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New Mexico State Senate elections, 2024
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| 2024 New Mexico Senate Elections | |
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| Primary | June 4, 2024 |
| General | November 5, 2024 |
| Past Election Results |
| 2020・2016・2012・2008 |
| 2024 Elections | |
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Elections for the New Mexico State Senate took place in 2024. The general election was on November 5, 2024. The primary was June 4, 2024. The filing deadline was March 12, 2024.
Following the election, Democrats maintained a 26-16 majority.
The New Mexico State Senate was one of 85 state legislative chambers with elections in 2024. There are 99 chambers throughout the country.
Party control
| New Mexico State Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 5, 2024 | After November 6, 2024 | |
| Democratic Party | 27 | 26 | |
| Republican Party | 15 | 16 | |
| Total | 42 | 42 | |
Candidates
General election
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate ConnectionPrimary
New Mexico State Senate primary 2024 |
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| Office |  Democratic |
 Republican |
Other |
| District 1 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| District 2 |
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| District 3 |
The Republican primary was canceled. |
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| District 4 |
The Republican primary was canceled. |
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| District 5 |
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The Republican primary was canceled. |
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| District 6 |
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The Republican primary was canceled. |
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| District 7 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| District 8 |
The Republican primary was canceled. |
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| District 9 |
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| District 10 |
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Did not make the ballot: |
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| District 11 |
The Republican primary was canceled. |
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| District 12 |
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| District 13 |
The Republican primary was canceled. |
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| District 14 |
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The Republican primary was canceled. Did not make the ballot: |
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| District 15 |
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| District 16 |
The Republican primary was canceled. |
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| District 17 |
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The Republican primary was canceled. |
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| District 18 |
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| District 19 |
Libertarian Party Catherine Ann McDivitt (Write-in) |
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| District 20 |
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| District 21 |
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| District 22 |
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The Republican primary was canceled. |
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| District 23 |
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| District 24 |
The Republican primary was canceled. |
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| District 25 |
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The Republican primary was canceled. |
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| District 26 |
The Republican primary was canceled. |
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| District 27 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| District 28 |
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| District 29 |
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| District 30 |
The Republican primary was canceled. |
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| District 31 |
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The Republican primary was canceled. |
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| District 32 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| District 33 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| District 34 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| District 35 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| District 36 |
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| District 37 |
The Republican primary was canceled. Did not make the ballot: |
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| District 38 |
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| District 39 |
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The Republican primary was canceled. |
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| District 40 |
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| District 41 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| District 42 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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Voting information
- See also: Voting in New Mexico
General election race ratings
The table below displays race ratings for each race in this chamber from CNalysis.
Incumbents who were not re-elected
Incumbents defeated in general elections
No incumbents lost in general elections. The average number of incumbents who lost in each general election from 2010 to 2022 was three.
Incumbents defeated in primaries
Four incumbents lost in primaries. The average number of primary defeats in each election cycle from 2010 to 2022 was 3.0.
| Name | Party | Office |
|---|---|---|
| William O'Neill |  Democratic |
Senate District 13 |
| Daniel Ivey-Soto | Democratic |
Senate District 15 |
| Greg Nibert |  Republican |
Senate District 27 |
| Steve McCutcheon | Republican |
Senate District 42 |
Retiring incumbents
Eleven incumbents did not file for re-election in 2024.[1] This was the highest number since Ballotpedia began recording these statistics in 2010. Those incumbents were:
Primary election competitiveness
This section contains data on state legislative primary election competitiveness in New Mexico. These totals include data from all regularly-scheduled House and Senate elections. For more information about Ballotpedia's competitiveness analysis of state legislative elections, please click here.
Post-filing deadline analysis
The following analysis covers all state legislative districts up for election in New Mexico in 2024. Information below was calculated on May 29, 2024, and may differ from information shown in the table above due to candidate replacements and withdrawals after that time.
New Mexico had 42 contested state legislative primaries in 2024, the highest number since Ballotpedia started tracking that figure in 2014.
