New Mexico State Senate District 23

New Mexico State Senate District 23 is represented by Harold Pope Jr. (D).

As of the 2020 Census, New Mexico state senators represented an average of 50,481 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 49,221 residents.

About the office

Members of the New Mexico State Senate serve four-year terms and are not subject to term limits. In odd-numbered years, state senators meet 60 days; in even-numbered years, they meet 30 days. New Mexico legislators assume office on the first day of January after a general election.^[1]

Qualifications

See also: State legislature candidate requirements by state

Article 4, Section 3 of the New Mexico Constitution states:^[2]

“

Senators shall not be less than twenty-five years of age and representatives not less than twenty-one years of age at the time of their election. If any senator or representative permanently removes his residence from or maintains no residence in the district from which he was elected, then he shall be deemed to have resigned and his successor shall be selected as provided in Section 4 of this article. No person shall be eligible to serve in the legislature who, at the time of qualifying, holds any office of trust or profit with the state, county or national governments, except notaries public and officers of the militia who receive no salary.^[3]

”

The New Mexico State Legislature states that individuals must be U.S. citizens.^[4]

When signing the declaration of candidacy, candidates must affirm that they are registered to vote.^[5]

Salaries

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries

State legislative salaries, 2024^[6]
Salary	Per diem
$0/year	$191/day

Vacancies

See also: How vacancies are filled in state legislatures

If there is a vacancy in the New Mexico State Legislature, the board of county commissioners is responsible for filling the vacancy. There are no deadlines set by Article IV, Section 4 of the New Mexico Constitution, which governs legislative vacancies. If the legislative district spans more than one county, the boards of county commissioners each submit one name to the governor, who appoints a candidate from the list.^[7] The appointed replacement serves for the remainder of the unfilled term.^[8]

See sources: New Mexico Const. Art. 4, Sec. 4

District map

Redistricting

2020 redistricting cycle

See also: Redistricting in New Mexico after the 2020 census

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) signed a new state House map into law on December 29, 2021, and a new state Senate map on January 6, 2022. These maps took effect for New Mexico's 2022 legislative elections. The state House approved the House map bill 43-23 on December 10, 2021, and the state Senate approved the bill 24-13 on December 16, 2021.^[9] The state Senate approved the Senate map 25-13 on December 16, and the state House approved the map 38-22 on December 17.^[10]

How does redistricting in New Mexico work? In New Mexico, congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn by the state legislature. These lines are subject to veto by the governor.^[11]

State statutes require that state legislative districts be contiguous and compact. Redistricting guidelines adopted in 2011 suggest that congressional and state legislative districts meet the following criteria:^[11]

All districts should be "reasonably compact."
Districts should "not split voting precincts."
Districts should "attempt to preserve communities of interest and take into consideration political and geographic boundaries."

These guidelines are nonbinding and may be altered by the legislature at its discretion.^[11]

On April 6, 2021, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) signed SB304 into law, forming a seven-member advisory redistricting commission. The legislation bars public officials, candidates, political party officeholders, federal legislative or state employees, and the relatives of federal or state officeholders from serving on the commission. The commission's proposals do not bind the state legislature, which retains the authority to adopt, amend, or discard the proposals as it sees fit.^[12]

New Mexico State Senate District 23
until December 31, 2024

Click a district to compare boundaries.

New Mexico State Senate District 23
starting January 1, 2025

Click a district to compare boundaries.

Elections

2024

General election

General election for New Mexico State Senate District 23

Incumbent Harold Pope Jr. defeated Terry Lynne Aragon in the general election for New Mexico State Senate District 23 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Harold Pope Jr. (D)	53.4	13,267
	Submit photo	Terry Lynne Aragon (R)	46.6	11,586

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 24,853
= 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

Democratic primary for New Mexico State Senate District 23

Incumbent Harold Pope Jr. advanced from the Democratic primary for New Mexico State Senate District 23 on June 4, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Harold Pope Jr.	100.0	2,769

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,769
= 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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Republican primary election

Republican primary for New Mexico State Senate District 23

Terry Lynne Aragon defeated Manuel Gonzales III in the Republican primary for New Mexico State Senate District 23 on June 4, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Terry Lynne Aragon	58.0	1,018
		Manuel Gonzales III	42.0	737

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,755
= 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.