- United States House of Representatives elections in New Mexico, 2008
-
Elections in New Mexico 
Federal governmentPresidential elections 2000 · 2004 · 2008
Presidential primaries Democratic: 2004 · 2008
Republican: 2008U.S. Senate elections 1976 · 1982 · 1988 · 1994 · 1996
2000 · 2002 · 2006 · 2008 · 2012 · 2014U.S. House elections 2006 · 2008 · 2010 · 2012
State governmentGubernatorial elections 
City of AlbuquerqueMayoral elections 2009
The 2008 congressional elections in New Mexico were held on November 4, 2008 to determine New Mexico's representation in the United States House of Representatives. The party primary elections were held June 3, 2008.[1] Martin Heinrich, Harry Teague, and Ben R. Luján, all Democrats, were elected to represent New Mexico in the House. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; the winners of the election currently serve in the 111th Congress, which began on January 4, 2009 and is scheduled to end on January 3, 2011. The election coincided with the 2008 U.S. presidential election and senatorial elections.
New Mexico has three seats in the House, apportioned according to the 2000 United States Census. Its 2007-2008 congressional delegation consisted of two Republicans and one Democrat. All three incumbents chose to vie for New Mexico's open Senate seat. The election resulted in all three New Mexico seats are being occupied by freshman Democrats. Districts 1 and 2 changed from Republican to Democratic; CQ Politics had forecast that these seats might be at risk for the Republican Party.
Contents
Match-up summary
District Incumbent 2008 Status Democratic Republican Independent 1 Heather Wilson Open Martin Heinrich Darren White None 2 Steve Pearce Open Harry Teague Edward R. Tinsley, III None 3 Tom Udall Open Ben R. Luján Dan East Carol Miller District 1
See also: New Mexico's 1st congressional districtThis district includes the central area of New Mexico, in and around Albuquerque. An open seat, CQ Politics forecast the race as 'No Clear Favorite'. The Rothenberg Political Report rated it 'Pure Toss-Up'. The Cook Political Report ranked it 'Lean Democratic'.
- Martin Heinrich (D) (campaign website)
- Darren White (R) (campaign website)
The 2006 race between incumbent Republican Heather Wilson and Democratic state Attorney General Patricia Madrid was a cliffhanger, with Wilson being reelected by 861 votes. John Kerry narrowly won the district with 52% in 2004 (CPVI=D+2). With the retirement of longtime U.S. Senator Pete Domenici, Wilson ran and lost as a candidate for the Republican nomination in the race for an open U.S. Senate seat, leaving this an open seat.[2] The Democratic nominee was Martin Heinrich (former Albuquerque City Councilor). The Republican nominee was Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White.[3] In the general election, Heinrich defeated White by a margin of 11%. When sworn into Congress in January 2009, Heinrich became the first Democrat to ever represent this district in the House.
- Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
- Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org
- White (R) vs Heinrich (D) graph of collected poll results from Pollster.com
Primary elections
2008 Democratic Primary Congressional Election, District 1[4] Party Candidate Votes % ±% Democratic Martin T. Heinrich 22,344 44% Democratic Rebecca D. Vigil-Giron 12,659 25% Democratic Michelle Lujan Grisham 12,073 24% Democratic Robert L. Pidcock 4,272 8% Majority 9,685 Turnout 51,348 2008 Republican Primary Congressional Election, District 1 Party Candidate Votes % ±% Republican Darren White 57,878 88% Republican Joseph J. Carraro 8,244 12% Majority 49,634 Turnout 66,122 General election
2008 General Congressional Election, District 1 Party Candidate Votes % ±% Democratic Martin T. Heinrich 163,622 55.5% Republican Darren White 131,284 44.5% Majority 32,338 11% Turnout 294,906 District 2
See also: New Mexico's 2nd congressional districtThis district covers the southern half of the state of New Mexico, including Las Cruces and Roswell. CQ Politics forecast the race as 'Leans Republican'. The Rothenberg Political Report rated it 'Pure Toss-Up'. The Cook Political Report ranked it 'Republican Toss Up'.
Republican incumbent Steve Pearce won his party's nomination over Heather Wilson for the U.S. Senate, leaving this an open seat.[5] This district usually votes Republican. George W. Bush won the district 58% to 42% over John Kerry in 2004 (CPVI=R+6). Nevertheless, Democratic nominee Harry Teague defeated Republican Edward R. Tinsely III in the general election and is the first Democrat to represent this district since 1981.
