Martinez wins Rio Rancho House seat; Democrats expand New Mexico majority

Rio Rancho residents now have a new state representative. Chriselle Martinez, a Democrat, won the seat for District 44 in the November election. She defeated Republican incumbent Catherine Cullen with 54% of the vote. The margin was more than 1,000 votes.

This victory was part of a larger shift in the New Mexico House. Four representative seats flipped to the Democratic side. This move gives Democrats the largest majority in the chamber in thirty years. The change affects how legislation moves through the state government.

Martinez spent the year before the election canvassing the area. She said she focused on the specific concerns of residents in Rio Rancho and Sandoval County. Her campaign centered on issues like healthcare access for workers and school safety.

“Listening to the people and hearing what they worried about, healthcare workers who couldn’t get access to healthcare in the very facility they worked in, some of the things happening in our school system and the prioritizing of the student’s safety, they were pieces of what I will take now to Santa Fe,” Martinez said. She added that voter feedback would guide her policy work in the state capital.

Other results in Sandoval County also favored Democrats. Kathleen Cates won reelection in District 44 by a 14-point margin over Adam Prior. Derrick Lente ran unopposed in District 65. Republican Alan Martinez remained unopposed in District 23.

Joshua Hernandez kept his seat in District 60. He defeated challenger Luke Jungmann by 405 votes. County officials have not indicated that a recount is coming for that race.