16-year-old Ava Kaslowski chairs the House of Representatives floor session during the National Hispanic Institute's youth legislative session at the New Mexico Capitol on June 16, 2023.
16-year-old Ava Kaslowski chairs the House of Representatives floor session during the National Hispanic Institute's youth legislative session at the New Mexico Capitol on June 16, 2023. (Mia Casas: KUNM)

Democratic blue wave boosts New Mexico House Democrats to likely supermajority

KUNM

Last night house districts in New Mexico also saw the effects of the blue wave that rocked the polls nationwide. Democrats officially flipped three seats in the state house yesterday, and look to be on track to flip a fourth.

  • Seat 38, which stretches from Socorro down to Doña Ana County, elected recruiter David Mooney. Republican Rep. Rebecca Dow represented the district for a combined total of almost 8 years.
  • Seat 39 in Grant County elected Deputy County Assessor Raul Turrieta over Republican Rep. Luis Terrazas, who represented the district since 2021.
  •  Seat 57 in Northwest Rio Rancho elected small business owner Chriselle Martinez to the seat. Republican Rep. Catherine Cullen has represented the district since 2025.
  • And although not confirmed by the Associated Press, Democrats are poised to flip a fourth seat in Valencia County by 300 votes according to the Secretary of State’s website. Republican Rep. Tanya Mirabol Moya of District 7, who represented the district since 2023, gave her challenger Rickie Gonzales her best wishes as the next representative via social media.

If Gonzales wins, that would give Democrats the seat they need to reach a 47-seat supermajority in the state house.

Last night wasn’t a total wipeout for New Mexico Republicans. District 4 in San Juan county flipped from blue to red as Heather Ellison steps into the role after incumbent Democratic Rep. Joseph Hernandez resigned too late for a replacement candidate. In the Northeast Heights of Albuquerque, Republican Rep. Nicole Chavez won by 700 votes to retain her seat, one of the few Republican represented districts in the Albuquerque area.

The legislative session for the elected lawmakers will begin January 19 and last for 60 days.

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Florian Knowles

Florian Knowles is a 2026-2027 New Mexico Local News Fellow at KUNM News. He is a 2026 graduate of the University of New Mexico, majoring in journalism and mass communications. He was also a student reporter for KUNM, an audience engagement intern at Chalkbeat and a research intern for the New Mexico Local News Map. Florian can be reached at florianknowles@kunm.org.

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