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New Mexico Secretary of State election, 2016
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June 7, 2016 |
November 8, 2016 |
Maggie Toulouse Oliver (D) |
Brad Winter (R) |
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New Mexico held a special election for secretary of state on November 8, 2016, to determine who would serve the remaining two years of Dianna Duran's term. Duran's 2014 rival, Maggie Toulouse Oliver (D) defeated Nora Espinoza (R) in the general election.
This election was one of Ballotpedia's top 10 state-level races in 2016.
Click here to read the full list.
Overview
Previous Secretary of State Dianna Duran (R) resigned in October 2015 following indictment for criminal charges. Governor Susana Martinez appointed Albuquerque Councilman Brad Winter (R) to serve as secretary until a special election could be held in 2016. Winter declined to seek election to the remainder of Duran's four-year term.
Democrat Maggie Toulouse Oliver, who challenged Duran in 2014, faced Republican Nora Espinoza in the general election. No other candidates filed to run for secretary of state. Oliver won the general election on November 8, 2016.
Prior to Duran’s election in 2010, Democrats had occupied the secretary of state’s office since 1930. Going into the election, New Mexico had a divided government and was generally considered a battleground state. The government remained divided after the 2016 ballots were counted.[1]
Candidates
General election
Maggie Toulouse Oliver (D)
Bernalillo County clerk since 2007
Nora Espinoza (R)
State representative since 2007
Results
General election
Maggie Toulouse Oliver defeated Nora Espinoza in the New Mexico secretary of state election.
| New Mexico Secretary of State, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Maggie Toulouse Oliver |
56.59% | 423,938 | |
| Republican | Nora Espinoza | 43.41% | 325,231 | |
| Total Votes | 749,169 | |||
| Source: New Mexico Secretary of State | ||||
Primary elections
Republican primary contest
Nora Espinoza ran unopposed in the New Mexico Republican primary for secretary of state.
| New Mexico Republican primary for secretary of state, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Nora Espinoza (unopposed) |
100.00% | 83,759 |
| Total Votes (1492 of 1492 precincts reporting) | 83,759 | |
| Source: New Mexico Secretary of State | ||
Democratic primary contest
Maggie Toulouse Oliver ran unopposed in the New Mexico Democratic primary for secretary of state.
| New Mexico Democratic primary for secretary of state, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Maggie Toulouse Oliver (unopposed) |
100.00% | 172,837 |
| Total Votes (1492 of 1492 precincts reporting) | 172,837 | |
| Source: New Mexico Secretary of State | ||
Context of the 2016 election
Incumbent
Secretary of State Brad Winter (R) was appointed to office in December 2015 after former Secretary Dianna Duran's October 2015 resignation. Duran, a former state senator, was charged with fraud, money laundering, and embezzlement of campaign contributions in August 2015 before pleading guilty to reduced charges later that year.
Prior to and during his appointment, Winter also served as a member of the Albuquerque City Council, representing District 4. Winter declined to seek election in the 2016 secretary of state race. "I love being a city councilor," he stated in December 2015.[2] He was the first male secretary of state since 1922.[1]
Party control in New Mexico
Prior to the 2016 election, Democrats had tended to control the state legislature, and they experienced brief periods of trifecta control as recently as 2010.[1] However, in 2015, Republicans gained control of the New Mexico House of Representatives for the first time since 1954.[3] The governorship is also currently held by Republican Susana Martinez; in 2016, all seats in the Democratic-majority state Senate were up for election, signaling the potential for a major partisan shift in the state. Ultimately, however, Democrats maintained their control of the Senate.
