The 2024 election is in the books.
All 112 seats in the New Mexico Legislature were on this year’s general election ballot and the East Mountains area has several new elected leaders.
All election results are unofficial from the New Mexico secretary of state’s website.
Republican Anthony Thornton bested Bill Scott 57%-43% to replace the retiring Greg Schmedes as District 19 state senator.
Thornton, a “walkaway” former Democrat who was chosen by the majority of New Mexico Republican voters in 2022 to be the state’s first Black Republican nominee for lieutenant governor, will join Harold Pope as the only Black New Mexico senators.
Thornton downplayed the importance of that as he will focus on serving all of his new constituents.
“In 2022, I was the first Black candidate to be the nominee for lieutenant governor in the state of New Mexico, regardless of party. It was historical, but not significant,” Thornton said before the election. “The demographics of District 19 is an eclectic mix of urban affluence and rural poverty. Understanding and addressing their issues, regardless of race, is what I will be focused on as a state senator.”
Other East Mountains election results:
New Mexico Senate
- Incumbent Democrat Liz Stefanics ran unopposed in District 39.
New Mexico House of Representatives
- Incumbent Democrat Meredith Dixon beat Tracy Major 56%-44% in District 20.
- Incumbent Republican Stefani Lord was reelected in District 22, beating Democrat Fred Ponzlov and independent candidate Zach Withers. Lord received 56% of the votes, Ponzlov got 35% while 9% voted for Withers.
- Matthew McQueen, another incumbent Democrat, beat Edgewood Mayor Kenneth Brennan 61%-39% to win the District 50 seat.
- Anita Gonzales, an incumbent Democrat, ran unopposed in District 70.
County offices
- Incumbent Democrat 2nd Judicial District (Bernalillo County) attorney Sam Bregman ran unopposed.
- Incumbent Democrat 1st Judicial District (Santa Fe County) attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies also ran unopposed.
- Clint Wellborn, an incumbent Republican, ran unopposed for 7th Judicial District (Torrance County) attorney.
- Democrat Katharine Clark ran unopposed and will again serve as Santa Fe County clerk.
- Democrat Jennifer Manzanares will serve another term as Santa Fe County treasurer. She ran unopposed.
- Three Santa Fe County commissioners, all Democrats, ran unopposed. In District 2, Lisa Cacari-Stone will represent District 2, the new District 4 Commissioner is Adam Fulton Johnson and incumbent Hank Hughes will again represent District 5.
- Deputy Torrance County Clerk Sylvia Chavez, a Republican, ran unopposed for Torrance County clerk.
- Incumbent Republican Torrance County Treasurer Kathryn Hernandez ran unopposed.
- Current Torrance County Clerk Linda Jaramillo was elected as the District 3 Torrance County commissioner. Jaramillo, who was first elected clerk in 1997, ran unopposed.