Unofficial results showed Duran winning nearly 59 percent of the vote to defeat first-term incumbent Mary Herrera, who collected just over 41 percent.

“This is just amazing, just amazing,” Duran told a crowd of supporters at the Albuquerque Hilton on Tuesday night. “This is not a night for Dianna Duran. It is a night for New Mexicans.”

Duran said her number one priority as the state’s next Secretary of State would be to lobby state lawmakers to pass photo voter ID. Currently, voters do not have to present a form of identification to vote.

“In New Mexico it is amazing that we have had in poll after poll done, New Mexicans, regardless of party affiliation, regardless of racial ethnicity, have said we want photo voter ID required at our polling places,” Duran said.

Duran, a state senator for 18 years, predicted the idea would resonate with her fellow state lawmakers.

“There are wonderful people in the Legislature, in the Senate and in the House, on both sides of the aisle, we have great people and they understand the need,” Duran said. “In past years when I introduced legislation regarding voter photo ID it’s a bipartisan effort. I don’t like the statement that only Republicans think voter ID is important.”

Duran said another priority would be to establish an investigative arm at the Secretary of State’s office charged with looking into allegations of voter fraud.

Herrera couldn’t escape controversy

Duran, who crisscrossed the state over the past three months talking to voters, had Herrera as much as anyone or anything to thank for her historic victory.

The first-term Democratic incumbent’s hopes for re-election seemed star-crossed from the beginning.

In the weeks preceding Tuesday’s election several of Herrera’s former employees went to the FBI to allege corruption in her administration. A public airing of dirty laundry, and what appears to be a full-blown mutiny, is rare for any public official, but during election time it was startling. It hurt Herrera with negative publicity while playing to Duran’s advantage, providing fodder for her campaign and material for ads.

Combined with Herrera’s testy relationship with some New Mexico county clerks, hints that her office had been in turmoil for years and problems with the office’s website, the accusations proved too much of a liability for Herrera to overcome.

Herrera, for her part, repeatedly dismissed the allegations of corruption as politically motivated. But the damage was done and Herrera’s vulnerability became all-too-clear in her inability to raise as much money as Duran.

This fall, many of the state’s largest newspapers endorsed Duran.

Duran had fundraising advantage

Since late June Duran collected $160,000 for her run compared to the $78,000 Herrera raised, state records show.

Duran’s candidacy got a serious boost from the state GOP, which gave Duran’s campaign two $25,000 checks while the company run by GOP chairman Harvey Yates also contributed $5,000.

In contrast, there were no big checks from the state Democratic party to bolster Herrera’s campaign as of last Tuesday, state records show. Herrera’s biggest contribution, $20,000 on Oct. 18, came from the Democratic Association of Secretaries of State.

Other than that $20,000 check, Herrera’s single-largest contributions were from American Federation of State County Municipal Employees ($5,000, Aug. 4), Plumbers and Steamfittters Local #410 ($5,000, July 23) and racetrack owner Paul Blanchard ($5,000, Oct. 25), records show.

Duran meanwhile collected $7,500 from Mack Energy Co. of Artesia and $5,000 each from Bank Consultants Inc. of Carlsbad and Wyoming investor Foster Friess.

State party helps push Duran through to victory

A longtime political observer had predicted earlier this year that the state party would need to help Duran if she had any hope of beating a Democrat for an office that Democrats seemed to own since 1930, the year the state last had a GOP Secretary of State.

The party came through.

Duran had experience running local elections

Even if Herrera hadn’t had to overcome a toxic mix of problems, she might have had a hard time this year.

Voting trends appeared to heavily favor the GOP this year, fueled by the poor economy and the numerous scandals that have afflicted New Mexico in recent years. Several high-profile Democrats have either pleaded guilty or been convicted of corruption, while others have  been indicted.

In Duran, Herrera also faced a dangerous opponent: a GOP state senator with a working knowledge of the state elections code after two terms as Otero County Clerk.

County clerks run local elections.

Duran, for her part, has said she will restore integrity to the Secretary of State’s office.

Political observers marveled at Duran’s historic victory Tuesday.

“It takes two things for a Republican to have a chance in a lower profile (statewide) race,” New Mexico pollster Brian Sanderoff of Albuquerque-based Research and Polling Inc. told The Independent on Tuesday.

