The Winner

Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (D-NM) won a fourth term in New Mexico’s 3rd Congressional District on Tuesday, Nov. 3, defeating Republican Martin Zamora 61.7% to 38.3%. With about 98% of votes counted, Leger Fernández led 141,332 to 87,915, a margin of 53,417 votes, according to Associated Press election results. The AP called the race at 9:19 p.m. Mountain Time on election night. ​

Leger Fernández returns to a House where her party now holds the majority after Democrats won control of the chamber. She serves on the Rules and Natural Resources committees and is the top Democrat on two subcommittees, Natural Resources’ Indian and Insular Affairs panel and Rules’ Legislative and Budget Process panel.

The Race

Leger Fernández’s 23-point margin was far wider than in 2024, when she beat Republican Sharon Clahchischilliage 56.3% to 43.7%. Both nominees ran unopposed in the June 2 primaries, according to Ballotpedia’s race overview.

Before the election, Cook Political Report and Inside Elections rated the race Solid Democratic, and Sabato’s Crystal Ballrated it Safe Democratic.

The district covers northern New Mexico, including Santa Fe, and stretches into the southeastern part of the state, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican’s analysis of the current map. It is home to about 701,100 people, with a median household income of about $62,600. About 28.1% of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, and about 19.9% of residents live below the poverty line. About 45% of residents are white and about 43% are Hispanic.

What’s Next

Leger Fernández’s new term begins Sunday, Jan. 3. In late October, she introduced the American Minerals Royalty and Investment Act, which would charge royalties on hardrock minerals mined from federal land and send the money to states, tribes, mine cleanup and domestic processing of critical minerals. The bill has six Democratic cosponsors and sits in the Natural Resources Committee, so it will need to be reintroduced if it does not pass before the current Congress ends.

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