New Mexico Public Regulation Commission election, 2016
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June 7, 2016 |
November 8, 2016 |
Cynthia Hall (D) Valerie Espinoza (D) |
Karen Montoya (D) (Chair) Valerie Espinoza (D) |
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New Mexico held elections for two seats on the Public Regulation Commission on November 8, 2016. Cynthia Hall (D) and incumbent Commissioner Valerie Espinoza won the general elections in District 1 and District 3, respectively. Democrats retained their 4-1 majority on the commission.
Overview
The New Mexico Public Regulation Commission is responsible for the regulation of public utilities, transportation companies, transmission and pipeline companies, insurance companies, and other public companies in the state. It is composed of five members elected to staggered four-year terms.
Democratic primary winner Cynthia Hall ran uncontested in District 1 as no Republicans filed for the office. The incumbent in District 3, Democrat Valerie Espinoza, was also uncontested.
Heading into to the election, four of the five seats on the commission were held by Democrats; New Mexico has a divided government. The commission experienced no change in party control following the election.
Candidates
District 1
 Most recent position: Associate general counsel at the Public Regulation Commission. Past experience: Private practice attorney, nonprofit founder. |
District 3
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Results
District 1
Cynthia Hall ran unopposed in the New Mexico public regulation commission, District 1 election.
| New Mexico Public Regulation Commission District 1, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Cynthia Hall (unopposed) |
100.00% | 123,765 | |
| Total Votes | 123,765 | |||
| Source: New Mexico Secretary of State | ||||
Cynthia Hall defeated incumbent Karen Montoya in the New Mexico Democratic primary for public regulation commissioner, district 1.
| New Mexico Democratic primary for public regulation commissioner, district 1, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Cynthia Hall |
57.14% | 26,151 |
| Karen Montoya Incumbent | 42.86% | 19,616 |
| Total Votes (315 of 315 precincts reporting) | 45,767 | |
| Source: New Mexico Secretary of State | ||
District 3
Valerie Espinoza ran unopposed in the New Mexico public regulation commission, District 3 election.
| New Mexico Public Regulation Commission District 3, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Valerie Espinoza (unopposed) |
100.00% | 133,387 | |
| Total Votes | 133,387 | |||
| Source: New Mexico Secretary of State | ||||
Incumbent Valerie Espinoza ran unopposed in the New Mexico Democratic primary for public regulation commissioner, district 3.
| New Mexico Democratic primary for public regulation commissioner, district 3, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Valerie Espinoza Incumbent (unopposed) |
100.00% | 51,124 |
| Total Votes (272 of 272 precincts reporting) | 51,124 | |
| Source: New Mexico Secretary of State | ||
Context of the 2016 election
Primary elections
A primary election is an election in which voters select the candidate they believe should represent a political party in a general election. Primaries usually take place several months before a general election. New Mexico utilizes a closed primary process, in which the selection of a party's candidates in an election is limited to registered party members.[2][3][4]
New Mexico's primary elections took place on June 7, 2016.
Incumbents
Karen Montoya, District 1
Montoya was elected to the commission in 2012, defeating Republican Christopher Ocksrider by a margin of ten percent. Montoya won the Democratic nomination over challenger Cynthia Hall earlier that year by just three percent. Hall defeated Montoya in the 2016 Democratic primary.
Montoya served as the chair of the commission from 2013-2016. Prior to her election, she worked as the Bernalillo County assessor.
Valerie Espinoza, District 3
Espinoza was elected to the commission in 2012, running uncontested in the general election and winning the Democratic nomination in the primary by less than six percent. She was elected chair of the commission in 2016.
Prior to her election, Espinoza served as Santa Fe County clerk from 2004-2012.
Party control in New Mexico
New Mexico has a divided government. Throughout the state’s history, Democrats have tended to control the state legislature, and they experienced brief periods of trifecta control as recently as 2010.[5] However, in 2015, Republicans gained control of the New Mexico House of Representatives for the first time since 1954.[6] The governorship is also held by Republican Susana Martinez; in 2016, all seats in the Democratic-majority state Senate are up for election, signaling the potential for a major partisan shift in the state.
