New Mexico Attorney General election, 2014

New Mexico Attorney General Election

Primary Date: June 3, 2014

General Election Date: November 4, 2014

November 4 Election Winner: Hector Balderas

Incumbent prior to election: Gary King

New Mexico State Executive Elections Top Ballot Governor • Lieutenant Governor • Secretary of State • Attorney General Down Ballot Treasurer, Auditor, Public Service Commissioner, Education Commissioner

The New Mexico Attorney General election took place on November 4, 2014. Incumbent Gary King (D) was first elected in 2006 and was eligible to run for re-election, though he opted to file for the gubernatorial election.

The race to replace King included State Auditor Hector Balderas (D) and attorney Susan Riedel (R). Learn more about where the candidates stood on important issues confronting the state by jumping to the campaign themes section. Hector Balderas won in the general election.

A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. New Mexico utilizes a closed primary process; participation in each party's primary is limited to registered party members.

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article. The primary was held on June 3, 2014.

Candidates

General election

Hector Balderas - Current New Mexico State Auditor
Susan Riedel

Filed for other office

Gary King - Incumbent

Results

General election

Attorney General of New Mexico, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Hector Balderas	58.3%	295,008
	Republican	Susan Riedel	41.7%	211,303
Total Votes				506,311
Election results via New Mexico Secretary of State

Primary election

Republican primary

Susan Riedel was uncontested in the primary.

Democratic primary

Hector Balderas was uncontested in the primary.

Campaign themes

Balderas and Riedel made public statements on the issues facing voters in New Mexico. The following sections quote these statements verbatim from campaign websites:

Hector Balderas

“	Keeping Our Kids Safe Our Most Precious Resource Protecting my kids is my job as a father, and protecting all of New Mexico’s kids will be my priority as your Attorney General. Keeping New Mexicans Safe We are one community Every New Mexican deserves a safe community, justice for victims, and fair treatment under the law. As your Attorney General I will attack New Mexico’s crime problem directly and focus on stopping and punishing crime. Protecting New Mexico’s Seniors The Greatest Generation New Mexican seniors have earned the right to live the way they want. As your Attorney General I will fight to protect their interests by prosecuting scammers and those who mistreat seniors. Protecting New Mexico’s Consumers You. Me. All of Us I have dedicated a long career to fighting back against those who prey on our trust in each other as a society. As Attorney General I will continue to fight tirelessly to protect New Mexicans from crime and corruption. Preventing and Treating Drug Abuse Intelligently New Mexico’s Sad Reality New Mexico has the highest rate of drug overdose deaths in the United States. Cocaine, heroin, meth and prescription drugs destroy families, destroy our economy, fund gangs and cartels, and drain our law enforcement resources. We need change. Protecting Our Natural Heritage The Land of Enchantment New Mexico’s natural resources are a treasure that requires constant vigilance to protect. I believe that our resources can be utilized responsibly and efficiently, creating jobs while preserving the timeless beauty and intrinsic value of our state.	”
—Hector Balderas' campaign website, (2014)

Susan Riedel

“	Restoring Integrity Corruption has become a black eye on our state during that past several years. We need a strong Attorney General who will thoroughly investigate and prosecute any officials who feel that they can operate outside the law. I successfully prosecuted the Dona Ana County Clerk for violations of the election laws. As Attorney General, I will take the same swift action against anyone who violates our laws, especially those in positions of trust who misuse their office. Tackling Crime With more than 25 years of experience as a prosecutor, I know what it takes to combat crime. I have personally handled hundreds of criminal cases and assisted in thousands. New Mexico deserves to have an experienced prosecutor in that office because the Attorney General appears in all criminal appeals and it takes trial courtroom experience like mine to truly understand these cases and ensure that legal technicalities don't put dangerous criminals back in our communities. Strengthening Jobs Climate New Mexico employers deserve to have a fair and predictable Attorney General who will allow them to flourish within the scope of the law. The red tape and regulations imposed by Washington often cripple the ability of small businesses to create jobs and grow. We must continue to make new business welcome so our economy can flourish. I promise to evaluate the myriad regulations to determine whether they are in the best interest of New Mexico, or must be challenged. Protecting Consumers As Attorney General, I will ensure that the public is always informed about consumer issues and will ensure that all consumers are treated fairly. All reports of suspicious business activity will be fully and fairly investigated. Defending Constitutional Rights I have sworn to defend our constitution as a prosecutor and as a judge. As Attorney General, I will be in a strong position to ensure that our personal liberties and freedoms are not eroded.	”
—Susan Riedel's campaign website, (2014)

Polls

General election

Attorney General of New Mexico
Poll	Hector Balderas (D)	Susan Riedel (R)	Not sure	Margin of error	Sample size
BWD Global October 6-7, 2014	48%	41%	11%	+/-2.5	1,509
Gravis Marketing September 27-October 1, 2014	52%	37%	11%	+/-4	727
AVERAGES	50%	39%	11%	+/-3.25	1,118
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Campaign media

Hector Balderas

Hector Balderas ad: Protecting our kids

Susan Riedel

Susan Riedel ad: Ashley

Ad spending

The New Mexico Telegram analyzed political ad spending in New Mexico through September 26 including a review of ad spending in the attorney general election. Both candidates spent a total of $253,570 through the end of September for a total of 660 TV ads. The Balderas campaign aired 345 TV ads during the study period and spent $133,415 while the Riedel campaign aired 315 TV ads for a total of $120,155.

Past elections

2010

New Mexico Attorney General, 2010
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Gary King Incumbent	53.7%	321,547
	Republican	Matthew E. Chandler	46.3%	277,139
Total Votes				598,686
Election results via New Mexico Secretary of State

2006

New Mexico Attorney General, 2006
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Gary King	56.8%	318,000
	Republican	Jim Bibb	43.2%	241,715
Total Votes				559,715
Election results via New Mexico Secretary of State

Campaign finance

Comprehensive donor information for this election has been collected by Follow the Money. Based on available campaign finance records, the candidates raised a total of $1,521,440 during the election. This information was last updated on March 23, 2015.

Campaign Contribution Totals
Candidate	Office	Result	Contributions
Hector Balderas	New Mexico Attorney General		$1,181,806
Susan Riedel	New Mexico Attorney General		$339,634
Grand Total Raised			$1,521,440

Key deadlines

Deadline	Event
March 11, 2014	Candidate filing deadline for primary
June 3, 2014	Primary election
June 26, 2014	Filing deadline for independent and minor party candidates
November 4, 2014	General election
November 25, 2014	State canvassing of election results
January 1, 2015	Inauguration day for state executive officers

Recent news

This section links to a Google news search for the term "New + Mexico + attorney + general + election"

New Mexico Attorney General Election News Feed

See also

• New Mexico Attorney General
• New Mexico state executive official elections, 2014
• State executive official elections, 2014

External links

Suggest a link

• Office of the Attorney General of New Mexico