New Mexico Democratic primary heats up with many incumbents facing challengers
NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – The New Mexico Primary is less than three weeks away; and for Democrats, it’s turning into a heated contest. A big group of incumbent, long-time lawmakers in the House and Senate are facing challengers looking to shake up the status quo.
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There’s a battle shaping up between progressive and moderate Democrats that KRQE Political Analyst Gabriel Sanchez says may make the primary more impactful. “For viewers out there who are saying, ‘ah, I’ll wait around for the general,’ you might actually have more influence over policy by participating in the primary election than you will in the general just given the huge advantages the Democrats have right now in the state of New Mexico,” Sanchez said.
A question Sanchez says Democrats will face this primary is how the party’s ideological dynamic could shift. “There’s a lot more attention to the Democratic primary because that’s probably going to have more impact on some of the big picture policy issues: abortion, reproductive health, paid family leave, etcetera,” Sanchez said.
Sanchez says that’s why there are more Democrats facing off. On June 4, 11 incumbent representatives and seven incumbent senators will fight to keep their seats in the Roundhouse; including long-time lawmakers George Muñoz, Pete Campos, Linda Lopez, Antonio Maestas, and Patricia Lundstrom to name a few.
Bernalillo County early voting for primary begins Saturday
“This is an ongoing internal struggle among the Democratic party between progressives and those and remember it’s not a very far ideological gap between those that we’re calling moderate Democrats and those we’re calling Progressive,” Sanchez said.
He says one issue that highlighted the intra-party fight last session was the defeat of the controversial ‘Paid Family Medical Leave Act:’ “That came very close to passing last legislative session and I believe it was 11 Democrats that voted against their party essentially with Republicans to block that bill and I think that’s part of the motivation and a lot of the tactics used against some of the incumbent Democrats are really framed around their stance or their vote on Paid Family Medical Leave.”
Just a few incumbents getting booted from the legislature could make a big difference; Sanchez says one thing to watch will be if other party leaders start weighing in.
“Will the governor engage in any of these races as we get closer to the primary? And the other thing to take note of is Speaker Martinez essentially has said, ‘I’m not going to play in that sandbox. That essentially I am going to support all Democratic incumbents and that’s a pretty important departure,” Sanchez said.
News 13 reached out to Speaker Javier Martinez’s office for comment on the current state of the Democratic primary races; they replied in a statement:
“New Mexico’s diverse and dynamic House Democratic Caucus is united by a commitment to uplifting working families in our state. Our Democratic members have a proven track record of delivering results and putting the people of New Mexico first.”
Javier Martinez, (D-Albuquerque) Speaker of the House
Sanchez says this primary will be one to watch. “It’s important for voters to pay close attention,” Sanchez said, “This is the type of environment where your vote actually could have a major impact on the overall policy environment in the state of New Mexico.”
In terms of the Republican primary, a total of just five Republican incumbents across the House and Senate are facing challengers—compared to 18 Democrats.
Expanded early voting opens across New Mexico on Saturday and the primary takes place on June 4. For more information about voting in New Mexico, visit the Secretary of State’s website here.
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