Secretary of State Mary Herrera has a new state elections director.

Herrera hired Gerald Gonzalez for the post at a salary of $97,500, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported. 

The post has been vacant since March. Earlier this month Jim Noel, the son-in-law to U.S. Senate candidate and sitting congressman Tom Udall, declined the job after initially accepting it. Republicans vehemently opposed the hire because of Noel’s relationship to Udall.

Herrera’s spokesman James Flores has said repeatedly that the office planned to hire a temporary state elections director to get the office through this year’s general election and then seek to hire a permanent director once this year’s contest is over.

It was unclear if Gonzalez is a temporary elections director to get the office through the election.