Shaun Burns: Mag judge race 'exhilarating'

CLOVIS — Shaun Burns said his election Tuesday to the position of Curry County's Division 2 magistrate judge was about as "exhilarating" as the first trial he defended (and won) almost 40 years ago.

"It was a hard-fought race in all respects. This was my first political campaign ever in my life ... and I found this to be one of the most fascinating and educational experiences," he told The News on Wednesday. "I want to thank the other candidates ... and I'm anxious to hit the ground running in January."

Results of Curry County's elections are not official until votes are canvased Friday morning, but for most contested races the margins of victory were decisive enough by Tuesday night. A total of five hand-tally votes that might have made a difference in Seth Martin's 158-154 victory over Dillon Lewis for the county's District 4 commission seat were reviewed Wednesday and found not to affect that race, County Clerk Annie Hogland confirmed.

Lewis still has the option to request a re-count, which would entail making a deposit with the canvasing board after Friday and submitting an application with the county's district judge, according to New Mexico Secretary of State Communications Director Joey Keefe.

Lewis said Wednesday he hadn't given that idea much thought, but wasn't sure if it would be warranted.

"I have thought about it, but I haven't went with much more than a thought," he told The News. "I think (the vote totals are) going to be pretty accurate anyway. It's just my gut feeling right now."

In any case, Lewis and his opponent Martin, who first took the position in January by appointment, agreed it was an exciting race.

"The only thing I really have to say is that it was a fun, competitive race and a fun, competitive election day," Lewis said. "It came right down to the wire and just a handful of votes. Can't ask for much more than that."

Martin called it "the most nerve-wracking race," but said he "couldn't ask for a better opponent" in Lewis, his neighbor near Grier.

"I will say that - with the race being that close, it shows how well-liked and respected the Lewises are, and I appreciate the campaign that Dillon and his family did," he told The News. "And I do look forward to carrying on with what I have been doing (on the commission) and a lot of the projects that we have started."

No other races were so close, but they were still competitive. Four individuals were on ballots for each of the two magistrate judge positions vacated by incumbents Richard Hollis and Duane Castleberry, who declined to seek re-election.

In Division 1, split for Tuesday's primary between two Republican and Democratic candidates each, Janemarie Vander Dussen and Nicole Roybal emerged the winners of the respective parties.

Vander Dussen beat Keith Farkas 300-200, while Roybal defeated Terry Martin 275-171. Both victors told The News they thanked their supporters and primary opponents and looked forward to the general election Nov. 8.

The nomination of two females candidates from major parties for the general election poises Curry County for an historic moment: Roybal or Vander Dussen would be the county's first female magistrate court judge, Hogland confirmed.

Neither Farkas nor Martin responded to requests for comment Tuesday night and Wednesday.

In Division 2, four men vied for the Republican nomination and no Democrats ran. Burns won with 665 votes, closely followed by Stephen Whittington with 622. Whittington could not be reached for comment.

Sean Martinez, who drew 250 votes, said his loss was "unfortunate," but he stayed open-ended about the prospect of another candidacy to come.

"We'll see what happens. I can say this — you'll see me again," he told The News. "I would like to thank all of the men and women that voted for me and for their support and dedication to my campaign. I just wish the best for Clovis going forward and would like to thank each of the candidates."

Donald Sawyer pulled in 361 votes and told The News on Wednesday he was disappointed, particularly with voter turnout.

"There was still at least 6,000 registered Republican voters and we had less than a third that came out," he said. "I think that was one of the things that was a little bit disappointing to me. I don't know how I could think of any other way to motivate people to come out and vote."

Hogland said an unofficial total of 3,381 votes were cast across Republican, Democratic and Libertarian parties in this year's midterm primary, out of 17,413 voters registered and affiliated with one of the three parties. She said 4,946 votes were cast in the 2016 primary, with turnout then expected a little higher given the national election.

With that said, Hogland said the turnout wasn't bad overall.

"I think we had a great election day turnout for a mid-term primary," she said. "Across the state we actually had a pretty decent turnout, considering."