a private attorney.
Incumbent Judges Jonathan Sutin, Timothy Garcia, and Monica Zamora were up for retention for a full 8-year term.