Live blog: 2024 New Mexico Primary Election coverage and results

Team Coverage | KOB

Breaking down the district attorney races in New Mexico

Several DAs went up for a primary vote Tuesday. Here is what the voters decided.

New Mexicans voted Tuesday to choose which candidates will move on to the general election – and for some races, a win here means a win in November.

Follow along with our live blog for the latest coverage and updates. Find election results here and our interactive election map here.

Update: 8:01 a.m. Wednesday

  • Incumbent Sam Bregman gave a victory speech overnight, declaring victory in the Bernalillo County district attorney Democratic primary. He leads the race with 56% of the vote vs. 44% for former U.S. Attorney Damon Martinez. There are no other candidates in the race so Bregman will continue serving as DA.
  • In the First Judicial District Attorney race covering the Santa Fe area, incumbent DA Mary Carmack-Altwies earned 62% of the vote. Marco Serna earned 38%.
  • In Doña Ana County, the race for the Third Judicial District Attorney was much closer. Shaharazad Booth earned 34% of the vote while Fernando Macias earned 33% and Ramona Martinez earned 24%. Incumbent Gerald Byers earned 9%. The winner will take on Republican Michael Cain in November.
  • In the Four Corners area, Bernadine Martin earned 55% of the vote while Grant Birtcher earned 45% for the 11th Judicial District Attorney race.
  • Steve Jones, with 51%, appears likely to face Melanie Stansbury in November. Jones holds a lead over businessman Louie Sanchez in the race.
  • Debbie O’Malley earned 52% of the vote for New Mexico Senate District 13 over incumbent Bill O’Neill.
  • Heather Berghmans upset incumbent Daniel Ivey-Soto in the Democratic primary for state Senate District 15. Ivey-Soto faced sexual harassment allegations that plagued his campaign. Berghmans is destined to face Craig Degenhardt in November.
  • Incumbent Republican state Senator Greg Nibert, in District 27, is looking unlikely to get to November. Patrick Boone earned 43% while Nibert earned 41% while Larry Marker earned 15%.
  • Michelle Abeyta earned 57% in the Democratic primary in state House District 69 over incumbent Harry Garcia, who earned 35%. Stanley Michael earned 8%.
  • Nicole Chavez is also one step closer to the Roundhouse as she earned 57% in the Republican primary for state House District 31. Sarah Jane Allen earned 30% while Patrick Huested earned 13%. Chavez will face Vicky Estrada-Bustillo in November.
  • Terry Aragon beat Manny Gonzales in the Republican state Senate primary for District 23 in a 58%-42% vote. Aragon will face incumbent Harold Pope.

Election night highlights, as of 10:25 p.m.

  • President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump won their primaries.
  • In the Bernalillo County district attorney race, incumbent Sam Bregman leads against former U.S. Attorney Damon Martinez.
  • In one of the most contentious races this year, it appears Daniel Ivey-Soto will be ousted by Democrat Heather Berghmans.

Update: 10 p.m.

So far, some of the biggest battles tonight are over seats in the Roundhouse. It looks like Democrat Moe Maestas will keep the District 26 Senate seat he was appointed to in 2022, and so will Republican Jared Hembree. He swept his first election tonight after he was appointed to the District 59 seat in January.

It’s still a close race for Republican Greg Nibert though, who’s fighting to keep the Senate seat he was appointed to in 2022.

There are some big upsets tonight – former Albuquerque city councilor and Bernalillo County commissioner Debbie O’Malley is now pulling ahead of Democrat Bill O’Neill in Senate District 13, which covers downtown Albuquerque. It seems pretty likely O’Neill will be ousted from the seat he’s held since 2013.

In one of the most contentious races this year, it appears Daniel Ivey-Soto will also be ousted. Democrat Heather Berghmans beat the longtime senator in a landslide in the Senate District 15 race.

Another upset is expected in House District 70. Democrat Ambrose Castellano – who was backed by the Speaker of the House – is trailing behind his competitor Anita Gonzales, who gained the governor’s support.

In far southeast New Mexico, Republican Larry Scott is poised to take the Senate District 42 seat away from Steven McCutcheon. Last year, the governor decided to appoint McCutcheon to that open seat over Scott, but it’s clear Republican voters didn’t agree with that pick.

Also, there was no redemption for Manny Gonzales tonight. The former Bernalillo County sheriff is trailing behind his opponent for the Senate District 23 Republican nomination. This comes after he lost the Albuquerque mayoral race in 2021 and failed to qualify to challenge U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich this November.

It appears the new House Minority Floor Leader Rod Montoya also fended off his first primary challenger tonight, Keith Neil.

Update: 9:15 p.m.

In the Bernalillo County district attorney race, incumbent Sam Bregman is leading against former U.S. Attorney Damon Martinez. Whoever wins will take the seat because only Democrats are running.

This is the first time Bregman has run for district attorney. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham appointed him to the position early last year.

District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies also has a big lead over Marco Serna, the former district attorney, in the First Judicial District race that covers Santa Fe, Los Alamos, and Rio Arriba counties. There are no Republicans on the ballot for this race either.

The other DA races – for the 3rd Judicial District and the 11th Judicial District – are still close.

Update: 7:30 p.m.

Votes are rolling in for both Senate and House races statewide. We also have results from Bernalillo and Santa Fe County, as well as the first batch of votes in some of the district attorney races. See the latest here.

Update: 7:07 p.m.

AP has called the New Mexico presidential primary races – saying Joe Biden has won the Democratic primary and Donald Trump has won the Republican primary. See more election results here.

Update: 6:45 p.m.

Polls close in 15 minutes. After polls close, results will start rolling in.

Update: 5:30 p.m.

Here are the latest vote counts from the New Mexico Secretary of State’s office:

  • 205,549 total votes cast
  • Democrats: 121,615
  • Libertarians: 684
  • Republicans: 83,248

Update: 5:12 p.m.

Update: 1 p.m.

Here are the latest vote counts from the New Mexico Secretary of State’s office:

  • 163,537 total votes cast
  • Democrats: 97,772
  • Libertarians: 507
  • Republicans: 65,256

Primary Election Coverage