“To have a good candidate, and for the mood of the state to be leaning Republican,” Sanderoff said. “Both the ingredients played right into their advantage” this year.

“I am ready to say the people of New Mexico have spoken,” she told The Independent before taking the podium at the Albuquerque Hilton where Republicans were watching election results.

Unofficial results appear to show that Duran has defeated first-term Democratic Secretary of State Mary Herrera. If those results hold, Duran will become the first GOP Secretary of State in 80 years.

As of 9 p.m. the Secretary of State’s website was showing Duran leading Herrera by 30,000 votes.

“This is not a night for Dianna Duran,” Duran told the crowd at the Hilton. “It is a night for New Mexicans. I cannot thank you enough.”

I just cannot thank you enough.

“We’ve had a relatively smooth day but it’s the poll watchers that are causing problems,” Trujillo said. “They are interfering with election officials’ duties.”

Police were called to remove disruptive GOP poll challengers from two voting precincts in Doña Ana County.

But the problem is more widespread than that, Trujillo said.

“We’ve had issues with watchers in four counties — Doña Ana, Taos, Santa Fe and Bernalillo County today,” Trujillo said. “Mostly it’s been issues with watchers superseding their duties.”

Challengers have attempted to handle voters’ ballots, Trujillo said, but he knew of no cases outside Doña Ana County where challengers demanded voters be required to provide photo ID to vote.

The incidents have been handled by county clerks and election officials at the precincts, Trujilo said. He did not immediately know how many precincts had reported disruptive poll challengers.

Trujillo said he knew of no police responses to precinct disruptions other than those reported for two Doña Ana County precincts.

The N.M. Republican Party has trained at least 350 poll challengers, at least 80 of whom are Albuquerque tea party activists. The state Democratic Party has trained at least 200 of its own poll challengers.

Poll watchers observe the voting process and check which voters have voted, whereas poll challengers can actively challenge voters’ registrations and ballots.

“Most of the problems we’re hearing about today involve Republican poll challengers,” Trujillo said.

However, in Taos County, Democratic and Republican poll challengers have been “equally aggressive,” Taos County Clerk Elaine Montano told The Independent.

Disruptions have occurred at four Taos precincts, Montano said at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

“I don’t know if it has something to do with their training or what the issue is,” Montano said. “They’re very aggressive. The challengers do not understand the rules. It’s being handled by poll workers and presiding judges, and myself.”

Challengers are advising voters who show up at the wrong precincts to request provisional ballots rather than drive to their correct precincts, Montano said. But challengers are not supposed to advise or talk to voters at the polls, Montano said.

None of the incidents in Taos County involved challengers’ demands for voters’ identification documents, Montano said.

The Secretary of State’s office has 15 liaisons at polling places across the state, Trujillo said.

The Secretary of State’s office will compile a report by late this week, detailing their reports of precinct disruptions, Trujillo said.

We don’t know exactly how many of them were Democrats and Republicans because not all counties report totals by party registration.

The Associated Press reported an expected turnout of around 60 percent of the 1.1 million New Mexico voters. If these predictions prove true, that would mean that nearly one-third of all voters in this year’s midterms voted early.

Another 99,200 voters requested absentee ballots. Absentee ballots must reach the county clerk’s office by 7 p.m. today. Oustanding absentee ballots can be turned in at your polling place.

The contributions came in the waning weeks of the 2010 election season as Duran, a GOP state senator, hopes to become New Mexico’s first Republican Secretary of State in 80 years by knocking off first-term Democratic Secretary of State Mary Herrera, who is seeking re-election.

Duran easily outpaced Herrera in contributions the last reporting period, but Herrera had not filed her report as of this writing to see if Duran had kept her fundraising edge.

Duran’s fundraising haul was powered by a $25,000 contribution from the state Republican Party and a $7,500 contribution from Mack EnergyCorp. of Artesia. She also received two $5,000 contributions ,

She also received a pair of $5,000 contributions — one from Bank Consultants Inc. of Carlsbad, and one from Foster Friess, an investor from Jackson, Wyoming.

Friess made a big splash earlier this election season when he gave Republican gubernatorial candidate $200,000.

According to her report, Duran spent $130,000 in the three weeks between Oct. 5 and Tuesday, with $125,000 of that coming in two media buys.

Duran reported having $32,000 on hand at the end of the reporting period.

