New Mexico state legislative special elections, 2026

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As of January, one special election has been called to fill a vacant seat in the New Mexico State Legislature.

Click here to read more about the special elections.

Senate special elections called:

• District 33: November 3

How vacancies are filled in New Mexico

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. The appointed replacement serves for the remainder of the unfilled term.

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

About the legislature

The New Mexico Legislature is the legislative branch of New Mexico. It is a bicameral body made up of the New Mexico House of Representatives and the New Mexico State Senate. The legislature consists of 70 representatives and 42 senators. Senators are elected to four-year terms and representatives are elected to two-year terms.

The boxes below show the partisan composition of both chambers directly before and after the most recent general elections prior to 2026. For the most up-to-date numbers on partisan composition in this legislature, see here (Senate) and here (House).

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

New Mexico House of Representatives
Party		As of November 5, 2024	After November 6, 2024
	Democratic Party	45	43
	Republican Party	25	26
	Vacancy	0	1
Total		70	70

Special elections

Click [show] to the right of the district name for more information:

November 3, 2026

New Mexico State Senate District 33

See also: New Mexico state legislative special elections, 2026 A special election for New Mexico State Senate District 33 has been called for November 3, 2026. A primary is scheduled to take place on June 2, 2026. The major party candidate filing deadline is March 10, 2026. The primary write-in candidate filing deadline is March 17, 2026. The general election filing deadline for write-in and independent candidates is June 25, 2026. The seat became vacant after Nicholas Paul (R) resigned due to health challenges and a desire to focus on family. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) appointed Rex Wilson (R) to the seat on January 8, 2026, to replace Paul. There are no official candidates yet for this election.

Special elections throughout the country

See also: State legislative special elections, 2026

As of January 2026, 54 state legislative special elections have been scheduled for 2026 in 21 states. Between 2011 and 2024, an average of 70 special elections took place each year.

Breakdown of 2026 special elections

In 2026, special elections for state legislative positions are being held for the following reasons:

• 29 due to appointment, election, or the seeking of election to another position
• 21 due to resignation
• 4 due to the death of the incumbent

Impact of special elections on partisan composition

The partisan breakdown for the special elections is as follows:

• 31 Democratic seats
• 23 Republican seats

As of January 30th, 2026, Republicans controlled 55.1% of all state legislative seats nationally, while Democrats held 43.84%. Republicans held a majority in 57 chambers, and Democrats held the majority in 39 chambers. Two chambers (Alaska House and Alaska Senate) were organized under multipartisan, power-sharing coalitions. One chamber (Minnesota House of Representatives) was split evenly between both parties.

Partisan balance of all 7,386 state legislative seats
Legislative chamber			Other	Vacant
State senates	836	1,118	6	13
State houses	2,402	2,952	20	39
Total:	3,238	4,070	26	52

The table below details how many seats changed parties as the result of a special election in 2026. The number on the left reflects how many vacant seats were originally held by each party, while the number on the right shows how many vacant seats each party won in the special elections.

Note: This table reflects information for elections that have been held and not the total number of vacant seats.

Partisan Change from Special Elections (2026)
Party		As of Special Election	After Special Election
	Democratic Party	31	9
	Republican Party	23	3
	Independent	0	0
Total		54	12

Flipped seats

In 2026, as of January, no seats flipped as a result of state legislative special elections.

See also

• State legislative special elections, 2026
• State legislative special elections, 2025
• State legislative special elections, 2024
• State legislative special elections, 2023
• New Mexico State Legislature

Footnotes

State legislatures

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2026

State legislative elections (2026) • State legislative special elections (2026) • Primary dates and filing requirements • 2026 Session Dates

2025

State legislative elections (2025) • State legislative special elections (2025) • Primary dates and filing requirements • 2025 Session Dates

Historical elections

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Features of state legislatures

How vacancies are filled in state legislatures • States with a full-time legislature • State legislatures with term limits • Comparison of state legislative salaries • When state legislators assume office after a general election • Population represented by state legislators • State constitutional articles governing state legislatures • State legislative sessions • Resign-to-run law • State legislature candidate requirements by state • Official names of state legislatures • State legislative chambers that use multi-member districts • Factors Affecting Competitiveness in State Legislative Elections

State senates

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State houses

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Leadership positions

President of the Senate • President Pro Tempore • Senate Majority Leader • Senate Minority Leader • House Majority Leader • House Minority Leader • State Speaker of the House

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