# 2016 New Mexico elections

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A general election was held in the U.S. state of New Mexico on November 8, 2016. In the presidential election, voters in the state chose five electors to represent them in the Electoral College via popular vote. All three New Mexico seats to the United States House of Representatives were up for election. A special election was held for Secretary of State, along with all seats in both houses of the New Mexico Legislature. Primary elections were held on June 7.

## Federal elections
### U.S. President

2016 United States presidential election in New Mexico :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Democratic | Hillary Clinton | 385,234 | 48.26 | 4.73 |
| | Republican | Donald Trump | 319,667 | 40.04 | 2.80 |
| | Libertarian | Gary Johnson | 74,541 | 9.34 | 5.79 |
| | Green | Jill Stein | 9,879 | 1.24 | 0.90 |
| | Independent | Evan McMullin | 5,825 | 0.73 | |
| | Constitution | Darrell Castle | 1,514 | 0.15 | 0.02 |
| | Socialism and Liberation | Gloria La Riva | 1,184 | 0.15 | |
| | American Delta | Rocky De La Fuente | 475 | 0.06 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 65,567 | 8.21 | 1.94 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 798,319 | 100.00 | |

### U.S. House of Representatives

All three incumbents were reelected: Democrat Michelle Lujan Grisham of the 1st district, Republican Steve Pearce of the 2nd district, and Democrat Ben Ray Luján of the 3rd district.

## State elections
### Secretary of State (special election)

On October 22, 2015, incumbent Secretary of State Dianna Duran resigned amid a corruption and campaign law investigation. Democrat Maggie Toulouse Oliver, who ran against Duran in 2014, defeated Republican Nora Espinoza to fill the remainder of her term.

#### Republican primary

Republican Brad Winter, who was appointed by Governor Susana Martinez following Duran's resignation, chose not to run for a full term. Because of this, state representative Nora Espinoza ran unopposed in the primary election.
Republican primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Nora Espinoza | 83,759 | 100.0% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 83,759 | 100.0% |

#### Democratic primary

Bernalillo County clerk Maggie Toulouse Oliver was the only Democrat to declare her candidacy, and ran unopposed in the primary election.
Democratic primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Maggie Toulouse Oliver | 172,837 | 100.0% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 172,837 | 100.0% |

#### General election

2016 New Mexico Secretary of State special election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Democratic | Maggie Toulouse Oliver | 433,227 | 56.41% | +8.05% |
| | Republican | Nora Espinoza | 334,733 | 43.59% | −8.05% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 767,960 | 100.0% | |
| | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican |

### New Mexico Legislature

All seats of the New Mexico Legislature were up for election in 2016. The New Mexico Senate has 42 members elected to four-year terms, while the New Mexico House of Representatives has 70 members elected to two-year terms.
| Party | Party | Before | Won | +/- |
| | Democratic | 24 | 26 | 2 |
| | Republican | 18 | 16 | 2 |
| Total | Total | 42 | 42 | |
| Party | Party | Before | Won | +/- |
| | Democratic | 33 | 38 | 5 |
| | Republican | 37 | 32 | 5 |
| Total | Total | 70 | 70 | |
Democrats strengthened their control of the Senate and regained control of the House, securing both legislative chambers.

### Ballot measures
#### Constitutional Amendment 1

The New Mexico Denial of Bail Measure is a constitutional amendment that allows courts to deny bail to a defendant charged with a felony, but only if the defendant is deemed a threat to the public. It was designed to retain the right to pretrial release for non-dangerous defendants.
New Mexico Denial of Bail Measure :
| Choice | Votes | % |
| Yes | 616,887 | 87.23 |
| No | 90,293 | 12.77 |
| Total votes | 707,180 | 100.00 |
| Source: Ballotpedia |||

## Judicial elections
### Supreme Court

Incumbent justice Judith Nakamura was appointed by Governor Susana Martinez on November 12, 2015, after Justice Richard C. Bosson retired. Justice Nakamura ran to complete the remainder of Justice Bosson's term ending in 2020, and was challenged by Democratic candidate Michael Vigil, the chief judge of the New Mexico Court of Appeals.
As of 2025, this the last time Republicans have won a statewide election in New Mexico.

#### General election
##### Polling

| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Judith Nakamura (R) | Michael Vigil (D) | Undecided |
| Research & Polling Inc. | November 1–3, 2016 | 504 (LV) | ± 4.4% | 45% | 45% | 10% |

##### Results

2016 New Mexico Supreme Court election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Judith K. Nakamura (incumbent) | 396,303 | 52.00% |
| | Democratic | Michael E. Vigil | 365,790 | 48.00% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 762,093 | 100.0% |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold |

#### Retention election

Incumbent justice Barbara Vigil was up for retention for a full 8-year term.
2016 New Mexico Supreme Court, Justice Barbara J. Vigil (D) Retention election :
| Choice | Votes | % |
| Yes | 448,125 | 71.6 |
| No | 177,735 | 28.4 |
| Total votes | 625,860 | 100.00 |

### Court of Appeals

Incumbent Judge Stephen French was appointed by Governor Susana Martinez on February 18, 2016, after Judge Cynthia Fry retired. Judge French ran for re-election to complete the remainder of Judge Fry's term ending in 2022. He was challenged by Democratic candidate Julie Vargas, a private attorney.

#### General election

2016 New Mexico Court of Appeals election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Julie J. Vargas | 395,227 | 52.48% |
| | Republican | Stephen French (incumbent) | 357,837 | 47.52% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 753,064 | 100.0% |
| | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican |

#### Retention election

Incumbent Judges Jonathan Sutin, Timothy Garcia, and Monica Zamora were up for retention for a full 8-year term.
2016 New Mexico Court of Appeals, Judge Jonathan B. Sutin (R) Retention election :
| Choice | Votes | % |
| Yes | 426,481 | 70.42 |
| No | 179,122 | 29.58 |
| Total votes | 605,603 | 100.00 |
2016 New Mexico Court of Appeals, Judge Tim L. Garcia (D) Retention election :
| Choice | Votes | % |
| Yes | 424,372 | 70.28 |
| No | 179,423 | 29.72 |
| Total votes | 603,795 | 100.00 |
2016 New Mexico Court of Appeals, Judge M. Monica Zamora (D) Retention election :
| Choice | Votes | % |
| Yes | 432,540 | 71.1 |
| No | 176,230 | 28.9 |
| Total votes | 608,770 | 100.00 |