Preliminary Unofficial Results Show Torrance County voters backing Republicans across the ballot

Torrance County voters favored Republican candidates in every contested federal, statewide, legislative, and county race on Tuesday, according to unofficial results posted by the New Mexico Secretary of State. Republican Gregg Hull led Democrat Deb Haaland in the county by nearly two to one.

The New Mexico Secretary of State's results showed all 22 Torrance County precincts reporting as of 9:38 PM MST. Every figure in this article is unofficial. The county and state canvass may change the totals before certification, and absentee or provisional ballots may still be outstanding.

Statewide, the count is far from finished. By 9:38 PM MST, only 375 of New Mexico's 2,204 precincts had fully reported. An earlier results file, downloaded at 9:27 PM MST, included no votes yet from Bernalillo County, the state's largest county. As of publication, the Mountainair Dispatch had not called any statewide race. 

Roughly 5,400 to 5,500 Torrance County voters of 11,659 eligible voters cast ballots in the top races. This is 47.1% of eligible voters. About 5,480 Torrance County voters cast ballots in the governor's race, according to unofficial results. That is nearly identical to the 2022 general election, when 5,544 county voters cast ballots for governor and 5,570 Torrance County voters cast ballots in all, according to the certified state canvass. 

Why Torrance County results matter

Torrance County casts a small share of New Mexico's votes, but it is one of the counties where local results most often differ from the statewide outcome. A county that leans strongly toward one party can still end up represented by officials it did not support. When that happens, residents' relationships with state agencies, Congress, and the governor's office depend more on outreach and constituent services than on shared party ties.

The county and legislative races are different. Torrance County voters alone choose the county commissioners, sheriff, assessor, magistrate judge, and probate judge. Those officials set the county budget, patrol rural roads, value homes and land for property taxes, and handle the first stages of many criminal and civil cases.

County offices

Republican Crystal Garcia led Democrat Hugh Jones in the race for Torrance County Assessor, 3,386 votes (63.2 percent) to 1,973 votes (36.8 percent). The assessor sets the taxable value of homes, businesses, and land in the county, and that value is the starting point for every property tax bill. Jones, the office manager in the Assessor's Office, has worked there for nearly 20 years, according to his answers in the League of Women Voters guide.

In Torrance County Commission District 1, Republican Nathan Schafer led with 999 votes (53.6 percent). Democrat Albert Chavez had 675 votes (36.2 percent), and Independent Stephen Garrett had 189 votes (10.1 percent). District 1 covers precincts 5, 13, 17, 19, 20, and 21.

In Commission District 2, Republican Thomas Holt led Democrat William Peifer, 1,009 votes (63.7 percent) to 575 votes (36.3 percent). District 2 covers precincts 6, 7, 11, 15, 18, and 22.

Three county candidates ran unopposed:

• Thomas Carter (R), County Sheriff: 4,062 votes
• Mary Ann Anaya-Hernandez (R), Probate Judge: 4,017 votes
• Craig Davis (R), Magistrate Judge: 3,970 votes

State House

In House District 22, Republican Rep. Stefani Lord led among Torrance County voters with 2,289 votes (61.4 percent). Democrat Bill Scott had 1,135 votes (30.4 percent), and Independent Zachary Withers had 304 votes (8.2 percent). District 22 also includes part of Bernalillo County, so the Torrance County numbers do not decide the race on their own. 

Democratic Rep. Anita Gonzales, who ran unopposed in House District 70, received 982 votes from Torrance County voters in precincts 6, 11 through 13, 18, 19, and 22.

Governor and statewide offices

Torrance County voters gave Republicans clear margins in every statewide executive race:

• Governor and Lieutenant Governor: Gregg Hull and David Gallegos (R) 3,586 votes (65.4 percent); Deb Haaland and Stephanie Garcia Richard (D) 1,898 votes (34.6 percent)
• Secretary of State: Ramona Goolsby (R) 3,359 votes (62.2 percent); Amanda López Askin (D) 2,044 votes (37.8 percent)
• Attorney General: Samuel Kane Sr (R) 3,207 votes (58.9 percent); Raúl Torrez (D) 2,234 votes (41.1 percent)
• State Auditor: Joshua Lawrence (R) 3,357 votes (62.2 percent); Joseph Maestas (D) 2,038 votes (37.8 percent)
• State Treasurer: James Ellison (R) 3,411 votes (63.1 percent); Laura Montoya (D) 1,996 votes (36.9 percent)
• Commissioner of Public Lands: Michael Perry (R) 3,359 votes (62.0 percent); Juan Sanchez III (D) 2,061 votes (38.0 percent)

The governor's race drew the most votes of any contest in the county, at 5,484 ballots cast. Hull, the longtime mayor of Rio Rancho, and Haaland, the former US Secretary of the Interior, are competing to succeed Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who is term-limited. 

