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Catherine Begaye
2021 - Present
2027
4
Catherine Begaye (Democratic Party) is a judge for Division VIII of the New Mexico 2nd Judicial District Court. She assumed office on January 22, 2021. Her current term ends on January 1, 2027.
Begaye (Democratic Party) ran in a special election for the Division VIII judge of the New Mexico 2nd Judicial District Court. She won in the special general election on November 8, 2022.
Begaye was appointed to the court in January 2021 by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham.
Biography
Begaye is a member of the Navajo Nation. As of her appointment to the court, she was New Mexico's only Native American District Court Judge. Begaye has been invited to speak at the annual Corinne Wolfe Center for Child and Family Justice Core training, the JDAI Deep End Initiative, Judicial Conclave, and the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges. She has been a board member of Casa Q.[1]
Education
Begaye earned her law degree at the University of New Mexico School of Law.[1]
Career
Prior to serving as a judge, Begaye worked in private practice. She also previously worked as a Public Defender, representing adults and juveniles in Appellate and District Courts. Begaye has served as Chair of the Children's Court Rules Committee and as a member of NM Partners.[1]
Elections
2022
See also: Municipal elections in Bernalillo County, New Mexico (2022)
General election
Special general election for New Mexico 2nd Judicial District Court Division VIII
Incumbent Catherine Begaye won election in the special general election for New Mexico 2nd Judicial District Court Division VIII on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Catherine Begaye (D) | 100.0 | 152,444 |
| Total votes: 152,444 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Special Democratic primary for New Mexico 2nd Judicial District Court Division VIII
Incumbent Catherine Begaye advanced from the special Democratic primary for New Mexico 2nd Judicial District Court Division VIII on June 7, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Catherine Begaye | 100.0 | 39,649 |
| Total votes: 39,649 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2014
Elections for the New Mexico House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on June 3, 2014, and a general election took place on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was February 4, 2014. Incumbent Paul Pacheco ran unopposed in the Republican primary, while Catherine Begaye was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Pacheco defeated Begaye in the general election.[2][3]
The New Mexico House of Representatives was a battleground chamber that Ballotpedia identified as having the opportunity to switch partisan control in 2014. The New Mexico House had a difference in partisan balance between Democrats and Republican of four seats, which amounted to 5.7 percent of the chamber. District 23 in the House was identified by Ballotpedia, the Albuquerque Journal, and Santa Fe Telegram as a battleground district would be key in determining control of the New Mexico House of Representatives. Paul Pacheco (R) defeated Catherine Begaye (D) in the general election. In the last election, Pacheco beat a Democratic newcomer by only 78 votes.[4][5]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Paul Pacheco Incumbent |
56.5% | 5,139 | |
| Democratic | Catherine Begaye | 43.5% | 3,955 | |
| Total Votes | 9,094 | |||
Endorsements
In 2014, Begaye's endorsements included the following:[6]
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Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Catherine Begaye did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
2014
Begaye's campaign website highlighted the following issues:[6]
We need to raise the Minimum Wage
- Excerpt: "A New Mexican who works full time should not live in poverty. That is why we need to raise the minimum wage to $10.10/hour. Investing in New Mexico’s children and their future means investing in their parents now."
Jobs
- Excerpt: "Manufacturing is one sector of our economy that has been hit particularly hard and the legislature should work to create incentives to keep companies like Intel here. Another sector of our economy that has been shedding jobs is government – and it shows. By investing in good government, we can afford to fully fund agencies like CYFD and provide necessary oversight to ensure the state remains a safe and prosperous place to raise a family."
Education
- Excerpt: "Pre-K education needs to be better funded for us to see the real benefits of investing early. When children are better prepared with the basics – the alphabet, numbers, counting – they have a solid foundation upon which to build their education. This makes the next years of reading, writing, and arithmetic, a real successful prospect."
- Excerpt: "Every teacher puts in more than forty hours per week to make sure that they are ready to take on the noble task of educating our kids. Raising teachers' wages is not on the agenda of our Governor or her faithful supporter Paul Pacheco. If elected, I intend to support education investment on both ends: children and their teachers."
See also
2022 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 New Mexico Courts, "Second Judicial District Court Judicial Class of 2021," accessed July 6, 2022
- ↑ New Mexico Secretary of State, "Official Results Primary Election - June 3, 2014," accessed July 7, 2014
- ↑ New Mexico State Legislature, "2014 Primary Election Candidates," accessed May 13, 2014
- ↑ New Mexico Telegram, "Battle for the state House will center on ten districts," June 4, 2014
- ↑ Albuquerque Journal, "Primary election sets stage for state House control," May 26, 2014
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Catherine Begaye campaign website, "Issues," accessed September 15, 2014 (dead link)
Federal courts:
Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of New Mexico • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of New Mexico
State courts:
New Mexico Supreme Court • New Mexico Court of Appeals • New Mexico District Courts • New Mexico Magistrate Court • New Mexico Municipal Courts • New Mexico Probate Courts • New Mexico Problem-Solving Courts • New Mexico Workers' Compensation Administration Court • Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court
State resources:
Courts in New Mexico • New Mexico judicial elections • Judicial selection in New Mexico
