Candidate filing days looming

CLOVIS — The 2018 state and national elections are still a few months off, but plenty of Land of Enchantment residents have already thrown their hats into the ring.

There’s still plenty of time before candidates have to make their official decision. Filing days are Feb. 6 for preprimary conventions, March 13 for all other major party candidates and March 20 for primary election write-in candidates.

Here is a look at the upcoming state races:

Legislature

In the state House of Representatives, all 70 candidates are on the ballot. Democrats control the chamber 38-32.

Voters in Curry and Roosevelt counties each have three House races up for grabs.

Both counties share Districts 63 and 67. Democrat George Dodge said he “absolutely” intends to run for his District 63 position, and Martin Zamora is the only candidate so far lined up for the Republican Party primary in that race. Republican Dennis Roch will give up his District 67 seat to dedicate more time to his family and his position as Logan schools superintendent, and has recruited Jack Chatfield of Mosquero to run for the seat.

Clovis voters will vote on District 64, held by Republican Randy Crowder. Portales voters will vote on District 66, held by Republican Bob Wooley. Crowder said he plans to run again, while Wooley said he will wait until the 2018 session concludes to make a decision.

No candidate interviewed knows of anybody else running for those House positions. but multiple candidates expect every New Mexico House race will be contested .

State senate seats aren’t up for election until 2020.

Governor

The governor’s race has drawn a pair of current U.S. Congress members to retire from their positions — District 1’s Michelle Lujan Grisham and District 3’s Steve Pearce.

Also running are three Democrats — former media executive Jeff Apodaca, state Sen. Joseph Cervantes and drug prevention educator Peter DeBenedittis. Pearce is the only declared Republican in the race.

Lieutenant governor

Six people — five Democrats and one Republican — are running for lieutenant governor. Democratic candidates are former Public Education Commissioner Jeff Carr, Dona Ana County Commissioner Billy Garrett, Santa Fe Mayor Javier Gonzales, Rio Rancho juvenile probation officer David McTeigue and former state Rep. Rick Meira. Michelle Garcia Holmes, the lone Republican in the race, has served as a state police officer and chief of staff for the state attorney general’s office.

Democrat Michael Padilla and Republican Kelly Zunie have dropped out of the race.

Secretary of state

Incumbent Maggie Toulouse Oliver is running for her first full term as secretary of state. She won election to the office in 2016 following the resignation of Dianna Duran. She is so far the only announced candidate.

Auditor

The office has been vacant since Dec. 1, when Tim Keller resigned following his election as mayor of Albuquerque. No candidates have announced.

Attorney general

The office is currently held by Democrat Hector Balderas, who is running for the position again. Albuquerque immigration attorney Michael Hendricks is also running for the position.

Treasurer

Nobody has announced candidacy for the position. The office is held by Tim Eichenberg, who was elected to the office in 2014.

Commissioner of Public Lands

Clovis Republican Patrick Lyons, a former land commissioner currently serving on the Public Regulation Commission, is running for the position again. Challengers so far are Democrats George Munoz and Garrett VeneKlasen.

U.S. Senate

The position for the junior senator for New Mexico is on the 2018 ballot. The seat is currently held by Democrat Martin Heinrich. Mick Rich, a construction company owner, is running for the seat as a Republican. Neither candidate has a primary challenger so far. The seat is rated as “Solid Democrat” by Cook Political Report.

U.S. House of Representatives, 2nd District

The 2nd Congressional District, an open seat with Pearce’s gubernatorial run, has nine declared candidates. It is rated as “Safe Republican” by Cook Political Report.

Announced Democrats are David Alcon, David Baake, Ronald Fitzherbert, Madeleine Hildebrandt and Tony Martinez. Announced Republicans are Yvette Herrell, Monty Newman, Andrew Salas and Jack Volpato.

• Alcon is the son of state representative Eliseo Alcon, and bills himself as a political consultant who has run his father’s campaigns for more than a decade.

• Baake is a private practice attorney in Las Cruces. He served as a law clerk for two federal judges and had a one-year fellowship with the Natural Resources Defense Council.

• Fitzherbert is a Las Cruces health clinic administrator.

• Herrell, a real estate investor, has served since 2011 in the New Mexico House of Representatives’ District 51.

• Hildebrandt, a college history instructor, is a Socorro resident and a veteran of the U.S. Coast Guard.

• Martinez is a former senior vice president of the drug manufacturing company Endo and served on active duty and in the reserves in the U.S. Army.

• Newman, who runs a real estate company, is the former mayor of Hobbs and served as the state’s Republican Party chair from late 2010 to 2012.

• Salas spent five years as adjutant general of the New Mexico National Guard. He has served in various military positions since 1987 with assignments in Santa Fe, Washington, D.C., and Kirtland Air Force Base.

• Volpato, a Carlsbad pharmacist, has served two terms on the Eddy County Commission and served as president of the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce. He originally planned to run for the state Legislature, but changed his plans when Pearce announced he wouldn’t run.

Candidates who announced their candidacy, but later withdrew, are Public Land Commissioner Aubrey Dunn as a Republican and Adolf Zubia as a Democrat.

U.S. House of Representatives, 3rd District

In the 3rd Congressional District, incumbent and Democrat Ben Ray Lujan is so far the only declared candidate. The Cook Political Report rates the seat as “Safe Democrat.”

Dates to know

Primaries

Feb. 6: Preprimary convention designation candidate filing day, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

March 13: All other major party candidate filing day, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

March 20: Write-in candidate filing day, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

May 8: Voter registration closes for primary; absentee voting begins

May 19: Early voting begins

June 2: Early voting ends

June 5: Election day

General election

Oct. 9: Voter registration closes; absentee voting begins

Oct. 20: Early voting begins

Nov. 3: Early voting ends

Nov. 6: Election day