The secretary of state's office in New Mexico was held by Democrats from 1931 to 2010. Other state executive offices, such as attorney general and state treasurer, had also been under mostly Democratic control since the 1930s. However, U.S. Senate seats and the governor’s office had tended to alternate between Democratic and Republican control.[1]
Noteworthy events
- October 2015: Secretary of State Dianna Duran (R) resigns following criminal charges.[4]
- December 2015: Governor Susana Martinez (R) appoints Albuquerque Councilman Brad Winter (R) to serve the remainder of Duran's term.[5]
- January 2016: Bernalillo County Clerk and 2014 secretary of state candidate Maggie Toulouse Oliver (D) declares her candidacy.[6]
- February 2016: New Mexico State Representative Nora Espinoza (R) declares her candidacy.[7]
Campaigns
Campaign finance
| Nora Espinoza Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| First Primary | 4/11/2016 | $8,853.79 | $72,431.00 | $(2,747.11) | $78,537.68 | ||||
| Second Primary | 5/9/2016 | $78,537.68 | $44,056.84 | $(3,395.95) | $119,198.57 | ||||
| Third Primary | 6/2/2016 | $119,198.57 | $29,807.13 | $(581.77) | $148,423.93 | ||||
| 7/7/2016 | 7/7/2016 | $124,980.82 | $55,879.13 | $(87,702.03) | $93,157.92 | ||||
| 9/12/2016 | 9/12/2016 | $93,157.92 | $128,595.56 | $(48,704.26) | $173,049.22 | ||||
| 10/11/2016 | 10/11/2016 | $173,049.22 | $101,943.54 | $(86,705.71) | $188,287.05 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $432,713.2 | $(229,836.83) | ||||||||
| Maggie Toulouse Oliver Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| First Primary | 4/11/2016 | $1,520.72 | $189,945.48 | $(84,802.91) | $106,663.29 | ||||
| Second Primary | 5/9/2016 | $106,663.29 | $36,363.29 | $(30,727.07) | $112,299.51 | ||||
| Third Primary | 6/2/2016 | $112,299.51 | $59,590.23 | $(46,858.92) | $125,030.82 | ||||
| Fourth Primary | 7/7/2016 | $148,423.93 | $40,639.75 | $(10,679.23) | $178,384.45 | ||||
| First General | 9/12/2016 | $178,384.45 | $80,060.60 | $(18,888.41) | $239,556.64 | ||||
| Second General | 10/11/2016 | $239,556.64 | $30,993.89 | $(5,128.10) | $265,422.43 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $437,593.24 | $(197,084.64) | ||||||||
Campaign media
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Democrats
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Republicans
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About the office
The New Mexico secretary of state is an elected state office, second in line of succession behind the governor and the lieutenant governor. When the governor and lieutenant governor are out of state, the secretary of state must fill in and perform all of the functions of the governor.
The secretary maintains records of bills signed into law, referendum petitions, and legislative journals, ensuring that proposed amendments to the New Mexico Constitution are published in at least one newspaper in every county in the state for four consecutive weeks in both English and Spanish. The secretary also serves as registered agent for service of process for foreign corporations in some lawsuits.[8]
Authority
The state constitution addresses the office of secretary of state in Article V, the Executive Department.
Under Article V, Section 1:
|
The executive department shall consist of a governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state auditor, state treasurer, attorney general and commissioner of public lands, ...[8] |
Qualifications
Article V of the New Mexico Constitution talks about the qualifications for the office of secretary of state. Standard qualifications under state law have to be met in order to be considered for the position; candidates must be:
- U.S. citizens;
- at least 30 years old; and
- New Mexico residents for at least five years before the election.[8]
Past elections
2014
| Secretary of State of New Mexico, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Dianna Duran Incumbent |
51.6% | 262,117 | |
| Democratic | Maggie Toulouse Oliver | 48.4% | 245,508 | |
| Total Votes | 507,625 | |||
| Election results via New Mexico Secretary of State | ||||
2010
| New Mexico Secretary of State, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Dianna Duran |
57.4% | 341,915 | |
| Democratic | Mary Herrera Incumbent | 42.6% | 253,325 | |
| Total Votes | 595,240 | |||
| Election results via New Mexico Secretary of State | ||||
2006
| New Mexico Secretary of State, 2006 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Mary Herrera |
54.2% | 301,862 | |
| Republican | Vickie S. Pera | 45.8% | 254,748 | |
| Total Votes | 556,610 | |||
| Election results via New Mexico Secretary of State | ||||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms New Mexico Secretary State Election 2016. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
State profile
| Demographic data for New Mexico | ||
|---|---|---|
| New Mexico | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 2,080,328 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 121,298 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 73.2% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 2.1% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 1.4% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 9.1% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 3.3% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 47.4% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 84.2% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 26.3% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $44,963 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 24.7% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in New Mexico. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
- See also: Presidential voting trends in New Mexico
New Mexico voted for the Democratic candidate in six out of the seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, three are located in New Mexico, accounting for 1.46 percent of the total pivot counties.[9]
Pivot Counties (2020)
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. New Mexico had three Retained Pivot Counties, 1.66 percent of all Retained Pivot Counties.
More New Mexico coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in New Mexico
- United States congressional delegations from New Mexico
- Public policy in New Mexico
- Endorsers in New Mexico
- New Mexico fact checks
- More...
See also
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New Mexico government: |
Previous elections: |
Ballotpedia exclusives: |
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Office of the NM Secretary of State, "New Mexico Centennial Blue Book," accessed February 7, 2016
- ↑ Albuquerque Journal, "ABQ councilor sworn in as secretary of state," December 15, 2015
- ↑ Albuquerque Journal, “GOP wins control of NM House,” November 4, 2014
- ↑ Albuquerque Journal, "Secretary of State Duran resigns, pleads guilty," October 23, 2015
- ↑ Albuquerque Journal, "ABQ councilor sworn in as secretary of state," December 15, 2015
- ↑ KOB.com, "BernCo Clerk Toulouse Oliver again running for NM Secretary of State," accessed February 7, 2016
- ↑ The Washington Times, "Candidates vie for secretary of state post after scandal," accessed February 7, 2016
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Office of the New Mexico Secretary of State, "Constitution," accessed Sept. 9, 2015
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
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