Cibola County went to the polls on Tuesday, June 7 to elect the candidates they want to see go head-to-head in the general election. Few local elections in Cibola County were contested. The most highly anticipated race of the primary election cycle was the race for Cibola County Sheriff that made for a riveting contest.
According to the United States Census Bureau, 27,184 people live in Cibola County. Of those 27 thousand, 11,613 are registered voters. Of the almost 12 thousand registered votes in Cibola, only 3,113 people voted on June 7.
The Cibola Citizen is a non-partisan media organization, we have never endorsed or supported a specific candidate and we plan on remaining neutral through the general election on November 8 and beyond.
On election night, polls closed at 7 p.m. and vote counting began. Cibola County began reporting ballots at 7:56 p.m., the first votes to roll out were early votes. The first votes to come in were from the Village of Milan at 8:11 p.m.; At 8:26 p.m. ballots from the Old County Complex and San Mateo came in; At 8:39 p.m., San Rafael and Encinal ballots rolled in; At 8:56 p.m., ballots from Cubero and Bluewater Acres came in; At 9:05 p.m., ballots from Laguna and Seama were reported by the county; At 9:38 ballots from Paraje and Fence Lake came in, they were counted with all early votes; At 9:53 p.m., ballots from Mesita and Acoma came in; At 10:06 p.m. all absentee ballots were officially recorded; By 10:37, the last of the votes from Fence Lake, Seboyeta, and Paguate were recorded. There were 18 voting locations through the county, all had a successful election night.
Cibola County Sheriff
The most highly anticipated race of the primaries for local Cibola County was the sheriff’s race. With the incumbent hitting his term limit, the sheriff’s seat was wide open.
One Republican and six Democrats decided to run for this office.
The night began with an easy lead for Maxine Monte (Spidle), a current lieutenant at Cibola County Sheriff’s Office. She started off with 134 votes, significantly higher than any other candidate. She managed to maintain this lead until around 9 p.m.
When 9 p.m. rolled around, the vote became much closer, and Monte (Spidel) was neck-andneck with Former Sheriff Larry Diaz – 33 percent to 33 percent.
When the final votes came in from the Fence Lake, Seboyeta, Paguate area, the vote changed drastically. These were the last areas to report ballots.
When counted, the final ballots won Larry Diaz the Democrat nomination with 689 votes, 36 percent of the total Democrat vote for sheriff.
Diaz will face off against Wesley Wayne Mallery who earned 793 votes to earn the Republican nomination. They will face off with each other for the November election.
Cibola County Assessor
Incumbent Assessor Dolores P. Vallejos is the only candidate for Cibola County Assessor. She earned 1,482 votes and will slide through the general election in November. Probate Judge
Incumbent Judge Grace Marie Martinez-Garcia is the only candidate for Probate Judge. She earned 1,463 votes and will slide through the general election to be reelected.
Cibola County Commission District 1
Former Commission Chairman Robert Armijo ran against incumbent Commissioner Christine Lowery for this commission seat. Lower easily won this contest with 75 percent of the vote, 230. Republican candidate Richard S Coop ran unopposed and earned 62 votes.
Lowery will face Coop in the general election.
Cibola County Commission District 3
Incumbent Democrat Ralph A Lucero earned 414 votes, he was unopposed for the primary. Martin W. Hicks earned the Republican nomination with 160 votes. Lucero and Hicks will face off for the general election on November 8.
Cibola County Magistrate Judge
There are two divisions in this category, both were unopposed. Tony Mace ran for Division 1 and earned 1,320 votes.
Incumbent Judge Johnny Valdez ran for Division 2 and earned 1,513 votes.
Both will advance to the November general election and both will win a judgeship.
State Representative District 6
Eliseo Lee Alcon is the Democratic incumbent and earned 1,658 votes. Jerri D. Rowe earned the Republican nomination and earned 741 votes. Alcon and Rowe will face off in the November election.
State Representative District 69
Harry Garcia is the Democratic incumbent; he had a write-in opponent but easily triumphed with 1,159 votes. He does not have a Republican candidate.
New Mexico Governor
Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham did not have a primary opponent in the race for governor, and won the primary election with 125,098 statewide votes.
The Republican field for governor was jam packed. There were five candidates for office, but you wouldn’t know it after the votes came out. Republican Mark V. Ronchetti won the GOP nomination with no contest, seizing 58 percent of the vote, 117,406 statewide ballots.
The Libertarian candidate is Karen Evette Bedonie, she earned 976 statewide ballots.
Governor Lujan Grisham, Ronchetti, and Bedonie will face each other in November for the general election.
Lieutenant Governor
Incumbent Lieutenant Governor Howie C. Morales was unopposed for the Democrat ticket, he earned 117,171 statewide ballots.
Ant L. Thorton was one of two candidates on the Republican ticket, she won the nomination with 60 percent of the vote, 64,322 ballots. Libertarian Steven Sanchez ran unopposed and earned 1,169.