Jun. 4—It's normally unlikely incumbents lose their political positions when they choose to run again. That wasn't doesn't appear to be the case for a few Albuquerque incumbents, including in the high-profile race for Sen. Daniel Ivey-Soto's seat.
Democrat Ivey-Soto in recent years has faced criticism over sexual misconduct allegations made against him. In Tuesday's primary, he lost a seat in the New Mexico Senate he's held for more than a decade.
Newcomer Heather Berghmans earned the Democratic pick for District 15 by a landslide, gaining 80% of the votes to Ivey-Soto's 20%, according to unofficial primary election results .
Berghmans told the Journal her campaign was about introducing herself to the voters, and her campaign team knocked on more than 5,000 doors. She didn't directly answer when asked if she thought the misconduct allegations against Ivey-Soto contributed to her likely win.
"Over and over again, we heard that people were just excited to vote for someone else," Berghmans said.
Berghmans, in a response to a Journal questionnaire previously sent out, said she's running because "leaders who are unethical and ineffective must go."
"There are bright-line distinctions between me and my opponent in how we treat people," she wrote.
Ivey-Soto told the Journal in advance of Tuesday he would be out of town due to family obligations. He commented on the election last week instead and said voters were deceived in the Senate District 15 race.
He said the normal "validators" people rely on in elections for endorsem*nts were misleading.
Sierra Club and Conservation Voters endorsed his opponent, Berghmans, even though he has a track record of voting in favor of environmental issues over the past two years, he said, and Planned Parenthood endorsed Berghmans, despite his history of voting to protect reproductive rights.
"It's understandable that the voters might be confused about my record, they might be confused about not understanding where I truly stand about things because they're being deceived," Ivey-Soto said.
The deception stems from the sexual misconduct allegations made against him in recent years, he said.
Marianna Anaya, who ran for and won her primary for a House seat Tuesday, according to unofficial results, filed a complaint with the Legislative Council Service in 2022 alleging three incidents of harassment by Ivey-Soto between 2015 and 2022.
Special legislative counsel recommended a determination of probable cause for violating the Legislature's anti-harassment policy in two of three incidents, according to leaked documents, but the case was closed.
Ivey-Soto said there's a difference between a recommendation for probable cause and a probable cause finding, which legislative officials didn't rule on.
"It is this perpetuation of these misstatements. It's this perpetuation of lies," he said.
Ivey-Soto said despite his loss, he respects the decision of the voters.
"At the end of the day, I respect the will of the voters, whether the voters were properly informed (or) improperly informed," he said.
Berghmans said she's a hard worker and has the right experience to serve as a senator. In November's general election, she will face Republican Craig Degenhardt, who ran unopposed in his primary .
"It's a role that I'm very ready for," Berghmans said.
Meanwhile, Sen. Bill O'Neill lost a tight Democratic primary for the District 13 seat, which he has held since 2013.
O'Neill's challenger, former Bernalillo County Commissioner Debbie O'Malley, garnered 52% of the vote to O'Neill's 48%.
Both said redistricting played a role in changing the way District 13 voters cast their ballots. O'Malley said it's harder to face an incumbent since they're usually the ones getting the endorsem*nts and pulling in more money.
"To challenge an incumbent is a lot," she said.
O'Malley's win all but guarantees a spot in the Roundhouse, as the Democrat will face no opponents in the November general election.
"This is the election," O'Malley said.
O'Neill said a lot of people know his opponent's name, especially in the newer parts of the district affected by redistricting. Even though it was looking as if he wasn't going to win as of press time, he said both he and O'Malley ran very positive campaigns.
"This is our system, and I wish her well," O'Neill said. "And honestly, I think that she'll be a good senator for District 13."
Democratic Rep. Harry Garcia lost his race in District 69, garnering only 35% of the vote compared to Michelle Abeyta's 57%. Stanley Michael tallied 8% of the total.
This story has been updated to reflect final unofficial election results.