Secretary of State Mary Herrera

Five influential New Mexico newspapers have all endorsed Democratic State Auditor Hector Balderas, Treasurer James B. Lewis, and land commissioner candidate Ray Powell in next Tuesday’s elections.

The Albuquerque Journal, Santa Fe New Mexican, Taos News, Las Cruces Sun-News and Espanola-based Rio Grande SUN all agreed the three Democrats were the better candidates in their respective races.

But in a sharp rebuke of Democratic Secretary of State Mary Herrera (whose office will announce next Tuesday’s election results) four of the five papers also backed former Otero County clerk and state Sen. Diana Duran, Herrera’s Republican challenger.

Herrera’s office has been beset by allegations of mismanagement and controversial firings in recent months.

The Rio Grande SUN’s endorsements for governor and secretary of state will appear in Thursday’s paper, editor Lou Mattei said Wednesday morning. The Sun, which recently broke several stories about allegations of mismanagement and corruption in Herrera’s office, will likely endorse Duran as well.

Endorsements for governor were evenly split between the four other papers, with the Taos News and New Mexican backing Democrat Diane Denish and the Albuquerque Journal and Las Cruces Sun-News endorsing Republican Susana Martinez.

Only the Santa Fe New Mexican and Taos News endorsed Gary King‘s reelection as N.M.’s attorney general.

“(King) isn’t willing to say a culture of corruption has developed here even as he investigates millions in missing voter education funds,” the Journal endorsement states. “Let’s face it: Pay-to-play has become a way of doing business, and New Mexico simply can not move forward with those blinders.”

Overall, the Albuquerque Journal — the state’s largest newspaper — appears out of step with the state’s other newspapers, with only 36 percent of its endorsements going to Democratic candidates, compared to an average 75 percent for the other four papers reviewed.

The Santa Fe New Mexican generally favored Democrats and the Albuquerque Journal favored Republicans — but the two papers reversed roles when it came to endorsements for Public Regulation Commission (PRC) District 4. The Journal endorsed Democrat and Gov. Bill Richardson-appointed Commissioner Theresa Becenti-Aguilar, while the New Mexican backed Gary Montoya, her Tea Party-affiliated Republican challenger.

The New Mexican dismissed Becenti-Aguilar as a “political appointee” and noted Montoya’s recent endorsement by the Northern Navajo Agency Council.

“Montoya brings a vast blue-collar experience in the very industries regulated by the PRC,” the New Mexican’s endorsement states.

The Journal, in contrast, urged voters to “keep (Becenti-Aguilar’s) commitment to honest, integrity and ethics” on the Commission.

Becenti-Aguilar has emphasized a commitment to consumer protection, even at a recent PNM-sponsored shareholders’ meeting. At the same meeting, Montoya questioned PRC regulation of the state’s energy monopolies and insurance companies as “micromanaging.”

PRC district 5 Democratic candidate Bill McCamley was endorsed by the Journal and Las Cruces Sun-News. Republican Patrick Lyons won the Journal’s endorsement for his PRC district 2 race against Stephanie DuBois.

The Las Cruces Sun-News inadvertently left DuBois’s name out of its voter guide, Editor Jim Lawitz confirmed Tuesday.

Balderas received one of the year’s most enthusiastic endorsements from the Rio Grande SUN.

“We have an almost $3.4 million theft in the Jemez Mountains School District,” editor R. Braiden Trapp’s endorsement of Balderas notes. “The city of Española has such poor or nonexistent financial record-keeping, auditors can’t form an official opinion and the city is behind in audits. Had Balderas not stepped in a year ago, we wouldn’t have an inkling of the financial condition of the city. Balderas has made huge strides in clamping down on schools, cities and counties performing their audits on time. It’s a gargantuan task.”

Opposition to proposed constitutional amendments

All five newspapers opposed proposed constitutional amendment 2, which would relax term limits on elected county officials, extending the current two four-year term limit to three terms, and proposed constitutional amendment 5, which would allow state lawmakers to be appointed to civil office.

Currently, legislators may not resign to seek appointment to civil office to prevent undue influence over the legislator by the appointing official, according to a Legislative Council Service’s analysis.

“That prohibition was put in place to prevent public corruption,” notes the Sun-News editorial urging voters to reject the amendment. “We are simply amazed that lawmakers would suggest voters should no longer have concerns in that regard.”