US Senate and US House

In the US Senate race, Republican Larry Marker led incumbent Democrat Sen. Ben Ray Luján among Torrance County voters, 3,269 votes (59.8 percent) to 2,195 votes (40.2 percent). Statewide, in results downloaded at 9:27 PM MST with Bernalillo County not yet reporting, Luján led Marker 228,569 votes (61.6 percent) to 142,502 votes (38.4 percent).

In the US House District 1 race, which includes all of Torrance County, Republican Ndidiamaka Okpareke led incumbent Democrat Rep. Melanie Stansbury in the county, 3,174 votes (58.4 percent) to 2,259 votes (41.6 percent). Across the district, in the same 9:27 PM MST results without Bernalillo County, Stansbury led Okpareke 38,145 votes (54.3 percent) to 32,077 votes (45.7 percent). Most District 1 voters live in Bernalillo County, so those district-wide numbers could change substantially.

Statewide Results of Federal and State Elections

The Associated Press declared Democrat Deb Haaland the winner of the governor's race at about 8:40 PM MST, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican, making her the first Native American woman elected governor of a US state. The AP called the US Senate race for incumbent Democrat Sen. Ben Ray Luján at 7:00 PM MST. Rep. Melanie Stansbury has been reported as the winner in US House District 1. Hull said shortly after the governor's race was called that he was not conceding, according to the New Mexican.

Judicial retention

All four judges facing retention cleared the 57 percent "yes" threshold among Torrance County voters. Under the New Mexico Constitution, Article VI, § 33 (1994) judges who have already won a partisan election face a yes-or-no retention vote at the end of each term and must win at least 57 percent to keep their seats. 

• Justice David Thomson, New Mexico Supreme Court: 2,692 yes (58.8 percent); 1,886 no
• Justice Shannon Bacon, New Mexico Supreme Court: 2,646 yes (57.9 percent); 1,921 no
• Judge J. Miles Hanisee, New Mexico Court of Appeals: 2,745 yes (60.8 percent); 1,768 no
• Judge Mercedes Murphy, Seventh Judicial District, Division 1: 2,724 yes (60.0 percent); 1,817 no

Bacon's margin in Torrance County was the narrowest, less than one percentage point above the line. The Supreme Court and Court of Appeals retention votes are decided statewide. Murphy's retention is decided across the Seventh Judicial District, which also includes Catron, Sierra, and Socorro counties.

Court of Appeals Judge Kris Houghton (D), appointed in 2025 and running unopposed for a full term, received 3,012 votes in the county. Public Education Commissioner Stewart Ingham (R), also unopposed, received 4,015 votes.

Constitutional amendments

Torrance County voters approved all four proposed constitutional amendments, though by widely different margins. Amendments take effect only if they pass statewide.

• Amendment 1, ending the governor's pocket veto: 3,424 yes (67.5 percent); 1,650 no. The amendment would make bills passed in the last three days of a legislative session become law unless the governor vetoes them within 20 days, and it would require a written explanation for every veto.
• Amendment 2, school elections: 3,000 yes (59.5 percent); 2,042 no. The amendment would let school districts put bond and mill levy questions on general election ballots, and it would let the Legislature move school board elections onto the same cycle.
• Amendment 3, university regents: 2,880 yes (59.4 percent); 1,966 no. The amendment would require the governor to choose most university regents from lists drawn up by nominating committees.
• Amendment 4, legislative pay: 2,612 yes (52.1 percent); 2,398 no. New Mexico is the only state that pays its legislators no salary. The amendment would allow a salary capped at the state's median household income, about $68,000, beginning in January 2029. It had the closest margin of the four, at 214 votes.

Bond questions

General obligation bonds let the state borrow money for buildings and equipment, repaid through property taxes over about 10 years. The State Board of Finance estimates that if all three bonds pass, the cost to property owners would average about $12.82 a year per $100,000 of assessed value, and the state's property tax rate for bonds would stay at its current level.

• Bond Question 1, senior citizen facilities ($21,582,213): 2,947 yes (59.2 percent); 2,028 no
• Bond Question 2, library acquisitions ($19,324,188): 2,658 yes (53.5 percent); 2,308 no
• Bond Question 3, higher education, special schools, and tribal schools ($352,225,379): 2,470 yes (49.5 percent); 2,522 no

Bond Question 3 was the only measure on the ballot that Torrance County voters rejected, by 52 votes. It accounts for about $11.49 of the estimated $12.82 annual cost.

What happens next

Results remain unofficial until the Torrance County Board of County Commissioners, sitting as the county canvassing board, certifies the county's results. The State Canvassing Board then certifies statewide results. 

The Mountainair Dispatch will update this story as statewide results come in. Full precinct-level results for Torrance County are available on the New Mexico Secretary of State's election results website.

For background on the candidates and ballot questions, see the League of Women Voters of Central New Mexico's nonpartisan voter guide for Torrance and Valencia counties.