Legislative Seat Results

Incumbents fall in two Northern New Mexico House races

By Jeff Proctor

A hotly contested race for a Northern New Mexico legislative seat ended in upset.

Challenger Andrea Romero held a slim lead with 53 percent of votes to take the Democratic nomination for the District 46 seat from incumbent Rep. Carl Trujillo, according to unofficial election results. The district includes the northern section of Santa Fe County.  The secretary of state website showed a red checkmark next to the race indicating all votes were counted just after midnight.

Both candidates faced allegations of misconduct during the blistering primary campaign. Laura Bonar, a lobbyist for Animal Protection Voters, accused Trujillo of offering her a favorable vote on legislation she was pushing during the 2014 legislative session in exchange for sex. Another lobbyist and a state representative backed up Bonar's claims in interviews with The New Mexican; Trujillo fired back, saying the allegations were politically motivated and potentially connected to Romero.

Meanwhile, state Auditor Wayne Johnson and the board of the Regional Coalition of LANL Communities, where Romero worked as executive director, announced in March separate reviews of Romero's spending during her time with the organization. More than $2,000 in expenditures came under scrutiny, including payouts for baseball tickets and a $28 glass of WhistlePig whiskey—funds the coalition deducted from money it owed Romero after she left its employ.

In other Northern New Mexico House races, Los Alamos County Councilor Christine Chandler led one-time Democratic nominee Peter Sheehey by about 9 percentage points in District 43, according to unofficial results. The winner of that contest will face Republican Lisa Shin for a seat left open by Democrat Stephanie Garcia Richard's successful run for state land commissioner.

In District 41, Susan Herrera appeared headed for an upset of 12-term incumbent Debbie Rodella. Unofficial results had Herrera leading Rodella by nearly 12 percent to take the seat. The winner of the Democratic primary will have a seat in the Legislature next year; there is no Republican running in that district. (JP)

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly described the boundaries of District 46. 

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