Over 1,100 candidates file for New Mexico municipal elections

​By Kevin Hendricks, nm.news
Courtesy of NM Political Report

People vote at the Sandoval County admin building in November. (Kevin Hendricks)

Nearly 1,200 candidates filed paperwork Tuesday to run for municipal offices across New Mexico, with mayoral races from major cities to small villages drawing the most attention in the 2026 election cycle.

A total of 1,196 candidates filed for positions ranging from mayor and city council to school board, hospital board and soil and water conservation positions across all 33 counties. The filing deadline produced competitive races in cities large and small, with some mayoral contests featuring as many as eight candidates.

​Election Day is Nov. 4.

Mayor and City Council Races by County

BERNALILLO COUNTY

• Mayor, City of Albuquerque: Mayling Armijo, Louie Sanchez, Alexander Uballez, Timothy Keller, Daniel Chavez, Eddie Varela, Darren White
• City Council: District 1: Stephanie Telles, Ahren Griego, Daniel Leiva, Joshua Neal; District 3: Christopher Sedillo, Teresa Garcia, Klarissa Peña; District 5: Athenea Allen, Dan Lewis; District 7: Tammy Fiebelkorn; District 9: Colton Newman, Renée Grout
• Village of Los Ranchos de Albuquerque Trustee: George Radnovich, Gilbert Benavides, Gwenn Baldwin, John Edward
• Village of Tijeras Councilor: Matt Armenta, Jonathan Ortiz, Joseph Patron, Gloria Chavez

CATRON COUNTY

• Reserve Village Councilor: James Wiley, Yvonne Milligan

CHAVES COUNTY

• Mayor, City of Roswell: Timothy Jennings, Larry Clark, Eva Tellez, Christopher Hensley
• Mayor, Lake Arthur: Armin Grado, Harry Wesson
• Mayor, Hagerman: Tony Garcia
• City Council, Roswell: District 1: Jeremy Howe, Jeffrey Cabana, Jerry Janow, Cristina Arnold; District 2: Sarah McArthur, Juliana Halvorson; District 3: Judy Stubbs, Kedrick Smith, Richard Hesse, Edward Heldenbrand, Kurt Gass, Nicholas Ballenger; District 4: Emily Valencia, Robert Corn; District 5: Angela Moore, James Ridgway
• Other City Councils: Dexter: Timothy Durand, Regina Bejarano; Lake Arthur: Barbara Carey, Irma Salmon; Hagerman: Danny Jennings, Joseph Williams, Andrew Rodriguez

CIBOLA COUNTY

• Mayor, Milan: Felix Gonzales
• City Councilors: Grants District 1: Bob Tenequer, Dolores Vallejos, Zachery Gutierrez; Grants District 3: Fred Rodarte; Milan Municipal District: George Knotts, Virgil Brumbelow, Christopher Archuleta, James Mercer, Jared Brewer-Windhorst

COLFAX COUNTY

• Mayor, Maxwell: Michael Brandenburg, Shantell Gallegos
• Mayor, Springer: Ashley DeHerrera, Boe Lopez
• Mayor, Eagle Nest: Chrissi Lund, Fox Guinn
• Mayor, Cimarron: Eloy Brazil, John Hylant
• City Commissioners, Raton: District 2: Jason Bennett, Daniel Campbell, Donald Giacomo; District 4: Linde Schuster, Jeffrey McLean, Kathleen Hanson; District 5: Sally Hoger, James Segotta, Joe Bustos
• City Councilors: Maxwell: Mark Cruz, Roy Hapeman, Kimberly Berry; Angel Fire: Matthew Billingsley, Owen Curry, Charles Howe, Bruce Jassmann; Cimarron: Colin Tawney, Ernie Ledoux, Judy Ledoux, Miriah Ledoux, Matthew Gonzales; Eagle Nest: Charles Drew, Deborah Espie, Julie Kulhan, David Fitzpatrick, Melvin Cooper, Andrew Fuller, Gino Attardi
• Town Trustees, Springer: Tony King, Joe Apodaca, Rebecca Ramirez, Francesca Chavez

CURRY COUNTY

• Mayor, City of Texico: Deborah Autrey
• City Councilors At Large: Village of Grady: Emory Jones, Lance Sumrall; City of Texico: Max Carter, Oran Autrey; Village of Melrose: James Mitchell, William Frazier