There were 213 total candidates running in New Mexico's state legislative primaries in 2024, 26 fewer than in 2020. New Mexico's 42 Senate seats are up for election every four years, while the 70 House seats are up for election every two years.
Nineteen incumbents did not run for re-election in 2024. In elections from 2012 to 2024 when all 112 seats were up for election, the average number of retirements was 15. The highest number across those years was 22 retirements in 2012.
Twenty-two incumbents, or about 23.7% of all incumbents, faced primary challengers in 2024. That was the highest number in a decade. The only election since 2010 with a higher rate of incumbents facing challenges was 2012 (26.4%).
New Mexico has had a Democratic trifecta since 2019, when Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham assumed office. Since 1992, New Mexico has had 17 years of Democratic trifectas and no Republican trifectas.
Republicans controlled the House from 1995 to 2002 and from 2011 to 2018. The state also had a Republican governor in 2015 and 2016.
As of May 2024, Democrats held a 27-15 majority in the Senate and a 45-25 majority in the House.
Open seats
The table below shows the number and percentage of open seats in the New Mexico State Senate from 2012 to 2024.[2]
| Open Seats in New Mexico State Senate elections: 2012 - 2024 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Total seats | Open seats | Seats with incumbents running for re-election |
| 2024 | 42 | 11 (26 percent) | 31 (74 percent) |
| 2020 | 42 | 2 (5 percent) | 40 (95 percent) |
| 2016 | 42 | 2 (5 percent) | 40 (95 percent) |
| 2012 | 42 | 9 (21 percent) | 33 (79 percent) |
Legislative referrals
- See also: Legislative referral
A legislative referral, or legislatively referred ballot measure, is a ballot measure that appears on the ballot due to a vote of the state legislature. A legislative referral can be a constitutional amendment, state statute, or bond issue.
As of the 2024 election, a simple majority vote was required during one legislative session for the New Mexico State Legislature to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. That amounted to a minimum of 36 votes in the New Mexico House of Representatives and 22 votes in the New Mexico State Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments did not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.
At the time of the 2024 election, Democrats held a 27-15 majority in the Senate and a 45-25 majority in the House. Democrats needed to lose five Senate seats and nine House seats to lose the ability to pass legislative referrals without Republican votes. Republicans needed to win seven Senate seats and 11 House seats to have the ability.
Process to become a candidate
See statutes: Article 8 of the New Mexico Code
A candidate in New Mexico may run with an officially recognized political party, as an independent or as a write-in.
For major party candidates
A major party candidate files for office by submitting a declaration of candidacy and nominating petition to the proper filing official. A candidate must file the nominating petition and declaration of candidacy at the same time. This paperwork must be filed in person by the candidate between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on the designated day for filing. The candidate must be affiliated with the political party with which he or she is running. Affiliation with that political party must be made before the date of the secretary of state's proclamation for the primary election.[3][4]
A candidate may seek a "pre-primary convention designation" before the primary election. A pre-primary convention designation guarantees a candidate a place on the primary election ballot. Every candidate receiving at least 20 percent of the vote at the party convention will be certified to the New Mexico Secretary of State as a convention-designated nominee for that office by the political party.[5][6]
According to the New Mexico Statutes, the nominating petition for a pre-primary convention designation candidate must be signed "by a number of voters equal to at least 2 percent of the total vote of the candidate's party in the state or congressional district, or the following number of voters, whichever is greater: for statewide offices, 230 voters; and for congressional candidates, 77 voters."[7]