Four of the five seats on the commission are held by Democrats.
Campaigns
Race background
Democratic primary for District 1
Incumbent Karen Montoya was defeated by Democratic challenger Cynthia Hall, whom Montoya defeated by three percent in the 2012 Democratic nomination for the same office.
Hall had criticized Montoya's support of the commissions approval of the continued operation of the San Juan Generating Station, a coal-fired power plant, under a plan that the PRC approved in December 2016. The station was facing closure due to violations of the federal Clean Air Act regulations and an inability to fund the improvements necessary to come into compliance. Under the plan, the station will shut down two of its four units to reduce emissions. Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM), the state's largest utilities provider and majority owner of the San Juan station, will supplement the loss with power from other nearby coal, natural gas, and nuclear facilities. The plan passed 4-1, with chairwoman Valerie Espinoza the sole dissenting vote. "I don’t believe that more coal or nuclear is the best alternative,” Espinoza said.[7] Supporters of the plan called it the lowest-cost solution that would have the least impact on consumer rates.[7]
Campaign finance
| Cynthia Hall Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| First Primary | 4/10/2016 | $0 | $6,355.00 | $(5,020.15) | $1,334.85 | ||||
| Second Primary | 5/8/2016 | $1,334.85 | $39,380.00 | $(13,569.25) | $27,145.60 | ||||
| Third Primary | 6/2/2016 | $27,145.60 | $10,520.00 | $(18,239.30) | $19,426.30 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $56,255 | $(36,828.7) | ||||||||
| Karen Montoya Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| First Primary | 4/11/2016 | $0.00 | $36,514.00 | $(4,959.93) | $31,554.07 | ||||
| Second Primary | 5/9/2016 | $31,554.07 | $0.00 | $(619.13) | $30,934.94 | ||||
| Third Primary | 6/2/2016 | $30,934.94 | $0.00 | $(29,666.37) | $1,268.57 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $36,514 | $(35,245.43) | ||||||||
| Valerie Espinoza Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| First Primary | 4/11/2016 | $0.00 | $3,155.00 | $(3,140.51) | $14.49 | ||||
| Second Primary | 5/9/2016 | $14.49 | $100.00 | $(0) | $114.49 | ||||
| Third Primary | 6/2/2016 | $114.49 | $800.00 | $(620.12) | $294.37 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $4,055 | $(3,760.63) | ||||||||
Endorsements
| Key endorsements, Democratic primary candidates for district 1[8] | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Karen Montoya | Cynthia Hall | ||||||||
| International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers | Albuquerque Journal | ||||||||
| New Mexico Building and Construction Trades Council | Conservation Voters of New Mexico | ||||||||
| International Association of Fire Fighters, Local 244 | Osceola Energy | ||||||||
| AFSCME Local 18 | |||||||||
| Public Regulation Commissioners Sandy Jones (D) and Lynda Lovejoy (D) | |||||||||
| Attorney General Gary King (D) | |||||||||
| State Treasurer Tim Eichenberg (D) | |||||||||
| State Senate Majority Whip Michael Padilla (D) | |||||||||
| What is a key endorsement? | |||||||||
Campaign media
Note: If a candidate is not listed below, Ballotpedia staff were unable to locate any campaign media for that candidate. Do you know of any? Tell us!
Democrats
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About the office
The New Mexico Public Regulation Commission is an elected five-member board in the New Mexico state government. The commission is responsible for the regulation of public utilities, transportation companies, transmission and pipeline companies, insurance companies and other public companies.
Commissioners are elected to staggered four-year terms beginning January 1 following their election.[9]
Incumbents
Heading into the 2016 election, Democrats held a 4-1 majority on the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission. The commission included the following members:[10]
- District 1: Karen Montoya (D - Chair)
- District 2: Patrick Lyons (R)
- District 3: Valerie Espinoza (D)
- District 4: Lynda Lovejoy (D)
- District 5: Sandy Jones (D)
Authority
The New Mexico Constitution addresses the creation of the Public Regulation Commission in Article XI, Corporations Other Than Municipal.
