Political candidates in New Mexico are gearing up for their final push ahead of the primary election, which is just one week from Tuesday.

The primaries are just the first hurdle for many candidates. They have to secure their own party’s nomination before moving on to the general election in November. But for some races, a primary win means you’ve essentially won the race – especially for Democrats this year.

There are four district attorney races that KOB 4 is watching closely, including the race in Bernalillo County. Former U.S. Attorney Damon Martinez is looking to unseat current District Attorney Sam Bregman, who was appointed to the position early last year.

Bregman pledged to not run for reelection, but changed his mind after a few months on the job. He’s raising a lot of money to try and keep his job – according to public data, he’s leading all candidates in campaign fundraising by a long shot, but Martinez is in second place in the state.

The First Judicial District Attorney’s race is also picking up steam. Former District Attorney Marco Serna is running to unseat current District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies – who has drawn attention for prosecutions in the “Rust” movie set shooting trials – something Serna specifically told KOB 4 was a reason he wanted to run for the office.

There’s a similar theme in Gallup and McKinley County, where attorney Grant Birtcher is running to unseat the sitting District Attorney Bernadine Martin, who’s faced her own concerns before.

4 Investigates looked into Martin’s office last year and found it routinely operates with less than half of its budgeted prosecutors – just three of the nine prosecutor positions are filled right now. Birtcher’s campaign website says he wants to reform the office by recruiting experienced attorneys. We could not find a website for Martin’s campaign.

There is also a four-way race for the Democratic nomination for the Third Judicial District in Doña Ana County. The current District Attorney Gerald Byers is falling way behind his competitors when it comes to fundraising. He is facing Fernando Macias, Ramona Martinez, and Shaharazad Booth.

Fundraising totals are not necessarily an indicator of who will win, however, they can show who’s gaining support ahead of the election.

Many current district attorneys will be fighting to keep their jobs next week, especially as New Mexicans are questioning the effectiveness of the justice system.