A candidate who seeks but fails to receive a pre-primary convention designation may collect additional signatures totaling at least "4 percent of the total vote of the candidate's party in the state or congressional district, whichever applies to the office the candidate seeks." The candidate is required to file a new declaration of candidacy and the additional nominating petition for the office for which the candidate failed to receive a pre-primary designation. The post-convention declaration of candidacy and nominating petition must be filed with the New Mexico Secretary of State either 10 days following the date of the pre-primary convention at which the candidate failed to receive the designation, or on the date all declarations of candidacy and additional nominating petitions are due, whichever is later.[8]
For minor party candidates
The selection method for minor party candidates varies according to the rules of the specific party. Broadly speaking, the following requirements apply:[9]
- The chair and secretary of the state political convention must certify to the New Mexico Secretary of State the names of their party's nominees for federal, statewide, and state legislative offices.[10]
- The names certified to the New Mexico Secretary of State must be filed on the 21st day following the primary election and must be accompanied by a petition containing the signatures of at least 1 percent of the total number of the votes cast at the last preceding general election for the office of governor.[11]
- The petition must contain a statement affirming that the voters signing the petition are residents of New Mexico and the district, county, or area to be represented by the office being sought.[12]
For independent candidates
An independent candidate files for office by submitting a declaration of candidacy and nominating petition to the proper filing official. Candidates must file nominating petitions at the time of filing their declarations of candidacy.[13]
The petition for an independent candidate for the United States Senate or any other statewide office must be signed by at least 2 percent of the total number of votes cast for governor in the previous general election. The petition for an independent candidate for the United States House of Representatives must be signed by at least 2 percent of the total number of votes cast for governor in the previous general election in that particular congressional district. The petition for an independent candidate for the state legislature must be signed by at least 2 percent of the total number of votes cast for governor in the respective legislative district.[14]Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name cannot be a simple integer. Use a descriptive titleCite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name cannot be a simple integer. Use a descriptive title
All requisite paperwork must be filed with the proper filing official before 5:00 p.m. on the 23rd day following the primary election.[15]
For write-in candidates in the primary election
A write-in candidate may only seek the nomination of the party with which he or she is affiliated. The candidate must qualify to be a candidate for the political party whose nomination he or she seeks.[16]
The candidate must file with the proper filing official a declaration of intent to be a write-in candidate. The declaration must be filed before 5:00 p.m. on the third Tuesday in March in the year of the election.[17]
For write-in candidates in the general election
A write-in candidate in a general election must file a declaration of intent to be a write-in candidate with the proper filing official no later than the 21st day after the primary election.[18]
No person can run as a write-in candidate in the general election if he or she was a candidate in the primary election immediately preceding the general election.[19]
No unopposed write-in candidate can have an election certified unless the candidate receives votes equal to at least 1 percent of the total number of votes cast in the electoral district for governor in the last preceding general election in which a governor was elected.[20]
Qualifications
Article 4, Section 3 of the New Mexico Constitution states: "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."
Salaries and per diem
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2024[21] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $0/year | $191/day |
When sworn in
New Mexico legislators assume office on the first day of January after a general election.[22]
New Mexico political history
Trifectas
A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government.
New Mexico Party Control: 1992-2025
Eighteen years of Democratic trifectas • No Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| Senate | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| House | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
Presidential politics in New Mexico
2020
- See also: Presidential election, 2020
Presidential election in New Mexico, 2020
Candidate/Running mate |
% |
Popular votes |
