32 Candidates File for Valencia County Primary, Crowding Sheriff and Commission Races
Six candidates are competing for Valencia County sheriff alone as 32 people filed for the June 2 primary, jamming Republican ballots in three separate races.
Thirty-two candidates filed paperwork at the Valencia County Clerk's office on 444 Luna Ave. in Los Lunas on March 10, setting up competitive June primaries for sheriff, two county commission seats, all three magistrate judge divisions, and seats in the state legislature.
The sheriff's race drew the most candidates of any single office, with six people filing across both parties. On the Democratic side, Alan Fredrick Montano, 55, who works for the Valencia County Sheriff's Office, and Gabriel Trujillo, 50, a self-employed high school graduate, filed for the seat. Four Republicans entered the contest: Joe Griego, 59, a current Belen Police Department officer who retired from the Los Lunas Police Department and trained at the New Mexico Police Academy; Joseph Eugene Rowland, 49, a lieutenant with the Valencia County Sheriff's Office who holds an associate of science degree in criminal justice from Cochise College and is a graduate of Northwestern University's School of Police Staff and Command; Preston Wade Smith, 40, a police officer; and Kevin Marcos Vega, 32, also a police officer.
The District 1 county commission seat attracted three candidates: Christopher Williams, Helen Saiz, and Christopher S. Garcia. District 3 has incumbent Morris R. Sparkman seeking to hold his seat, with Sharon L. Smith also filed for the district.
Four candidates filed for the Division III magistrate seat: Andrew Owen, Vanessa Aragon, Denise Vigil, and Y. Danielle Gonzalez. Divisions I and II have incumbents Miles R. Tafoya and John R. Chavez, respectively, on the ballot. Incumbent Wendy Wallace filed for probate judge, while the assessor's race has incumbent Celia Dittmaier facing a challenge from Burgandy Bree Casias.
State legislative seats are also on the June 2 ballot, with incumbents Tanya Mirabal Moya in District 7, Brian Baca in District 8, and Gail "Missy" Armstrong in District 49 among those who filed.
Qualified candidates will appear on the June 2 primary ballot, where Republican and Democratic voters will narrow each field to a single nominee. Candidates who missed the March 10 filing window have one remaining option: declaring as a write-in between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Tuesday, March 17, at the county clerk's office on Luna Ave. Early and absentee voting opens May 5.
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