DE BACA COUNTY

• City Councilor, Village of Fort Sumner: Derrick Terrell, Elizabeth Steele

DOÑA ANA COUNTY

• Mayor, Village of Hatch: G Dennis Torres
• Mayor, City of Anthony: Diana Murillo, Gabriel Holguin, Oscar Enriquez
• City Councilors: Las Cruces District 3: Isaiah Tellez, Michael Harris; Las Cruces District 5: Becky Corran, Ronnie Sisneros; Las Cruces District 6: John Munoz, Tommy Black, Richard Reynaud, Ramona Bataneant; Sunland Park District 1: Mili Sandoval; District 2: Armando Mata, Octavio Almaraz; District 3: Jesus Soto, Arturo De La O, Bertha Salmon; District 6: Susan Gomez, Raul Telles
• Trustees: Hatch Village: Sanjuana Olvera, Robert Martinez, Roberto Torres, Perla Chairez, Casey Crist, Kathie Franzoy; Mesilla Town: Biviana Cadena, Martha Mulvihill, Veronica Garcia, Adrianna Merrick; Anthony City: Raul Granados, Elva Flores, Daniel Barreras, Sylvia Hidalgo, Genaro Soriano

EDDY COUNTY

• Mayor, Hope: David Romine, Charles Fletcher
• City Councilors: Carlsbad District 1: Ivan Ramirez, Edward Rodriguez; District 2: Jeffrey Forrest; District 3: Karla Niemeier; District 4: Mark Walterscheid, Norbert Rempe; Loving City: Rafael Maldonado, Joey Rodriguez, Noemi Rodriguez; Hope City: Matthew Bowerman, Bob Rogers

GRANT COUNTY

• Mayor, Town of Silver City: Simon Wheaton-Smith, Dale Lane, Levi Timmons, Guadalupe Cano
• Mayor, Hurley Municipal District: Joseph Stevens, Epitacio Ordonez, Sondra Berry
• City Councilors: Silver City District 2: Nicholas Prince, Eric Vreeland, Jep Housley; District 4: Jennifer Rider, Victor Nanez; Bayard Municipal District: William Gray, Gilbert Ortiz; Hurley Municipal District: Aron Phillips, Esther Gil, Reynaldo Maynes
• Trustees, Village of Santa Clara: Peter Erickson, Thomas Caddel, Albert Esparza

GUADALUPE COUNTY

• City Councilor, City of Vaughn: Jesus Munoz, Ernest Marquez, Ryan Martinez, Ricardo Berumen, Eva Castillo

HARDING COUNTY

• Mayor, Roy: Edward DeHerrera
• Councilors: Roy Municipal District: Sinforosa Lovato, Roberto Porras, Stephanie Esquibel, Xavier Romero, Navor Gutierrez, Victoria Villarreal; Mosquero Municipal District: Jimmie Ridge

HIDALGO COUNTY

• Mayor, Lordsburg: Martin Neave, Glenda Greene
• Mayor, Virden: Jacob Bigler
• City Councilors: Lordsburg: Albert Diaz, Manuel Saucedo, Krystal De La O, Ruben Gomez, John Plowman, John Harris, Margaret Chavez, David Tarango, Adrian Marquez; Virden: Joni Taylor, Shannon Kempton

LEA COUNTY

• Mayor, Hobbs: Nicole Infante, Jonathan Sena, Roy Penick, Joseph Imbriale
• Mayor, Eunice: Billy Hobbs, John Davis
• Mayor, Jal: W Stephen Aldridge, Larry Burns, Phillip Little
• Mayor, Tatum: Marilyn Burns, Isabella Saenz
• City Councilors: Hobbs City Council 1: R Finn Smith; District 2: Chris Mills; District 3: Larron Fields; Lovington District 1: David Trujillo, Ezequiel Rodriguez, Koan Boughner, Christopher Johnson; District 2: Christina Ramon, Scott Boldt; District 4: Steven Perry, Jose Marrufo; Eunice: Curtis Rouse, Steve Almager, Ty Chanley; Jal: Lorenzo Chacon, Stacy Ward, Michael Thorne, Rebekah Richard, Julia Watson, Elizabeth Acosta, Julian Sauceda; Tatum: Paul Ramirez, Joseph Kalisek, Leona Wylie, Amber Hitchcock, Mary Jiron, Sarah Puckett, Teresa Grady

LINCOLN COUNTY

• Mayor, Ruidoso Downs: Terence Proctor, Carroll Scott, Karen Stirman, James Frintz, Walter Baber
• City Councilors: Ruidoso Downs: Maria Gutierrez, Jonathan Taylor, Shane Walker, Rebecca Lundquist, Judy Miller; Corona Village: Dillon Oord, Beth Angelone
• Trustees: Capitan Village: Laura McInnes, Eddie Sedillo, Sherry Hair, Ron Lowrance, Dennis Rich, Dondi Edmiston; Carrizozo Town: Damian Luna, Mital Bhakta, Henrietta Griego