All five papers supported proposed constitutional amendment 1, which would establish college scholarships for N.M. veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.

The Rio Rancho Observer, Socorro-based El Defensor-Chiefton and several other newspapers across the state do not endorse candidates.

(Photo by Heath Haussamen)

New Mexico county clerks said Wednesday it was taking them hours to print out voter sign-in rosters because of slow computers at the Secretary of State’s office.

The Secretary of State’s office says the problem is being resolved, but nervous clerks are working out a Plan B.

“How ridiculous is this? I can’t believe this is happening now. …The only response I got [from the SOS office] is ‘something happened to the servers’ and they don’t know what is happening or how soon they will be up,” San Miguel County Clerk Melanie Rivera told The Independent.

Other clerks said it was taking them hours to print simple voter statistic reports.

In fact, several clerks told the New Mexico Independent that if the problem isn’t fixed quickly it could become “a nightmare” for them this weekend when they need to print two copies of the sign-in rosters.

Clerks are preparing “Plan B” just in case

“To remedy the delay in jobs being processed a procedure is being implemented in coordination with the vendor to alleviate delays,” Venkatesh Dhagumudi, the IT director for the Secretary of State’s office, wrote in an e-mail to The Independent.

But if the problem isn’t fixed soon, county clerks may have to manually update the rosters with records identifying who has voted early or absentee.

Rivera said it would take her staff hours to go through printouts of Excel spreadsheets marking off each one of the 1,200 early voters, and about 1,000 absentee voters in San Miguel County.

“I can’t even imagine what bigger counties will have to do,” said Rivera.

San Juan County Clerk Debbie Holmes said if she has to go to Plan B she doesn’t expect it will impact waiting times outside polling places on Tuesday, but “it will have an impact on my staff’s overtime budget.”

Bernalillo County uses different software

The clerk for the most populous county in the state says she doesn’t anticipate a problem.

“We’re using Auto Vote, another software program, and updating it nightly,” said Bernalillo County Clerk Maggie Toulouse Oliver. “We can print our voter sign-in rosters from that.”

While the problem wasn’t an issue in the primary election there were some issues in 2008.

Rivera told The Independent that clerks expressed their concerns about server access and  slow printing during a primary election school hosted by Herrera in April, but they received assurances then that it would not be a problem during the general election.  Rivera says she understands no additional servers were purchased.

Herrera’s Republican challenger, state senator Dianna Duran, reported raising $54,000 and finished the period with $84,000 cash on hand.

Herrera’s largest donation, of $2,000, came from Sierras y Llanos LLC. The only other four-digit donation was a $1,000 donation from the New Mexico Federation of Labor. The Ben Lujan Speaker Fund also donated $500 to the embattled Secretary of State.

Herrera also received a $2,000 in-kind donation from Alvin Gallegos, a printer from Albuquerque.

By far, Herrera’s largest expense was $27,000, in the form of a $25,000 and $2,000 payment both on September 20, to R and R for “Media.”

Herrera also spent $3,500 on a golf course fundrasier at Los Altos Golf Course on September 19, but raised just $3,400 on that day. Her two biggest donations came the day after the golf tournament fundraiser.

All of Herrera’s expenses came between September 18 and 27. Overall, Herrera spent $32,489.71.

Update:

Cash on hand numbers in the title and post fixed.

Duran, a GOP state senator challenging the embattled Democratic incumbent Mary Herrera, received $25,000 from the state GOP on Oct. 1 and took in another $5,000 from Yates Petroleum Co. on . Sept. 8. Harvey Yates, Jr. is the chairman of the Republican Party of New Mexico.

Duran only spent $5,000 during this latest period, which means she has $84,000 on hand for the last four weeks of the election cycle.

Herrera had not filed her report as of this writing.

Political observers have said the GOP has the best chance of taking the Secretary of State’s office in 80 years because of Herrera’s troubles, which include three former aides accusing her of corruption.

Republican Secretary of State candidate Dianna Duran and GOP Attorney General candidate Matthew Chandler won endorsements from The Albuquerque Journal, as did Democratic State Auditor Hector Balderas.

Duran is running against embattled Democratic incumbent Mary Herrera while Chandler is taking on first-term Democratic Attorney General Gary King.