New Mexico Democrats expand state House majority following ‘historic blue wave’

New Mexico legislative Democrats unseated four incumbent Republicans on Tuesday, with leaders crediting the national  “historic blue wave” for expanding the party’s already sizable majority in the state House of Representatives.

Incumbent state Reps. Catherine Cullen (R-Rio Rancho), Rebecca Dow (R-Elephant Butte), Tanya Mirabal Moya (R-Los Lunas) and Luis Terrazas (R-Silver City) all lost their general election matchups against Democrats. 

As a result, Democrats will hold 47 of 70 House seats when the new legislative session begins on Jan. 19 for a 60-day session. Democrats also kept their 10-seat majority in the state Senate, after incumbent Sen. Rex Wilson (R-Ancho) defeated Democratic challenger William Neil Griffin, an attorney in Ruidoso.

New Mexico House Speaker Javier Martínez (D-Albuquerque), in a statement celebrating the results Wednesday, credited the gains to both the national fervor that won Democrats control of Congress on Tuesday, along with state Democrats’ delivery of “real results that are making life better and more affordable for families across our state.”

New Mexico, he said,“serves as an example for the rest of the nation on how to lead. We’ll carry the energy and momentum from tonight with us into the Roundhouse this January as we continue to show other states the way forward.”

In the case of House District 39, Democrat Raul Turrieta, a four-time county assessor, beat incumbent Terrazas by 53% to 47%. 

Turrieta told Source NM on Wednesday that he attributed his victory to being a well-known local and running a good campaign, but also to the “blue wave.”

“The Democrats really came out,” he said. “We raised enough money to be comfortable to do what we had to do, but mainly the blue wave. Let me tell you, man, that thing really took me over the top.”

‘It represents hope’: New Mexico Democrats cement control following historic blue wave

Terrazas, in a text message Wednesday to Source NM, thanked his supporters and said it is now time for “our community to continue working together.”

Democrat David Mooney, in House District 38, beat incumbent Republican Rebecca Dow by 53% to 47%. Dow previously held the seat between 2016 and 2022 before returning to represent the district in 2025, and fighting a legal ballot in the spring to appear on the primary election ballot. 

Mooney ran as a write-in candidate in the June primary after no other Democrat stepped up to challenge her. The race marked his first foray into running for elected office. 

Mooney told Source NM on Wednesday that his victory shows that Democrats can compete in rural districts like District 38, which covers parts of Doña Ana, Sierra and Socorro counties, but has more Democrats registered than Republicans. Mooney said his message helped spur Democrats to the polls.

“I came into the race absolutely as an underdog, but I have truly believed for years that folks could win in more rural districts like House District 38 if they just actually run on a campaign standing up for working folks and against corporations and special interests in our politics,” he said.

Mooney said one of his main priorities in January will be advocating for a data center moratorium of at least 18 months and a law requiring all new data center developments to be approved only if a majority of affected community members approve them. Data centers are proposed or in progress in each of the three counties covered by the district, he said. 

“I think that will do a lot to restore trust in the community about developers coming in,” he said of requiring a referendum on new developments. “I do think that’s going to be a hard fight.”

In addition to Turrieta and Mooney, the Democrats who flipped Republican seats are Rickie Allen Gonzales II in District 7 and Chriselle Martinez in District 57. Gonzales defeated Mirabal Moya by 52% to 48%, and Martinez defeated Cullen by 54% to 46%. 

Gonzales and Martinez could not be reached for comment Wednesday. 

In all but the District 57 race, registered Democrats outnumbered Republicans in the districts they flipped on Tuesday. Democratic House leaders, in their statement Wednesday, thanked those Democrats for voting to send more Democrats to the Roundhouse. 

“Our communities showed up at the ballot box and sent Democrats back to the Roundhouse with an even stronger majority, so we can build on our progress in the upcoming session and beyond,” House Majority Whip Day Hochman-Vigil (D-Albuquerque) said in a statement.