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New Mexico's 2nd Congressional District election, 2016
2018 →
← 2014
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November 8, 2016 |
June 7, 2016 |
Steve Pearce  |
Steve Pearce |
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Cook Political Report: Solid R[1] Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe R[2] Rothenberg & Gonzales: Safe R[3] |
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The 2nd Congressional District of New Mexico held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 8, 2016.
Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Republican. Incumbent Steve Pearce (R), who began serving in Congress in 2003, is seeking re-election in 2016. He was the only Republican candidate to file and will face Merrie Soules, the only Democratic candidate to file, and Jack McGrann (R write-in) in the general election on November 8, 2016. No candidate faced a primary opponent in June.[4][5]
| Candidate Filing Deadline | Primary Election | General Election |
|---|---|---|
Primary: A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. New Mexico utilizes a semi-closed primary process; participation in each party's primary is limited to registered party members and unaffiliated voters.[6][7][8][9]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Incumbent: Heading into the election the incumbent was Steve Pearce (R), who was first elected in 2010. He previously represented the district from 2003 to 2009 as well.
New Mexico's 2nd Congressional District is located in the southern and western portions of the state and includes Catron, Chaves, Cibola, De Baca, Dona Ana, Eddy, Grant, Guadalupe, Hidalgo, Lea, Lincoln, Luna, Otero, Sierra, and Socorro counties. Portions of Bernalillo, McKinley, Roosevelt, and Valencia counties are also included in the district.[10]
Election results
General election
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Steve Pearce Incumbent |
62.7% | 143,514 | |
| Democratic | Merrie Soules | 37.2% | 85,232 | |
| N/A | Write-in | 0% | 70 | |
| Total Votes | 228,816 | |||
| Source: New Mexico Secretary of State | ||||
Candidates
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General election candidates: Steve Pearce  Merrie Soules Jack McGrann (Write-in) |
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Primary candidates:[11] |
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Democratic |
Republican |
District history
2014
The 2nd Congressional District of New Mexico held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Incumbent Steve Pearce (R) defeated Roxanne Lara (D) in the general election.
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Steve Pearce Incumbent |
64.4% | 95,209 | |
| Democratic | Roxanne "Rocky" Lara | 35.5% | 52,499 | |
| Write-in (R) | Jack A. McGrann (write-in) | 0% | 69 | |
| Total Votes | 147,777 | |||
| Source: New Mexico Secretary of State | ||||
2012
The 2nd Congressional District of New Mexico held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 6, 2012. Incumbent Steve Pearce (R) defeated Evelyn Madrid Erhard (D) in the general election.
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Evelyn Madrid Erhard | 40.9% | 92,162 | |
| Republican | Steve Pearce Incumbent |
59.1% | 133,180 | |
| Write-In | Jack McGrann | 0.1% | 173 | |
| Total Votes | 225,515 | |||
| Source: New Mexico Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election" | ||||
Important dates and deadlines
- See also: New Mexico elections, 2016
The calendar below lists important dates for political candidates in New Mexico in 2016.
| Dates and requirements for candidates in 2016 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Deadline | Event type | Event description | |
| February 2, 2016 | Ballot access | Filing deadline for major party candidates for federal and statewide office | |
| March 8, 2016 | Ballot access | Filing deadline for major party candidates for all other offices | |
| April 11, 2016 | Campaign finance | First primary report due | |
| May 9, 2016 | Campaign finance | Second primary report due | |
| June 2, 2016 | Campaign finance | Third primary report due | |
| June 7, 2016 | Election date | Primary election | |
| June 30, 2016 | Ballot access | Filing deadline for independent and minor party candidates | |
| July 7, 2016 | Campaign finance | Fourth primary report due | |
| September 12, 2016 | Campaign finance | First general report due | |
| October 10, 2016 | Campaign finance | Second general report due | |
| November 3, 2016 | Campaign finance | Third general report due | |
| November 8, 2016 | Election date | General election | |
| December 8, 2016 | Campaign finance | Fourth general report due | |
| Sources: New Mexico Secretary of State, "2016 Election FAQ's," accessed June 12, 2015 New Mexico Secretary of State, "Campaign Finance Reporting Schedule," accessed August 7, 2015 | |||
See also
- United States House of Representatives elections in New Mexico, 2016
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2016
Footnotes
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2016 House Race Ratings for July 11, 2016," accessed July 19, 2016
- ↑ Sabato's Crystal Ball, "2016 House," accessed July 18, 2016
- ↑ Rothenberg & Gonzales Political Report, "House Ratings," accessed July 19, 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 New Mexico Scretary of State ,"2016 Primary Election Contest/Candidate List," accessed February 3, 2016 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "filed" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ New Mexico Secretary of State, "2016 General Election Contest/Candidate List," accessed September 7, 2016
- ↑ New Mexico Legislature, "2025 Regular Session - SB 16," accessed June 20, 2025
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Primary Election Types," accessed August 22, 2024
- ↑ Ballotpedia research conducted December 26, 2013, through January 3, 2014, researching and analyzing various state websites and codes.
- ↑ New Mexico Secretary of State, "FAQs for Primary & General Election Candidacy," accessed August 22, 2024
- ↑ United States Census Bureau, "Counties by Congressional Districts," accessed June 8, 2016
- ↑ Candidates are listed by party and alphabetically within each party.
- ↑ The NM Political Report, "Merrie Lee Soules is running for Congress," December 17, 2015
For information about public policy issues in the 2016 elections, see: Public policy in the 2016 elections!
