Christesen wins GOP sheriff primary, all but secures San Juan County seat

San Juan County voters effectively chose their next sheriff on Tuesday, handing former deputy Ken Christesen 43% of the Republican primary vote and leaving the November race all but settled. With no Democratic challenger waiting in the general election, the county’s law enforcement leadership now appears headed back to a veteran of the office.

Christesen finished ahead of Sheriff’s Capt. Kevin Burns, who took 34% of the vote, San Juan County Detention Center Director Daniel Webb at 17%, and former deputy Jon Nyce at 6%. San Juan County reported 17,999 ballots and all 40 polling locations were reporting on election night, while unofficial results from the New Mexico Secretary of State showed all 113 county precincts fully reported.

The result sends Christesen back toward a job he once held and underscores how much of the county’s public-safety future will rest on familiar hands. He began working for the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office as a full-time deputy in January 1990, was elected sheriff in 2011 and retired in 2018. His campaign bio says he has lived in San Juan County since 1973 and has 29 years in law enforcement. He also helped establish the New Mexico Sheriff’s Association and served as its president for five years.

That background mattered in a race that was never just about party labels. During April forums and interviews on KSJE 90.9 FM, the four sheriff candidates talked through crime, recidivism, mental health pressures, recruitment and retention, training, technology and community trust. Those issues helped frame the contest as a decision about how San Juan County should handle repeat offenders, staff its jail and patrols, and rebuild confidence in the sheriff’s office.

The June 2 primary was New Mexico’s first semi-open primary, giving unaffiliated voters the option to choose a party ballot. In San Juan County, that broader electorate still produced a decisive Republican outcome, one that effectively settled who will run county law enforcement after Christesen’s long career, his earlier tenure as sheriff and his retirement in 2018.

The sheriff’s race was part of a broader local ballot that also produced several judicial winners. Stephen Wayne led Ned Fuller in the 11th Judicial District Court Division 8 race, Stacey Biel defeated Donald Mizell for San Juan County Magistrate Division 6, and incumbent Gary Risley won the Republican primary for San Juan County probate judge over Sharon Allen and Benjamin Ward.