Cull, Hampton lead Los Alamos County council primary race

Theresa Ann Cull and David E. Hampton led Los Alamos County’s Democratic County Council primary, and the four-seat race appeared to set up Cull, Hampton, Steven S. Lynne and Melanee M. Hand as the names likely to move forward. Cull finished with 2,299 votes, Hampton with 2,218, Lynne with 1,952 and Hand with 1,868, while Joseph F. Granville came in fifth at 1,525.

The numbers mattered because the council ballot had four openings, not three. In practical terms, that made the finish line itself the story: the top four vote-getters were positioned to shape the November general-election field and, with it, the next phase of county governing. In a county where council decisions ripple quickly through local planning, services and public safety, the vote showed which candidates were strongest as Los Alamos headed toward the fall campaign.

The sheriff’s race was even tighter. Antonio L. Maggiore led David Izraelevitz, 1,522 votes to 1,472, a margin of just 50 votes in one of the county’s closest watched contests. That result carried extra weight in Los Alamos because the sheriff’s office does not function like a traditional county law-enforcement agency elsewhere. The county says the sheriff has powers and duties assigned by state statute, but the office should not duplicate work assigned to the Los Alamos County Police Department.

That unusual structure has made the sheriff’s role a recurring subject of public debate, and the narrow result kept that debate alive. For voters concerned about how county law enforcement is divided between the Sheriff’s Office and the Police Department, the race underscored how closely watched the office remains.

The June 2 primary also featured a full county and state ballot, including Christine Chandler for State Representative District 43, Catherine E. Taylor for Magistrate Judge, Jeff Casalina for County Assessor, Perry C. Klare for Probate Judge and Elizabeth K. Allen for Municipal Judge. County officials said the election was held under New Mexico’s semi-open primary system, which allowed unaffiliated and Decline to State voters to choose one major party ballot.

The county’s election calendar began with same-day registration on May 5, early voting from May 5 through May 30, expanded early voting starting May 16 at the Los Alamos Municipal Building and White Rock Town Hall, and an absentee ballot request deadline of May 19. In 2024, the Democratic county council primary drew 1,763 ballots for three seats; this time, four council seats were at stake, making every place in the top four especially consequential as the county moved toward November.