LOS ALAMOS COUNTY No mayoral races
LUNA COUNTY

• City Councilors: Deming District 2: Irmaisela Rodriguez, Laura Parra, Heraclio Martinez; District 3: Joe Milo, Benny Jasso, Catherine Gutierrez
• Trustees, Municipal District 212: Anais Grado, William Johnson, Jerad Loesch, Paulino Villegas

MCKINLEY COUNTY

• Mayor, City of Gallup: Marc DePauli, Timaris Montano, Lyndon Tsosie
• Councilors: Gallup Position 2: Michael Schaaf, Sierra Yazzie Asamoa-Tutu; Position 4: Ron Molina, Christopher Vian

MORA COUNTY

• Mayor, Wagon Mound: Benito Armijo, Andres Martinez, Gabriel Maestas
• Councilors: Wagon Mound: Eldie Cruz, Gabriel Maestas, Corey Muniz, Ferdinando Lopez

OTERO COUNTY

• Mayor, Alamo : Sharon McDonald, Ted Morgan, Latanya Boyce, Richard Cota, Jason Baldwin
• Mayor, Cloudcroft: Gerald Wiley, Timothy King
• Commissioners: Alamogordo District 1: Robert Pattillo; District 2: Andrew Smith, Evan Ross, Stephen Burnett; District 4: Joshua Rardin
• Trustees: Tularosa City District: Robert Sainz, Jose Chavez, John Greene, Christopher Rupp, Casey Otero; Cloudcroft City District: Erwin Hardwick, Gail McCoy, Keith Hamilton

QUAY COUNTY

• Mayor, House: Rodger Grigsby
• City Councilors: Tucumcari District 4: Jacob Hyslop, Keith Hayes, Christopher Arias; District 5: Marcella Willis; San Jon: Gilbert Donovan, Justin Tucker; Logan: Wes Cox, Jai Courtney; House: Janice Cassel, Kelly Smith

RIO ARRIBA COUNTY

• Mayor, Village of Chama: Ernest Vigil, Billy Elbrock, Yvonne Martinez
• Councilors At Large, Village of Chama: Juan Maestas, Jesse LeFevre, Victoria Gonzales, Timothy Gallegos

ROOSEVELT COUNTY

• Mayor, Portales: Trent Badda, Christopher Hahn, Chadrick Heflin, Michael Davidson
• Mayor, Elida: Durward Dixon
• Mayor, Dora: Jack Burkett
• City Councilors: Portales Council A: Kolten Edgell, Dina Ortega, Chris Bachicha, Daniel Sanchez; Council B: Oscar Robinson, Barbara Himmel-Roberts, Gary Watkins; Council C: Owen Pierce, Christy Foss, Thomas DeWitt, Steven Davis; Council D: Joshua Crandall, Angela Smith, Douglas Stone; Elida: Chance Bradley, Steve Barron, Beverly Creighton; Dora: Billy Cathey, Lewis Walker; Floyd: Justin Whitecotton

SAN JUAN COUNTY

• Mayor, Bloomfield: Lucas Almeida-Barnett, Cynthia Atencio, John Mohler
• Mayor, Kirtland: Alex Uhl
• City Councilors: Farmington District 1: Linda Rodgers; District 2: Herman Buck, Stewart Logan; Bloomfield Positions 1 and 2: Scott Eckstein, Tony Herrera
• Commissioners: Aztec District 2: Colby King, Jason Cortez; District 4: Jeff Blackburn, Katie Burnett-Buchholz; District 5: Brett Lanier, Kenneth George

SAN MIGUEL COUNTY

• Mayor, City of Las Vegas: David Romero, Jaylene Quiles, Katrin Scholz-Barth
• Mayor, Village of Pecos: Telesfor Benavidez, Ralph Lopez
• City Councilors: Las Vegas Ward 2: Michael Montoya, Benito Pacheco, Benito Lujan, Guadalupe Torrez; Ward 3: Virginia Marrujo, Barbara Perea-Casey, Jacob Gutierrez; Ward 4: Caroline Williams, Marvin Martinez
• Trustees At Large, Village of Pecos: Daniel Aragon, Brian Sandoval, Armando Gabaldon, Edwin Benavidez

SANDOVAL COUNTY

• Mayor, Village of San Ysidro: Steve Lucero
• Mayor, Village of Corrales: James Fahey, Bob Eichhorst, Frederick Hashimoto
• Trustees: Jemez Springs Village: Victoria Martinez, Monique Alton, James McCue, Melina Sanchez, Cynthia Shelton; San Ysidro Village: Julian Trujillo, Jason Keith
• Councilors: Corrales Position 1: Rick Miera; Position 3: M Lawlor Knight; Position 4: John Alsobrook