Electoral votes |
||
| ✔ |
 
| Joe Biden/Kamala D. Harris (D) |
54.3
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501,614 | 5 |
 
| Donald Trump/Mike Pence (R) |
43.5
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401,894 | 0 | |
 
| Jo Jorgensen/Spike Cohen (L) |
1.4
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12,585 | 0 | |
 
| Howie Hawkins/Angela Nicole Walker (G) |
0.5
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4,426 | 0 | |
 
| Sheila Tittle/David Sandige (Constitution Party) |
0.2
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1,806 | 0 | |
 
| Gloria La Riva/Sunil Freeman (Party for Socialism and Liberation) |
0.2
|
1,640 | 0 | |
 |
Total votes: 923,965 |
2016
- See also: Presidential election, 2016
| U.S. presidential election, New Mexico, 2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Electoral votes | |
| Democratic |  Hillary Clinton/Tim Kaine |
48.3% | 385,234 | 5 | |
| Republican | Donald Trump/Mike Pence | 40% | 319,667 | 0 | |
| Libertarian | Gary Johnson/Bill Weld | 9.3% | 74,541 | 0 | |
| Green | Jill Stein/Ajamu Baraka | 1.2% | 9,879 | 0 | |
| Socialism and Liberation | Gloria Estela La Riva/Dennis J. Banks | 0.1% | 1,184 | 0 | |
| Constitution | Darrell Lane Castle/Scott Bradley | 0.2% | 1,514 | 0 | |
| American Delta | Rocky De La Fuente/Michael Steinberg | 0.1% | 475 | 0 | |
| Better for America | Evan McMullin/Nathan Johnson | 0.7% | 5,825 | 0 | |
| Total Votes | 798,319 | 5 | |||
| Election results via: New Mexico Secretary of State | |||||
New Mexico presidential election results (1900-2024)
- 17 Democratic wins
- 12 Republican wins
| Year | 1900 | 1904 | 1908 | 1912 | 1916 | 1920 | 1924 | 1928 | 1932 | 1936 | 1940 | 1944 | 1948 | 1952 | 1956 | 1960 | 1964 | 1968 | 1972 | 1976 | 1980 | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winning Party | N/A | N/A | N/A | D | D | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | R | D | D | D | D | D |
See also
| New Mexico | State Legislative Elections | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
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2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Ballotpedia defines an incumbent as retiring if the incumbent did not file for office or filed for office but withdrew, was disqualified, or otherwise left a race in a manner other than losing the primary, primary runoff, or convention. If an incumbent runs as a write-in candidate, Ballotpedia does not consider them to be retiring. If an incumbent runs in the same chamber for a different seat, Ballotpedia does not consider them to be retiring.
- ↑ Ballotpedia defines a seat as open if the incumbent did not file to run for re-election or filed but withdrew and did not appear on any ballot for his or her seat. If the incumbent withdrew from or did not participate in the primary but later chose to seek re-election to his or her seat as a third party or independent candidate, the seat would not be counted as open. If the incumbent retired or ran for a different seat in the same chamber, his or her original seat would be counted as open unless another incumbent from the same chamber filed to run for that seat, in which case it would not be counted as open due to the presence of an incumbent.
- ↑ New Mexico Election Code, "Chapter 1-8-21," accessed April 23, 2025
- ↑ New Mexico Election Code, "Chapter 1-8-26," accessed April 23, 2025
- ↑ New Mexico Election Code, "Chapter 1-8-21.1(C)," accessed April 23, 2025
- ↑ New Mexico Election Code, "Chapter 1-8-27," accessed April 23, 2025
- ↑ New Mexico Election Code, "Chapter 1-8-33," accessed April 23, 2025
- ↑ New Mexico Election Code, "Chapter 1-8-33," accessed April 23, 2025
- ↑ New Mexico Election Code, "Chapter 1-8-1," accessed April 23, 2025
- ↑ New Mexico Election Code, "Chapter 1-8-2(A)(1)," accessed April 23, 2025
- ↑ New Mexico Election Code, "Chapter 1-8-2(B)," accessed April 23, 2025
- ↑ New Mexico Election Code, "Chapter 1-8-2(B)(2)," accessed April 23, 2025
- ↑ New Mexico Election Code, "Chapter 1-8-45," accessed April 23, 2025
- ↑ New Mexico Election Code, "Chapter 1-8-51(C)," accessed April 23, 2025
- ↑ New Mexico Election Code, "Chapter 1-8-52(A)," accessed April 23, 2025
- ↑ New Mexico Election Code, "Chapter 1-8-36.1(B)," accessed April 23, 2025
- ↑ New Mexico Election Code, "Chapter 1-8-36.1(C)," accessed April 23, 2025
- ↑ New Mexico Election Code, "1-8-66," accessed January April 23, 2025
- ↑ New Mexico Election Code, "Chapter 1-8-66(F)," accessed April 23, 2025
- ↑ New Mexico Election Code, "Chapter 1-8-66(A)," accessed April 23, 2025
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
- ↑ New Mexico Constitution, "Article IV, Section 4, accessed November 1, 2021
