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2016 New Mexico elections

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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.

Federal elections

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U.S. President

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2016 United States presidential election in New Mexico[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Hillary Clinton 385,234 48.26 Decrease4.73
Republican Donald Trump 319,667 40.04 Decrease2.80
Libertarian Gary Johnson 74,541 9.34 Increase5.79
Green Jill Stein 9,879 1.24 Increase0.90
Independent Evan McMullin 5,825 0.73
Constitution Darrell Castle 1,514 0.15 Increase0.02
Socialism and Liberation Gloria La Riva 1,184 0.15
American Delta Rocky De La Fuente 475 0.06
Majority 65,567 8.21 Decrease1.94
Total votes 798,319 100.00

U.S. House of Representatives

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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.

State elections

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Secretary of State (special election)

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2016 New Mexico Secretary of State special election

← 2014 November 8, 2016 (2016-11-08) 2018 →
 
Nominee Maggie Toulouse Oliver Nora Espinoza
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 433,227 334,733
Percentage 56.4% 43.6%

County results
Toulouse Oliver:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%
Espinoza:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

Secretary of State before election

Brad Winter
Republican

Elected Secretary of State

Maggie Toulouse Oliver
Democratic

On October 22, 2015, incumbent Secretary of State Dianna Duran resigned amid a corruption and campaign law investigation.[2] Democrat Maggie Toulouse Oliver, who ran against Duran in 2014, defeated Republican Nora Espinoza to fill the remainder of her term.[3]

Republican primary

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Republican Brad Winter, who was appointed by Governor Susana Martinez following Duran's resignation, chose not to run for a full term.[4] Because of this, state representative Nora Espinoza ran unopposed in the primary election.

Republican primary results[5]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Nora Espinoza 83,759 100.0%
Total votes 83,759 100.0%

Democratic primary

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Bernalillo County clerk Maggie Toulouse Oliver was the only Democrat to declare her candidacy, and ran unopposed in the primary election.

Democratic primary results[5]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Maggie Toulouse Oliver 172,837 100.0%
Total votes 172,837 100.0%

General election

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2016 New Mexico Secretary of State special election[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Maggie Toulouse Oliver 433,227 56.41% +8.05%
Republican Nora Espinoza 334,733 43.59% −8.05%
Total votes 767,960 100.0%
Democratic gain from Republican

New Mexico Legislature

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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.

Democrats strengthened their control of the Senate and regained control of the House, securing both legislative chambers.[7][8]

Ballot measures

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Constitutional Amendment 1

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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.[9]

New Mexico Denial of Bail Measure
Choice Votes %
Referendum passed Yes 616,887 87.23
No 90,293 12.77
Total votes 707,180 100.00
Source: Ballotpedia

Judicial elections

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Supreme Court

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2016 New Mexico Supreme Court election

← 2012 November 8, 2016 (2016-11-08) 2020 →
 
Nominee Judith Nakamura Michael Vigil
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 396,303 365,790
Percentage 52.0% 48.0%

County results
Nakamura:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%
Vigil:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

Supreme Court Justice before election

Judith Nakamura
Republican

Elected Supreme Court Justice

Judith Nakamura
Republican

Incumbent justice Judith Nakamura was appointed by Governor Susana Martinez on November 12, 2015 after Justice Richard C. Bosson retired.[10] 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.

General election

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Polling
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Poll source Date(s)
administered
Sample
size[a]
Margin
of error
Judith
Nakamura (R)
Michael
Vigil (D)
Undecided
Research & Polling Inc. November 1–3, 2016 504 (LV) ± 4.4% 45% 45% 10%
Results
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2016 New Mexico Supreme Court election[6]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Judith K. Nakamura (incumbent) 396,303 52.00%
Democratic Michael E. Vigil 365,790 48.00%
Total votes 762,093 100.0%
Republican hold

Retention election

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Incumbent justice Barbara Vigil was up for retention for a full 8-year term.

2016 New Mexico Supreme Court, Justice Barbara J. Vigil (D) Retention election[6]
Choice Votes %
Referendum passed Yes 448,125 71.6
No 177,735 28.4
Total votes 625,860 100.00

Court of Appeals

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Incumbent Judge Stephen French was appointed by Governor Susana Martinez on February 18, 2016 after Judge Cynthia Fry retired.[11] 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.

General election

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2016 New Mexico Court of Appeals election[6]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Julie J. Vargas 395,227 52.48%
Republican Stephen French (incumbent) 357,837 47.52%
Total votes 753,064 100.0%
Democratic gain from Republican

Retention election

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Incumbent Judges Jonathan Sutin, Timothy Garcia, and Monica Zamora were up for retention for a full 8-year term.

2016 New Mexico Court of Appeals, Judge Jonathan B. Sutin (R) Retention election[6]
Choice Votes %
Referendum passed Yes 426,481 70.42
No 179,122 29.58
Total votes 605,603 100.00
2016 New Mexico Court of Appeals, Judge Tim L. Garcia (D) Retention election[6]
Choice Votes %
Referendum passed Yes 424,372 70.28
No 179,423 29.72
Total votes 603,795 100.00
2016 New Mexico Court of Appeals, Judge M. Monica Zamora (D) Retention election[6]
Choice Votes %
Referendum passed Yes 432,540 71.1
No 176,230 28.9
Total votes 608,770 100.00

References

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  1. ^ Key:
    A – all adults
    RV – registered voters
    LV – likely voters
    V – unclear
  1. ^ "Federal Elections 2016" (PDF). Federal Election Commission. December 2017.
  2. ^ "New Mexico Secretary Of State Dianna Duran Resigns Amid Fraud Investigation". Associated Press. October 23, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  3. ^ Yingling, Sara (November 9, 2016). "Toulouse Oliver becomes New Mexico's Secretary of State". KRQE. Retrieved November 14, 2016.
  4. ^ "Gov. Martinez appoints Brad Winter as NM Sec. of State". www.KOB.com. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
  5. ^ a b "Official Results 2016 PRIMARY JUNE 7, 2016".
  6. ^ a b c d e f g "Official Results 2016 GENERAL NOVEMBER 8, 2016". New Mexico Secretary of State.
  7. ^ "New Mexico State Senate elections, 2016". Ballotpedia.
  8. ^ "New Mexico House of Representatives elections, 2016". Ballotpedia.
  9. ^ "Senate Join Resolution 1" (PDF). New Mexico Legislature.
  10. ^ Sandlin, Scott (November 13, 2015). "Gov. Martinez picks Nakamura for New Mexico Supreme Court". Albuquerque Journal.
  11. ^ "Governor makes appointment to New Mexico Court of Appeals". CT Insider. February 18, 2016.