Cibola County Races Led by Close Probate Contest, Crowded Commission and House Seats
CIBOLA COUNTY, N.M. – Unofficial results posted by the New Mexico Secretary of State give voters an early look at how local and statewide contests broke in the county. These results remain unofficial until the canvass process is completed. The Cibola County Commission is scheduled to canvass and certify county results at a meeting Friday, June 12, before transmitting the official report to the Secretary of State. County Commission: District 3 Field, District 1 Winner Emerges In County Commission District 1 (Democratic primary), unofficial results show Richard Allen Cerno leading with 361 votes (62%), followed by Marty R. Molina with 150 (26%) and Robert J. Armijo with 71 (12%). There is no Republican challenger in this election. In County Commission District 3 (Democratic primary), a five-candidate field produced a spread-out finish, with Martin M. Vigil leading at 206 votes (30%). He was followed by Robert Francis Horacek with 153 (23%), George Rodriguez with 131 (19%), Michael W. Lewis with 118 (17%), and Stanley E. Michael with 69 (10%). On the Republican side in District 3, Erik Omar Garcia received 191 votes. Garcia is the incumbent Mayor of Grants, who said he only ran in the county commission race to prove a point to fellow Grants City Councilors about the Grants City Charter. Probate Judge: Razor-Thin Top Two One of the closest countywide races was Probate Judge. In this contest, Corrine C. Padilla and Marie Martinez-Garcia were separated by just 13 votes in the county’s unofficial totals.
Padilla led with 1,130 votes (42%) to Martinez-Garcia’s 1,117 (42%), while Josephine E. Hurtado received 415 (16%). Sheriff, Assessor, and Magistrate Courts For County Sheriff, Democrat Larry D. Diaz received 2,378 votes. Republican Aaron Henry Baca received 902 votes. The two will face off in November. For County Assessor, Democrat Jenna M. Rodriguez received 2,317 votes. There was no Republican challenger. In the courts, Magistrate Judge Division 1 showed Tony L. Mace (D) with 2,301 votes. There was no Republican challenger. In Magistrate Judge Division 2 (Democratic primary), Jessica M. Melonas led with 1,702 votes (64%), followed by Michael Chris Cavin with 487 (18%) and Dominic John Pargas with 476 (18%). Republican Robert Scott Windhorst received 905 votes, he will face off against Melonas in November.
Legislative Races: District 6 and 69 In House District 6 In districtwide totals provided alongside the unofficial report, Martha Garcia will win the District 6 Democratic primaries with 1,437 votes (44%), followed by Priscilla Benally with 889 (27%), Johnny Valdez with 674 (21%), and David L. Alcon with 274 (8%). Republican Paul L. Spencer received a total of 913 votes. He will face Garcia in November. Because House districts cross county lines, the districtwide outcome is determined by the full district vote, not only the Cibola County portion, but McKinley County also. Specifically in Cibola County’s portion of House District 6, Democrat Johnny Valdez led with 520 votes (43%), with Martha Garcia close behind at 465 (38%), followed by Priscilla Benally with 120 (10%) and David L. Alcon with 105 (9%). Despite Cibola County swinging heavily for Johnny Valdez, the county alone was not enough to secure the seat. Republican Paul L. Spencer received 560 votes in the county’s reported precincts, showing the majority of his votes came from Cibola County.
In House District 69, districtwide unofficial totals showed Michelle Paulene Abeyta leading with 1,971 votes (68%) to Harry Garcia’s 939 (32%).
In the Cibola County portion, Abeyta led with 1,103 (68%) to Garcia’s 512 (32%). District 69 is another legislative seat that encompasses multiple counties, including Bernallilo, Valencia, Cibola, San Juan, Socorro.
Statewide Races: How Cibola County Voted
In the Democratic primary for Governor, Cibola County voters favored Deb Haaland with 1,629 votes (58%) over Sam Bregman with 1,160 (42%).
In the Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor, Maggie Toulouse Oliver led in Cibola County with 1,970 (73%) to Harold James Pope Jr.’s 731 (27%).
In the Democratic primary for Secretary of State, Amanda López Askin led the county with 1,372 (53%) over Katharine E. Clark with 1,221 (47%).
For U.S. Senate (Democratic primary), Cibola County voters favored Ben R. Luján with 2,275 (82%) over Matt Dodson with 499 (18%).
In U.S. House District 2, Gabriel Vasquez was listed with 2,365 votes in Cibola County.
Turnout Snapshot
The Secretary of State’s statewide dashboard showed 24.60% turnout with 346,467 ballots cast out of 1,408,181 eligible voters as of the last update included in the report. County level data was not available at press time from Santa Fe.
What Happens Next
The next step is canvass. The Cibola County Commission’s canvassing meeting is scheduled for Friday, June 12, when the county will finalize its report and transmit results to the Secretary of State. Until that process is complete, results should be treated as unofficial – but with all precincts reporting, the numbers provide a strong picture of how the county voted.