Candidates
Harry Teague Democratic nominee for
U.S. Representative for New Mexico, 2nd DistrictElection date
November 4, 2008Opponent(s) Edward Roy Tinsley, III (R) Incumbent Steve Pearce (R) Personal details Political party Democratic Spouse(s) Nancy Occupation small business owner Website harryforcongress.com Edward R. Tinsley, III Republican nominee for
U.S. Representative for New Mexico, 2nd DistrictElection date
November 4, 2008Opponent(s) Harry Teague (D) Incumbent Steve Pearce (R) Personal details Born Lamesa, Dawson County, Texas Political party Republican Spouse(s) Meredith George Tinsley Residence Capitan, Lincoln County, New Mexico Alma mater University of Texas
Occupation Franchisor of K-Bob's Steakhouse; Rancher, Lawyer Religion Methodist Website www.edtinsleyforcongress.com - Harry Teague (D)
Teague is a Hobbs business owner, civic leader and former Lea County Commissioner.
- Harry Teague for Congress official campaign website
- Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
- Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
- Profile at SourceWatch
- Edward R. Tinsley III (R)
Tinsley is a restaurateur.[6]
- Ed Tinsley for Congress official campaign website
- Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
- Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
- Profile at SourceWatch
Primary elections
2008 Democratic Primary Congressional Election, District 2[7] Party Candidate Votes % ±% Democratic Harry Teague 20,206 52% Democratic Bill McCamley 18,489 48% Majority 1,717 Turnout 38,695 2008 Republican Primary Congressional Election, District 2 Party Candidate Votes % ±% Republican Edward R. Tinsley III 11,469 32% Republican Monty Newman 7,476 21% Republican Aubrey Dunn 7,331 20% Republican Greg Sowards 6,427 18% Republican C. Earl Greer 3,606 10% Majority 3,993 Turnout 36,309 General election
2008 General Congressional Election, District 2 Party Candidate Votes % ±% Democratic Harry Teague 127,640 55.8% Republican Edward R. Tinsley III 101,084 44.2% Majority 26,556 11.6% Turnout 228,724 District 3
See also: New Mexico's 3rd congressional districtThis district covers the northern half of the state of New Mexico, including the capital, Santa Fe. An open seat, CQ Politics forecast the race as 'Safe Democrat', as did The Rothenberg Political Report and The Cook Political Report.
- Dan East (R)
- Ben R. Luján (D)
- Carol Miller (I)
Democratic incumbent Tom Udall won his party's nomination for Pete Domenici's open U.S. Senate seat,.[8] The Democrats tend to hold the advantage in the district: John Kerry received 54% of the vote there (CPVI=D+6) in 2004. The Democratic nominee was State Public Regulation Commissioner Ben R. Luján. Luján's father serves as Speaker of the New Mexico House of Representatives. The Republican nominee was small business owner Dan East. Carol Miller, a 1997/1998 Green Party candidate, was seeking the seat as an independent.[9] Luján won the three-way race fairly easily and was sworn into Congress in January 2009.
- Dan East's campaign website
- Ben R. Luján's campaign website
- Carol Miller's campaign website
- Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
- Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org
Primary elections
2008 Democratic Primary Congressional Election, District 3[10] Party Candidate Votes % ±% Democratic Ben R. Luján 26,776 42% Democratic Don Wiviott 16,497 26% Democratic Benny J. Shendo Jr 10,148 16% Democratic Harry Montoya 7,234 11% Democratic Jon Adams 1,979 3% Democratic Rudy Martin 1,845 3% Majority 10,279 Turnout 64,479 2008 Republican Primary Congressional Election, District 3 Party Candidate Votes % ±% Republican Daniel East 14,767 54% Republican Marco Gonzales 12,634 46% Majority 2,133 Turnout 27,401 General election
2008 General Congressional Election, District 3 Party Candidate Votes % ±% Democratic Ben R. Luján 158,548 56.6% Republican Daniel East 85,969 30.7% Independent Carol Miller 35,789 12.8% Majority 72,579 25.9% Turnout 280,306 References
- ^ 2008 Primary Election Calendar New Mexico Secretary of State
- ^ abqtrib.com
- ^ currentargus.com
- ^ FINAL RESULTS: June 3 primary election Las Cruces Sun-News, June 20, 2008
- ^ alamogordonews.com
- ^ kob.com
- ^ FINAL RESULTS: June 3 primary election Las Cruces Sun-News, June 20, 2008
- ^ thehill.com
- ^ lcsun-news.com
- ^ FINAL RESULTS: June 3 primary election Las Cruces Sun-News, June 20, 2008
- 2008 Competitive House Race Chart The Cook Political Report, October 13, 2008.
- 2008 House Ratings The Rothenberg Political Report, October 14, 2008
External links
- Elections from the New Mexico Secretary of State
- 2008 Voters' Guide from the League of Women Voters of New Mexico
- U.S. Congress candidates for New Mexico at Project Vote Smart
- Campaign contributions for New Mexico congressional races from OpenSecrets.org
- Local/State Election news and Voter Guide from Las Cruces Sun-News
Preceded by
2006 electionsUnited States House elections in New Mexico
2008Succeeded by
2010 electionsCategories:- United States House of Representatives elections, 2008
- United States House of Representatives elections in New Mexico
- New Mexico elections, 2008
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