Jun. 5—All but seven Democratic incumbent legislators beat back challengers in Tuesday’s primary, with Republican voters in southeastern New Mexico ousting two recent Republican appointees of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to select their own candidates.

With the unofficial statewide voter turnout of just under 23%, or a fifth of registered voters, progressives had some potential gains in the House of Representatives.

Brian Sanderoff, a longtime political analyst and pollster, said if the Democratic candidates nominated Tuesday can win in the general election, the state House “will move slightly to the left.”

Three House Democrats from rural areas of New Mexico lost their bids for reelection: Willie Madrid from Chaparral, representing 53; District 70’s Ambrose Castellano, representing Torrance and San Miguel counties; and Harry Garcia of Grants, representing District 69.

In the most recent legislative session, all three voted against the controversial Senate Bill 3, which would have created the Paid Family Medical Leave Act. The bill died in the House on a 36-34 vote.

But other House incumbents who voted no on the legislation earlier this year survived their primary challenges.

For instance, District 27 Democratic state Rep. Marian Matthews of Albuquerque’s Northeast Heights overcame a bid by a progressive candidate Greg Seely, garnering 56% of the vote compared with Seely’s 44%. Matthews faces Republican Gregory Gallegos in the general election.

State Rep. Patricia Lundstrom, from District 9, easily fended off two challengers, taking 62% of the vote. In that race, Christopher Hudson garnered 29%, and Arval McCabe, had 9% percent. She has no general election opposition. Lundstrom also voted against the Paid Family Medical Leave Act.

In other races:

—If the defeat of longtime Democratic Sen. Daniel Ivy-Soto, of District 15, wasn’t surprising, Sanderoff said, the margin of his loss to Heather Berghmans was significant.

Berghmans, who faces Republican Craig Degenhardt in the general election, won with 80% of the vote with Ivy-Soto garnering 20%, according to unofficial results.

—Democratic incumbent Bill O’Neill, whose District 13 boundaries in Albuquerque were changed under recent redistricting, lost to former Albuquerque city councilor and former Bernalillo County commissioner Debbie O’Malley by fewer than 200 votes — 48% compared with 52% for O’Malley.

—On the Republican side, Greg Nibert, a Roswell attorney and former state representative, lost to rancher Patrick Henry Boone IV by 101 votes, according to unofficial results. In the three-way race, Larry Marker received 15% of the vote, compared with 41% for Nibert and Boone garnering 43%. He was appointed by the governor in January to fill the District 27 Senate seat vacated with the retirement of Republican Sen. Stuart Ingle.

—Larry Scott, who vacated his House seat to run for the state Senate this year, handily won over incumbent Steven McCutcheon in District 42. McCutcheon, a Carlsbad rancher and businessman, was appointed by Lujan Grisham to the seat in 2023.

Unofficial results show Scott won 61% of the vote compared with McCutcheon’s 39%. Like Boone, Scott has no Democratic opposition in the general election.

—Meanwhile, Angel Charley, who leans more progressive than her opponent, former state Sen. Clemente Sanchez, won handily, 63% to 37%, to represent Senate District 30.

Charley, who is from Laguna Pueblo and the Navajo Nation, has no opponent in the general election. The seat was among those whose boundaries changed during redistricting to include part of Native communities such as Isleta Pueblo.

Democrats have now gained that seat in the Senate, given the resignation of Republican Sen. Greg Baca, who chose not to run for reelection in Senate District 30.

—Meanwhile, unofficial results show Catherine Jeanette Cullen as winning the three-way Republican primary for House District 57 in Rio Rancho. She received 37% of the vote compared to John D’Antonio Jr. with 33% and Corrine Rios receiving 29%. They were vying for the open seat left by the resignation of Republican Rep. Jason Harper. Cullen now faces Democrat Michelle Sandoval in the general election.

All 112 legislative seats are on the ballot this year. Currently there are 45 Democrats in the House and 25 Republicans. In the Senate, there are 27 Democrats and 15 Republicans.