# 2008 United States House of Representatives elections in New Mexico

Elections in New Mexico :
Federal elections
Presidential elections
1912
1916
1920
1924
1928
1932
1936
1940
1944
1948
1952
1956
1960
1964
1968
1972
1976
1980
1984
1988
1992
1996
2000
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
Presidential primaries
Democratic
2000
2004
2008
2016
2020
2024
Republican
2008
2020
2024
Senate elections
1912
1913
1916
1918
1921 sp
1922
1924
1928
1928 sp
1930
1934
1934 sp
1936
1936 sp
1940
1942
1946
1948
1952
1954
1958
1960
1964
1966
1970
1972
1976
1978
1982
1984
1988
1990
1994
1996
2000
2002
2006
2008
2012
2014
2018
2020
2024
2026
House of Representatives elections
1911
1912
1914
1916
1918
1920
1922
1924
1926
1928
1930
1932
1934
1936
1938
1940
1942
1944
1946
1948
1950
1952
1954
1956
1957
AL sp
1958
1960
1962
1964
1966
1968
1970
1972
1974
1976
1978
1980
1982
1984
1986
1988
1990
1992
1994
1996
1997
3rd sp
1998
1st sp
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2021
1st sp
2022
2024 :
State elections
General elections
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024
2026
Gubernatorial elections
1911
1916
1918
1920
1922
1924
1926
1928
1930
1932
1934
1936
1938
1940
1942
1944
1946
1948
1950
1952
1954
1956
1958
1960
1962
1964
1966
1968
1970
1974
1978
1982
1986
1990
1994
1998
2002
2006
2010
2014
2018
2022
2026
Secretary of State elections
2022
Attorney General elections
2022
Treasurer elections
2022
Senate elections
2000
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2020
2024
House of Representatives elections
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024 :
Albuquerque
Mayoral elections
2001
2005
2009
2013
2017
2021
2025 :
vte :
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. Martin Heinrich, Harry Teague, and Ben Ray 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 being held by retiring Republican Pete Domenici. 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. This was the last time that Democrats won all of New Mexico's congressional districts until the 2018 midterm elections. Incidentally, two of the three elected Representatives, Heinrich and Luján, now serve together in the United States Senate since 2021.

## Overview

United States House of Representatives elections in New Mexico, 2008 :
| Party | Party | Votes | Percentage | Seats | +/– |
| | Democratic | 457,135 | 56.12% | 3 | +2 |
| | Republican | 321,083 | 39.42% | 0 | -2 |
| | Independents | 36,348 | 4.46% | 0 | — |
| Totals | Totals | 814,566 | 100.00% | 13 | — |

## Match-up summary

| District | Incumbent | 2008 Status | Democratic | Republican | Independents |
| 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

This 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 had 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. The Democratic nominee was Martin Heinrich (former Albuquerque City Councilor). The Republican nominee was Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White. 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
* White (R) vs Heinrich (D) graph of collected poll results from Pollster.com

### Primary elections

2008 Democratic Primary Congressional Election, District 1 :
| Party | 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 | Majority | Majority | 9,685 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 51,348 | |
2008 Republican Primary Congressional Election, District 1 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Darren White | 57,878 | 88% |
| | Republican | Joseph J. Carraro | 8,244 | 12% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 49,634 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 66,122 | |

### General election

2008 General Congressional Election, District 1 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Martin T. Heinrich | 163,622 | 55.5% |
| | Republican | Darren White | 131,284 | 44.5% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 32,338 | 11% |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 294,906 | |

## District 2

This 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. 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 became the first Democrat to represent this district since 1981.
* Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
* Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets

### Candidates

Harry Teague (D) Teague is a Hobbs business owner, civic leader and former Lea County Commissioner.
* Harry Teague for Congress official campaign website
* Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
* Profile at Vote Smart
Edward R. Tinsley III (R) Tinsley is a restaurateur.
* Ed Tinsley for Congress official campaign website
* Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
* Profile at Vote Smart

### Primary elections

2008 Democratic Primary Congressional Election, District 2 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Harry Teague | 20,206 | 52% |
| | Democratic | Bill McCamley | 18,489 | 48% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,717 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 38,695 | |
2008 Republican Primary Congressional Election, District 2 :
| Party | 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 | Majority | Majority | 3,993 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 36,309 | |

### General election

2008 General Congressional Election, District 2 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Harry Teague | 127,640 | 55.8% |
| | Republican | Edward R. Tinsley III | 101,084 | 44.2% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 26,556 | 11.6% |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 228,724 | |

## District 3

This 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,. 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. 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

### Primary elections

2008 Democratic Primary Congressional Election, District 3 :
| Party | 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 | Majority | Majority | 10,279 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 64,479 | |
2008 Republican Primary Congressional Election, District 3 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Daniel East | 14,767 | 54% |
| | Republican | Marco Gonzales | 12,634 | 46% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,133 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 27,401 | |

### General election

2008 General Congressional Election, District 3 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Ben Ray Luján | 158,548 | 56.6% |
| | Republican | Daniel East | 85,969 | 30.7% |
| | Independent | Carol Miller | 35,789 | 12.8% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 72,579 | 25.9% |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 280,306 | |