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STATE LEGISLATURE Many key state Legislature races lack clear winner • By Robert Nott [email protected] Nov 4, 2020 Updated Nov 4, 2020 Leo Jaramillo throws his hands into the air Tuesday as Roger Montoya, his friends and colleagues finish singing 'Las Mañanitas' after surprising him for his birthday. Jaramillo, a Democrat running for Senate District 5, was awaiting results for his race alongside Montoya. Gabriela Campos/The New Mexican While a number of key legislative races lacked a clear winner late Tuesday night, early results of the general election indicated a progressive wave some Democrats were hoping for in the state Senate instead might be a small splash. Republicans challenging progressive Democrats in at least two Senate races were ahead. Pam Cordova and Neomi Martinez-Parra, who had ousted conservative Democratic incumbent Sens. Clemente Sanchez of Grants and John Arthur Smith of Deming in the June primary, were trailing their Republican opponents by 11 p.m. Tuesday. Joshua Sanchez was winning with 61 percent of the votes in the Senate District 30 race against Cordova, while Crystal Diamond had 58 percent of the votes in her race against Martinez-Parra in Senate District 35. Still, Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth, D-Santa Fe, said he believed his party would hold its 26-16 majority in the chamber — and maybe pick up a seat or two by the time all the votes were counted. “it’s looking pretty similar in terms of our numbers but very different in terms of membership — lots of new faces,” he said, referring to many newcomers likely to win races in both parties. He said the “numbers look good” for picking up two seats in the Albuquerque area — those held by Republicans Candace Gould in District 10 and Sander Rue in District 23. Democratic challengers Katy Duhigg and Harold James Pope Jr. were maintaining comfortable leads, and Pope declared the race against Rue in his favor. With some new Democratic senators and the possibility of the party taking an extra seat or two in the chamber, Wirth was optimistic. He said there is “whole list of items that we couldn’t get passed before” that could move more easily through the Senate to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham for consideration. Some of the governor’s initiatives — such as legalizing recreational marijuana, increasing withdrawals from a state permanent fund to pay for early childhood education and protecting abortion rights — are more likely to gain traction, he said. Sen. Craig Brandt, R-Rio Rancho, the minority whip, said there was still a chance for his party to pick up “one or two seats” after the final numbers were in. “It’s going to come down to what part of the vote is being counted,” he said, adding he thought Sanchez and Diamond would win their races. As of 11 p.m., when county clerk’s offices stopped counting ballots for the night, Wirth had 84 percent of the votes in his Senate District 25 race against Republican opponent Ricardo Arturo Vargas. At that point, the Secretary of State’s Office reported about 66 percent of all votes cast had been counted. Incumbent Sen. Nancy Rodriguez, D-Santa Fe, took 82 percent of the vote in a three- person race against Republican Leighton Cornish and Libertarian Scott Milenski in the District 24 race. Sen. Liz Stefanics, D-Cerrillos, had 54 percent of the vote, while her Republican opponent, Joseph Tiano, had 46 percent in District 39. Speaking by phone late Tuesday night, Stefanics said it was too early to call the race. Democrat Leo Jaramillo was ahead of opponents Diamantina Prado Storment, a Republican, and Lee Weinland, a Libertarian, with 68 percent of the vote in Senate District 5. Jaramillo — who turned 44 on Election Day — had ousted long-standing Sen. Richard Martinez, D-Ojo Caliente, in the June primary. Meanwhile, in the New Mexico House, where Democrats have held a 46-24 majority, early vote counts indicated Democrats would at least hold on to that lead, though a few races were too close to count. In Santa Fe, long a bastion of Democratic voters, House Speaker Brian Egolf had a comfortable lead over Republican opponent Raye Byford with 83 percent of the votein the District 47 race. Likewise, Democrats Christine Chandler, Linda Serrato, Andrea Romero and Matthew McQueen had significant leads in their respective District 43, 45, 46 and 50 seats. In Northern New Mexico’s House District 40, Roger Montoya — an artist, dancer and longtime community organizer who was recognized as one of 10 CNN Heroes in 2019 — had 56 percent of the votes. His Republican opponent, Justin Salazar-Torrez, had 44 percent. In early October, a conservative online media outlet reported Montoya had appeared in pornographic films several decades ago. Montoya released a statement saying he was “not proud of the choice” he had made when he was a struggling dancer in Los Angeles. Montoya refused to quit the race, despite calls from the state Republican Party. In an interview Tuesday, he said he felt relieved that part of his past had become public and people were continuing to show him support. Later Tuesday night, Montoya said he was feeling “good” about his lead. “The challenges were formidable, but I feel so proud to have emerged through them with truth-telling,” he said. “It helped me to find a sense of healing and clearing that will make me stronger.” .

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