Rico leads Montoya by 3 votes in Las Animas commissioner race
Rico held a 3-vote edge over Montoya in District 3, while Las Animas voters also rejected longer commissioner terms by a wide margin.
Phillip Rico held a razor-thin 1,059 to 1,056 lead over Jim D. Montoya in the Las Animas County District 3 Democratic county commissioner primary, leaving the race separated by just three votes in unofficial totals compiled from the county clerks. Brad Doherty ran unopposed on the Republican side of the same District 3 contest and received 1,516 votes.
The same unofficial count showed several county offices settled without opposition. Joseph Mestas, who filed his 2026 candidacy for clerk and recorder on Oct. 22, 2025, won the Democratic nomination with 1,756 votes. Karrie Apple ran unopposed for the Republican clerk and recorder nomination and received 1,585 votes. Sarah A. Martinez also ran unopposed in the Democratic treasurer primary and finished with 1,810 votes.
Those county races came alongside another local decision with direct consequences for county governance: Las Animas County voters overwhelmingly rejected a measure to extend commissioner term limits from two to three four-year terms, voting 3,423 against and 773 in favor. The outcome keeps the current commissioner limits in place and limits how long county officials can stay in those seats before voters get a chance to replace them.
The broader election packet also carried a reminder that the printed totals were county-level results, not statewide or districtwide totals, because several races on the Colorado primary ballot stretched far beyond Las Animas County alone. The Colorado Secretary of State’s elections database tracks results, vote counts, turnout, party enrollment and ballot questions from 1902 through 2025, giving voters a way to compare these unofficial 2026 numbers with past election cycles. Candidate records also confirm the local fields behind the main county races, including Rico, listed as Felipe, aka Phillip Rico, in the commissioner contest.
The tight District 3 finish stands out against the rest of the county map. In 2018, another District 3 commissioner primary was also heavily watched, when Tony Hass defeated Dean Oatman 883 to 392 in the Republican race. This year’s three-vote edge between Rico and Montoya shows that the district is still capable of producing small-margin contests that can shape the balance of power in Trinidad and across Las Animas County.
This article was produced by Prism’s automated news system from verified source data, official records, and press releases, then run through automated quality and moderation checks before publishing. The system is built and supervised by the people who set the standards it runs under. Read our full AI policy.
Did this article answer your question?
