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Dianna Duran
Dianna Duran (b. 1956 in Tularosa, New Mexico) is a former New Mexico Secretary of State. Duran became the first Republican to be elected New Mexico Secretary of State since 1928 when she defeated embattled incumbent Mary Herrera (D) in 2010.[1] She was re-elected in 2014.
Duran was charged with fraud, money laundering and embezzlement of campaign contributions in August 2015, and she resigned late on October 22, 2015, before pleading guilty to reduced charges.[2]
Biography
Duran began her political career as a deputy county clerk. From 1988 to 1992, she served as Otero County Clerk. In 1993, she became a member of the New Mexico State Senate, representing the 40th District until 2011 when she became New Mexico Secretary of State.[3][4]
Education
- Tularosa High School (1973)
- Attended, New Mexico State University[4]
Political career
New Mexico Secretary of State (2011 – 2015)
Duran served as New Mexico Secretary of State from 2011 until her resignation on October 22, 2015.[4][2]
On February 9, 2010, she announced her candidacy for the statewide office of secretary of state, challenging Democratic incumbent Mary Herrera for the position.[5] On November 2, 2010, Duran became the first Republican in 80 years to win the New Mexico Secretary of State race, with 57.7 percent of the vote to incumbent Mary Herrera's 42.3 percent.[6]
Charged with fraudulent use of campaign contributions
On August 28, 2015, Attorney General Hector Balderas (D) filed a criminal complaint and information against Duran in state district court consisting of alleged fraud, money laundering, embezzlement and various other violations related to misuse of campaign money. The 64-count complaint was the result of an investigation into Duran's suspected use of campaign contributions to fund gambling activities.[7][8]
Duran pleaded not guilty to all charges at her arraignment on September 15, 2015. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for December 1, 2015, but Duran resigned and then pleaded guilty to two felony charges and four misdemeanors on October 23, 2015. Under the terms of her plea deal, Duran will serve probation, pay $14,000 in restitution, seek treatment for gambling addiction and will be prohibited from going to casinos. Duran's sentencing hearing took place on December 14, 2015. She was ordered to pay another $13,866 in restitution, place ads in six publications across the state apologizing to New Mexicans for her crimes, undergo supervised probation for five years, perform 2,000 hours of community service and serve 30 days' jail time. Because of the jail time, she was given until December 16 to accept or reject the sentencing.[2][9][10][11]
Lawsuit over independent primary voters
Duran declined to defend state election laws restricting primary voting rights for independent voters following a legal challenge filed on June 3, 2014. David Crum brought the lawsuit against Bernalillo County and state election officials to challenge a state law that prevents voters who decline to state party preferences from voting in primaries. The goal of Crum's legal challenge is to allow independent voters to select from Democratic or Republican party candidates during primary elections. Attorney General Gary King filed a motion to intervene on behalf of the state in late July, citing the need to defend the constitutionality of state election laws. According to a report from KRWG TV/FM, 240,741 voters were registered as declined to state (DTS) or independent as of July 28, 2014.[12]
New Mexico State Senate (1993 – 2011)
Duran represented District 40 in the New Mexico State Senate from 1993 to 2011.[4]
Committee assignments
While a member of the New Mexico State Senate, Duran served on the following legislative committees:
- Corporations and Transportation (Member)[13]
- Rules (Member)
Elections
2014
Duran ran for re-election as New Mexico Secretary of State in 2014. Duran was uncontested in the primary election on June 3, 2014. The general election took place on November 4, 2014.[14]
Results
General election
| Secretary of State of New Mexico, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Dianna Duran Incumbent |
51.6% | 262,117 | |
| Democratic | Maggie Toulouse Oliver | 48.4% | 245,508 | |
| Total Votes | 507,625 | |||
| Election results via New Mexico Secretary of State | ||||
Endorsements
Duran received the endorsement of the Association of Commerce and Industry.[15]
2010
- 2010 Race for Secretary of State - Republican Primary[16][17]
- Dianna Duran ran unopposed in this contest
| New Mexico Secretary of State, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Mary Herrera | 42.6% | 253,325 | |
| Republican | Dianna J. Duran |
57.4% | 341,915 | |
| Total Votes | 595,240 | |||
| Election results via New Mexico Secretary of State | ||||
2008
- See also: New Mexico State Senate elections, 2008
- 2008 Race for New Mexico State Senate, District 40 - Republican Primary and General Election[18]
- Dianna Duran ran unopposed in both contests
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Dianna + Duran + New + Mexico + Secretary"
See also
| New Mexico | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
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External links
- DiannaDuran.com 2014 campaign website
- Twitter, "Dianna Duran"
- Campaign contributions 1992, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2010, 2014
- Project Vote Smart Dianna Duran biography
Footnotes
- ↑ Albuquerque Journal, "Duran first Republican in post since 1930," November 3, 2010
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Nancy Tipton, Deborah Baker and Dan Boyd, Albuquerque Journal, "Secretary of State Duran resigns, pleads guilty," October 23, 2015
- ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Secretary Dianna J. Duran's Biography," accessed January 18, 2013
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 New Mexico Secretary of State, " Biography," accessed August 8, 2013
- ↑ The New Mexico Independent, "Sen. Dianna Duran to run for Secretary of State," February 9, 2010
- ↑ New Mexico Watchdog, "GOP wins NM Secretary of State race for the first time in 80 years," November 3, 2010
- ↑ Associated Press, "New Mexico secretary of state charged with theft," August 29, 2015
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedalbq - ↑ KOB4.com, "Secretary of state pleads not guilty to fraud, embezzlement charges," September 15, 2015
- ↑ Steve Terrell, Governing, "New Mexico secretary of state pleads not guilty," September 17, 2015
- ↑ Morgan Lee, Santa Fe New Mexican, "Judge sentences Duran to 30 days jail time, fines," December 14, 2015
- ↑ KRWG, "New Mexico Secretary of State Refuses To Defend Closed Primaries; King Steps In," July 28, 2014
- ↑ New Mexico Legislature, "List of Standing Committees," accessed December 18, 2014
- ↑ New Mexico Secretary of State, "Candidate Portal," accessed February 4, 2014
- ↑ Dianna Duran for Secretary of State, "Home," accessed September 16, 2014
- ↑ New Mexico Secretary of State, "2010 Primary Election Results," accessed December 18, 2014
- ↑ New Mexico Secretary of State, "2010 General Election Results," accessed December 18, 2014
- ↑ New Mexico Secretary of State, "2008 General election results," accessed May 12, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Mary Herrera (D) |
New Mexico Secretary of State 2011–2015 |
Succeeded by Brad Winter (R) |
| Preceded by - |
New Mexico Senate - District 40 1993–2011 |
Succeeded by Bill Burt (R) |
| |||||||||||||||||||