SANTA FE COUNTY

• Mayor, Santa Fe: Michael Garcia, Ronald Trujillo, Joanne Coppler, Oscar Rodriguez, Justin Greene, Jeanne O’Dean, Tarin Nix, Letitia Montoya
• City Councilors: Santa Fe District 1: David Montoya, Patricia Feghali, Katherine Rivera; District 2: Leroy Trujillo, Paul Bustamante, Elizabeth Barrett, Aurora Martinez; District 3: Lee Garcia; District 4: Amanda Chavez
• Commissioners: Edgewood District 1: Adrian Chavez, Kenneth Brennan; District 2: Devon Taylor, Jerry Powers; District 4: Filandro Anaya, Stephen Murillo; District 5: Michael Rariden

SIERRA COUNTY

• Mayor, Elephant Butte: Michael Williams, Joseph Farless, Richard Holcomb
• Commissioners: Truth or Consequences: Chris Sisney, Sierra Neblina, Kristina Rhoades, Destiny Mitchell, David Yarber, Chaz Glines
• Councilors: Elephant Butte: John Mascaro, Cathy Harmon, Skylar Arnold; Elephant Butte (Out): Autumn Long
• Trustees: Williamsburg Village: Geraldine McCauley, Guillermo Hernandez

SOCORRO COUNTY

• City Councilor, Socorro: Michael Olguin, Mary Chavez-Lopez, Stephen Rosas, Mario Amaro, Joe Gonzales, Peter Romero, Damien Ocampo, Gordon Hicks, Maria Rivera, Eddie Garcia
• Trustees, Magdalena: James Nelson, Teresa Winchester, Peter Emery, Michael Thompson, Ray Olmsted

TAOS COUNTY

• Mayor, Taos: Marietta Fambro, Daniel Barrone, Candyce O’Donnell, Judith Cantu
• City Councilors: Taos: Eugene Sanchez, Susan Trujillo, Tetsuro Namba, Billy Romero; Questa: Brent Jaramillo, Daryl Ortega; Red River: Justin Brandenburg, Brian Waltz, James Nail, Angela Howles-Black; Taos Ski Valley: Jay Stagg, John Myers, Renato Frimm, Matthew Hayner

TORRANCE COUNTY

• Mayor, Town of Mountainair: Peter Nieto, Ernesto Lopez
• Mayor, Village of Willard: Edward Redondo
• Mayor, Village of Encino: Elias Sanchez
• Mayor, Town of Estancia: Runnel Riley, Nathan Dial
• City Councilors: Mountainair: Jose Torres, Dustin Kayser; Moriarty: Robert Ortiz, Robin Spalding, Maggie Gipson, Kenneth Snow; Willard: David Dean, Roberta Chavez; Estancia: Albert Lovato, Martin Lucero, Mark Martinez

UNION COUNTY

• Mayor, Des Moines: Jeffrey Valdez, Jonathan Valdez
• Mayor, Grenville: Judy Jacobs
• City Trustees, Clayton: Coby Beckner, Jon Whitsitt, Alaina Garcia, Alex Montoya, Billy Arellano
• Councilors: Des Moines: Darlene Longbine, Jordan Wingo, Donna Gonzales, Linda Muniz, Jeanalyn Martin, Pamela Sorensen, Sandra Fernandez, Jeffery Moore; Grenville: Katherine Bramblett, Carl Wingo, Jason Gilbert, James Saddoris

VALENCIA COUNTY

• Mayor, City of Belen: Robert Noblin
• Mayor, Town of Peralta: Joseph Chavez
• Mayor, City of Rio Communities: Matthew Marquez, Joshua Ramsell
• City Councilors: Los Lunas District 1: Christopher Ortiz, John Walker; District 3: Cruz Munoz, Naithan Gurule, Matthew Chavez; Belen: Frank Ortega, Steven Holdman; Peralta: Claudio Moya, Randy Smith; Bosque Farms: Stefanie Scanland, Clinton Kettle, James Bruhn, Manuel Zamora, Dolly Wallace; Rio Communities: Alan Sinclair, Lawrence Gordon, Michael Melendez, Jo Skelton, Maryjo Palmer

Other Elected Positions

Beyond mayor and city council races, candidates filed for numerous other positions including:

School Boards: 31 different school districts across the state drew candidates, with some individual districts seeing multiple contested races.

College and University Boards: Community colleges and university branch campuses saw competitive races, particularly in larger counties.

Soil and Water Conservation Boards: These agricultural and environmental oversight positions drew candidates in all 33 counties.

Hospital Boards: Several hospital districts, particularly in rural areas, saw contested elections for board positions.

Water and Sanitation Boards: Multiple utility districts drew candidates for director positions.

Special Districts: Various flood control, public improvement and tax increment development districts also saw candidates file.

​Municipal Judges: Many cities and towns saw contested races for municipal judge positions.
All filings are currently listed as pending while election officials verify candidate eligibility and paperwork.