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New Mexico State Senate District 3
New Mexico State Senate District 3 is represented by Shannon Pinto (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
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
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
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 3
until December 31, 2024
Click a district to compare boundaries.
New Mexico State Senate District 3
starting January 1, 2025
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Elections
2024
See also: New Mexico State Senate elections, 2024
General election
General election for New Mexico State Senate District 3
Incumbent Shannon Pinto won election in the general election for New Mexico State Senate District 3 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Shannon Pinto (D) | 100.0 | 13,968 |
| Total votes: 13,968 | |||
 = 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. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for New Mexico State Senate District 3
Incumbent Shannon Pinto defeated Sherylene M. Yazzie in the Democratic primary for New Mexico State Senate District 3 on June 4, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Shannon Pinto | 62.9 | 2,291 |
| Sherylene M. Yazzie | 37.1 | 1,352 | ||
| Total votes: 3,643 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
2020
- See also: New Mexico State Senate elections, 2020
General election
General election for New Mexico State Senate District 3
Incumbent Shannon Pinto defeated Arthur Allison in the general election for New Mexico State Senate District 3 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Shannon Pinto (D) | 67.4 | 11,932 |
| Arthur Allison (R) | 32.6 | 5,767 | ||
| Total votes: 17,699 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for New Mexico State Senate District 3
Incumbent Shannon Pinto defeated Shawn Nelson in the Democratic primary for New Mexico State Senate District 3 on June 2, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Shannon Pinto | 80.3 | 3,902 |
| Shawn Nelson | 19.7 | 959 | ||
| Total votes: 4,861 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Dineh Benally (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for New Mexico State Senate District 3
Arthur Allison advanced from the Republican primary for New Mexico State Senate District 3 on June 2, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Arthur Allison | 100.0 | 1,603 | |
| Total votes: 1,603 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
2016
- See also: New Mexico State Senate elections, 2016
Elections for the New Mexico State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election took place on June 7, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was March 8, 2016.
Incumbent John Pinto ran unopposed in the New Mexico State Senate District 3 general election.[13][14]
| New Mexico State Senate District 3, General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  John Pinto Incumbent (unopposed) |
100.00% | 12,519 | |
| Total Votes | 12,519 | |||
| Source: New Mexico Secretary of State | ||||
Incumbent John Pinto ran unopposed in the New Mexico State Senate District 3 Democratic primary.[15]
| New Mexico State Senate District 3, Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | John Pinto Incumbent (unopposed) | |
2012
- See also: New Mexico State Senate elections, 2012
Elections for the office of New Mexico State Senate consisted of a primary election on June 5, 2012, and a general election on November 6, 2012. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 20, 2012. Incumbent John Pinto (D) was unopposed in the general election and defeated Matthew D. Tso in the Democratic primary.[16][17][18]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | John Pinto Incumbent |
100% | 12,578 | |
| Total Votes | 12,578 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
John Pinto Incumbent |
72% | 2,709 |
| Matthew D. Tso | 28% | 1,053 |
| Total Votes | 3,762 | |
Campaign contributions
From 2000 to 2024, candidates for New Mexico State Senate District 3 raised a total of $160,713. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $10,714 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money
| Campaign contributions, New Mexico State Senate District 3 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Amount | Candidates | Average |
| 2024 | $43,441 | 2 | $21,721 |
| 2020 | $46,129 | 3 | $15,376 |
| 2016 | $7,300 | 1 | $7,300 |
| 2012 | $7,090 | 2 | $3,545 |
| 2008 | $10,500 | 2 | $5,250 |
| 2004 | $11,100 | 2 | $5,550 |
| 2000 | $35,153 | 3 | $11,718 |
| Total | $160,713 | 15 | $10,714 |
See also
- New Mexico State Legislature
- New Mexico State Senate
- New Mexico House of Representatives
- New Mexico state legislative districts
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ New Mexico Constitution, "Article IV, Section 4, accessed November 1, 2021
- ↑ New Mexico Secretary of State, "New Mexico Constitution- Article 4, Section 3," accessed May 23, 2025
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ New Mexico State Legislature, "State Legislature Handbook," accessed May 27, 2025 (page 2)
- ↑ Justia, "NM Stat § 1-22-8 (2024)," accessed May 29, 2025
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
- ↑ Justia US Law, "2021 New Mexico Statutes Section 2-8D-4," accessed February 6, 2023
- ↑ New Mexico Legislature, "New Mexico Constitution," accessed February 11, 2021 (Article IV, Section 4)
- ↑ New Mexico State Legislature, "2021 2nd Special Session - HB 8," accessed January 3, 2022
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedsb2 - ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 All About Redistricting, "New Mexico," accessed May 6, 2015
- ↑ All About Redistricting, "New Mexico," accessed April 19, 2021
- ↑ New Mexico Secretary of State, "2016 general election contest/candidate list," accessed August 18, 2016
- ↑ New Mexico Secretary of State, "Official Results General Election - November 8, 2016," accessed November 29, 2016
- ↑ New Mexico Secretary of State, "2016 Primary Election Contest/Candidate List," accessed March 10, 2016
- ↑ New Mexico Secretary of State, "2012 Primary Candidate List," accessed May 12, 2014(Archived)
- ↑ New Mexico Secretary of State “2012 Primary election results,” accessed December 4, 2013
- ↑ New Mexico Secretary of State, "2012 General election results," accessed December 4, 2013
