New Mexico House of Representatives District 51
| New Mexico House of Representatives District 51 | ||
 | ||
| Current incumbent | Rachel Black  | |
| Population | 29,413 | |
| Race | 58.1% White, 1.0% Native American, 4.6% Black, 1.6% Asian, 31.6% Hispanic, 3.0% Other Races[1] | |
| Ethnicity | 68.4% Non-Hispanic, 31.6% Hispanic | |
| Voting age | 76.7% age 18 and over | |
New Mexico's fifty-first state house district is represented by Republican Representative Rachel Black.
As of the 2010 census, a total of 29,413 civilians reside within New Mexico's fifty-first state house district.[2] New Mexico state representatives represent an average of 29,417 residents, as of the 2010 Census.[3] After the 2000 Census, each member represented approximately 25,986 residents.[4]
About the office
Members of the New Mexico House of Representatives serve two-year terms and are not subject to term limits. New Mexico legislators assume office on the first day of January after a general election.[5]
Qualifications
Article 4, Section 3 of the New Mexico Constitution states:[6]
| “ | 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.[7] | ” |
The New Mexico State Legislature states that individuals must be U.S. citizens.[8]
When signing the declaration of candidacy, candidates must affirm that they are registered to vote.[9]
Salaries
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2025[10] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $0/year | $202/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.[11] The appointed replacement serves for the remainder of the unfilled term.[12]
See sources: New Mexico Const. Art. 4, Sec. 4
Elections
2018
General election
General election for New Mexico House of Representatives District 51
Rachel Black defeated Jeff Swanson in the general election for New Mexico House of Representatives District 51 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Rachel Black (R) | 64.3 | 5,486 | |
Jeff Swanson (D)  | 35.7 | 3,045 | ||
| Total votes: 8,531 | |||
| = 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 House of Representatives District 51
Jeff Swanson advanced from the Democratic primary for New Mexico House of Representatives District 51 on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Jeff Swanson | 100.0 | 875 | |
| Total votes: 875 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for New Mexico House of Representatives District 51
Rachel Black advanced from the Republican primary for New Mexico House of Representatives District 51 on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Rachel Black | 100.0 | 1,923 | |
| Total votes: 1,923 | |||
| = 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
Incumbent Yvette Herrell defeated Denise A. Lang in the New Mexico House of Representatives District 51 general election.[13][14]
| New Mexico House of Representatives District 51, General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Yvette Herrell Incumbent |
65.79% | 6,447 | |
| Democratic | Denise A. Lang | 34.21% | 3,353 | |
| Total Votes | 9,800 | |||
| Source: New Mexico Secretary of State | ||||
Denise A. Lang ran unopposed in the New Mexico House of Representatives District 51 Democratic primary.[15]
| New Mexico House of Representatives District 51, Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | Denise A. Lang (unopposed) | |
Incumbent Yvette Herrell ran unopposed in the New Mexico House of Representatives District 51 Republican primary.[16]
| New Mexico House of Representatives District 51, Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | Yvette Herrell Incumbent (unopposed) | |
2014
Elections for the New Mexico House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on June 3, 2014, and a general election took place on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was February 4, 2014.
Incumbent Yvette Herrell was unopposed in the Republican primary and was unchallenged in the general election.[17][18]
2012
Elections for the office of New Mexico House of Representatives 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 Yvette Herrell (R) was unopposed in both the general election and Republican primary.[19][20][21]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Yvette Herrell Incumbent |
100% | 7,750 | |
| Total Votes | 7,750 | |||
Campaign contributions
From 2002 to 2016, candidates for New Mexico House of Representatives District 51 raised a total of $277,297. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $15,405 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money.
| Campaign contributions, New Mexico House of Representatives District 51 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Amount | Candidates | Average | |
| 2016 | $67,317 | 2 | $33,659 | |
| 2014 | $22,142 | 1 | $22,142 | |
| 2012 | $19,682 | 1 | $19,682 | |
| 2010 | $60,329 | 4 | $15,082 | |
| 2008 | $11,081 | 2 | $5,541 | |
| 2006 | $8,242 | 1 | $8,242 | |
| 2004 | $30,746 | 3 | $10,249 | |
| 2002 | $19,928 | 2 | $9,964 | |
| 2000 | $37,830 | 2 | $18,915 | |
| Total | $277,297 | 18 | $15,405 | |
See also
- New Mexico State Legislature
- New Mexico State Senate
- New Mexico House of Representatives
- New Mexico state legislative districts
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ For more information on the parameters the U.S. Census Bureau use, please see our Race and Ethnicity on the United States Census page.
- ↑ http://www.nmlegis.gov, "New Mexico Redistricting: House Plan Maps and Data," accessed October 9, 2013
- ↑ U.S. Census Bureau, "Population Distribution and Change: 2000 to 2010," accessed January 6, 2014
- ↑ www.census.gov/, "Population in 2000 of the American states," accessed January 6, 2014
- ↑ 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, "2025 Legislator Compensation," December 2, 2025
- ↑ 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 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, "2016 Primary Election Contest/Candidate List," accessed March 10, 2016
- ↑ New Mexico Secretary of State, "Official Results Primary Election - June 3, 2014," accessed July 7, 2014
- ↑ New Mexico State Legislature, "2014 Primary Election Candidates," accessed May 13, 2014
- ↑ New Mexico Secretary of State, "Official General Election Results," accessed October 8, 2013
- ↑ New Mexico Secretary of State, "Official Primary Results," accessed April 15, 2014
- ↑ New Mexico Secretary of State, "2012 Primary Candidate List," accessed May 12, 2014(Archived)