Under Article XI, Section 1:
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The "public regulation commission" is created. The commission shall consist of five members elected from districts provided by law...[11] |
Past elections
As outlined in Article XI of the New Mexico Constitution, commissioners are elected to staggered four-year terms beginning January 1 following their election.[11]
2014
Patrick H. Lyons and Lynda Lovejoy won Districts 2 and 4 without opposition.[12]
District 5
| New Mexico Public Service Commissioner, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Sandy Jones |
50.9% | 45,547 | |
| Republican | Ben L. Hall Incumbent | 49.1% | 43,966 | |
| Total Votes | 89,513 | |||
| Election results via New Mexico Secretary of State | ||||
2012
Democratic incumbent Jason Marks assumed the District 1 seat in 2005 and was unable to seek re-election due to term limits. Democrat Karen Montoya was elected to his seat in the general election on November 6, 2012.[13]
- 2012 General Election Results-District 1
| New Mexico Public Regulation Commission District 1 General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Karen Montoya |
55% | 94,526 | |
| Republican | Christopher Ocksrider | 45% | 77,256 | |
| Total Votes | 171,782 | |||
| Election results via New Mexico Secretary of State | ||||
In a four-way battle Valerie Espinoza won the Democratic nomination on June 5, 2012. Since no Republicans filed for the seat, Ezpinoza had no major party opposition in the general election.[14]
- 2012 General Election Results-District 3
| New Mexico Public Regulation Commission District 3 General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Valerie Espinoza |
100% | 127,569 | |
| Total Votes | 127,569 | |||
| Election results via New Mexico Secretary of State | ||||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms New Mexico Public Regulation Commission election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
State profile
| Demographic data for New Mexico | ||
|---|---|---|
| New Mexico | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 2,080,328 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 121,298 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 73.2% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 2.1% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 1.4% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 9.1% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 3.3% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 47.4% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 84.2% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 26.3% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $44,963 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 24.7% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in New Mexico. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
- See also: Presidential voting trends in New Mexico
New Mexico voted for the Democratic candidate in five out of the six presidential elections between 2000 and 2020.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, three are located in New Mexico, accounting for 1.46 percent of the total pivot counties.[15]
Pivot Counties (2020)
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. New Mexico had three Retained Pivot Counties, 1.66 percent of all Retained Pivot Counties.
More New Mexico coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in New Mexico
- United States congressional delegations from New Mexico
- Public policy in New Mexico
- Endorsers in New Mexico
- New Mexico fact checks
- More...
See also
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New Mexico government: |
Previous elections: |
Ballotpedia exclusives: |
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Albuquerque Journal, "Perls drops independent bid for PRC seat," accessed October 15, 2016
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures Website, "State Primary Election Types," accessed January 6, 2014
- ↑ Fair Vote, "Congressional and Presidential Primaries: Open, Closed, Semi-Closed, and 'Top Two,'" accessed January 6, 2014
- ↑ Ballotpedia research conducted December 26, 2013, through January 3, 2014, researching and analyzing various state websites and codes.
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedbb - ↑ Albuquerque Journal, “GOP wins control of NM House,” November 4, 2014
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Farmington Daily Times, "PRC approves San Juan Generating Station," December 16, 2015
- ↑ Karen Montoya, "Endorsements," accessed June 3, 2016
- ↑ New Mexico Public Regulation Commission, " Homepage," accessed November 13, 2013
- ↑ "Public Regulation Commissioners," accessed Sept. 11, 2015
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Office of the New Mexico Secretary of State, "Constitution," accessed Sept. 10, 2015
- ↑ "Election results, 2014," accessed Sept. 10, 2015
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedgenelec - ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedprimary results - ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
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