After primary win, Sam Bregman all but clinches 4 more years as DA

As more than 73,000 voters — about 22% of those eligible — headed to the polls in Bernalillo County on Tuesday, eyes were on the expensive and high-profile race for district attorney. The winner of the Democratic primary essentially clinched the race and will likely run unopposed in the general election in November. 

Right off the bat, incumbent Sam Bregman had an early lead over Damon Martinez — a former U.S. attorney for the District of New Mexico who was appointed by Barack Obama. 

By 9 p.m. Bregman had declared victory, thanking his campaign staff and family at a watch party at Hotel Andaluz. The longtime defense attorney and civil litigator was ahead by 12 percentage points as of 10 p.m.

Bregman told City Desk ABQ that he believes “we are actually starting to make a difference on the overall violent crime problem” but more needs to be done when it comes to targeting people who are selling guns to juveniles. The other big issue, he said, is fentanyl.

“When it comes to fentanyl, it needs to be a two-prong approach,” Bregman said. “One, specifically, continuing to prosecute the people that traffic this poison out on the streets. The other is also to make sure we’re providing enough resources and treatment for those people who are simply addicts that would never be in the criminal justice system if it were not for their addiction.”

Bregman initially said he was only interested in finishing out the term when Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham appointed him to fill the spot his predecessor Raúl Torrez left empty when he took the office of state attorney general in January 2023. 

He told City Desk ABQ that when he was appointed, he did not imagine he’d be winning a primary a year and five months later. 

“Once I started doing this job, I realized that there are 300 amazing people over at the District Attorney’s office that really bust their tail every single day in trying to make a difference,” he said. “They are true public servants and I wasn’t going to start this and not finish the job.”

In a statement, Martinez said he had spoken with Bregman to concede the election and congratulate him. 

“I wish him success in his efforts, because our community needs him to be successful,” Martinez wrote. “I cannot overstate how grateful I am to the people who have supported me in this endeavor.”

According to the Secretary of State’s Office, minor party and independent candidates can still enter the race for the general election if they file the required paperwork by June 27.