The 2006 New Mexico gubernatorial election was a race for the governor of New Mexico held on November 7, 2006. Incumbent Democratic governor Bill Richardson was running for re-election. He faced Republican John Dendahl in the general election and won by a landslide. As of 2024, this was the last time a male candidate was elected Governor of New Mexico.
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 County results Richardson: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Dendahl: 50–60% | ||||||||||||||||||||
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The scale of Richardson's lopsided victory was nearly unprecedented in the traditionally competitive state. Richardson's 68.82% share of the vote is the highest achieved by any gubernatorial candidate in the state by a wide margin, beating the previous record of 60.21% set in 1964. Richardson came within six votes of sweeping every county the state, a feat that has never been achieved in any gubernatorial (or presidential) election in the state.
Primary election
editDemocratic party
editCandidates
edit- Bill Richardson, incumbent governor of New Mexico
- Anselmo A. Chavez, veteran and perennial candidate
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Bill Richardson (incumbent) | 107,720 | 99.64% | |
| Democratic | Anselmo A. Chávez (write-in) | 388 | 0.36% | |
| Total votes | 108,108 | 100.00% | ||
Republican party
editCandidates
edit- James R. Damron, physician
- George Brent Bailey Jr., educator and minister
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | James R. Damron | 52,888 | 99.58% | |
| Republican | George Bailey (write-in) | 225 | 0.42% | |
| Total votes | 53,113 | 100.00% | ||
General election
editCandidates
edit- Bill Richardson (Democrat), incumbent governor of New Mexico
- John Dendahl (Republican), former chair of the Republican Party of New Mexico
Campaign
editJames R. Damron easily won the Republican primary, but withdrew from the race on June 17, 2006, due to a lack of fundraising. John Dendahl was appointed by the Republican State Central Committee to replace him. There were no general election debates between the two candidates.
Predictions
edit| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[2] | Solid D | November 6, 2006 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[3] | Safe D | November 6, 2006 |
| Rothenberg Political Report[4] | Safe D | November 2, 2006 |
| Real Clear Politics[5] | Safe D | November 6, 2006 |
Polling
edit| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Bill Richardson (D) |
John Dendahl (R) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research & Polling Inc. of Albuquerque[6] | September 25–28, 2006 | — | — | 60% | 28% | — | — |
| Rasmussen Reports[7] | September 7, 2006 | — | — | 61% | 26% | — | — |
| Research & Polling Inc. of Albuquerque[6] | August 25–31, 2006 | — | — | 57% | 28% | — | — |
| Rasmussen Reports[8] | June 26, 2006 | — | — | 56% | 32% | — | — |
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Bill Richardson (incumbent) | 384,806 | 68.82% | +13.33% | |
| Republican | John Dendahl | 174,364 | 31.18% | −7.86% | |
| Majority | 210,442 | 37.63% | |||
| Total votes | 559,170 | 100.00% | |||
| Democratic hold | Swing | +21.19% | |||
Results by county
editRichardson was the first Democrat to win Lincoln County since John E. Miles in 1940. He was also the first Democrat to carry Chaves County, Los Alamos County, and San Juan County since Jack M. Campbell in 1964.
This is the most recent election in which a Democrat has carried Chaves County, Colfax County, Curry County, De Baca County, Eddy County, Harding County, Hidalgo County, Lea County, Lincoln County, Luna County, Otero County, Quay County, Roosevelt County, San Juan County, Sierra County, Torrance County, Union County, and Valencia County.
| County | Bill Richardson Democratic |
John Dendahl Republican |
Margin | Total votes cast | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Bernalillo | 133,195 | 68.17% | 62,205 | 31.83% | 70,990 | 36.33% | 195,400 |
| Catron | 857 | 49.83% | 863 | 50.17% | -6 | -0.35% | 1,720 |
| Chaves | 9,060 | 57.49% | 6,700 | 42.51% | 2,360 | 14.97% | 15,760 |
| Cibola | 4,698 | 75.97% | 1,486 | 24.03% | 3,212 | 51.94% | 6,184 |
| Colfax | 3,125 | 64.39% | 1,728 | 35.61% | 1,397 | 28.79% | 4,853 |
| Curry | 5,771 | 63.35% | 3,339 | 36.65% | 2,432 | 26.70% | 9,110 |
| De Baca | 559 | 62.67% | 333 | 37.33% | 226 | 25.34% | 892 |
| Doña Ana | 27,510 | 70.82% | 11,335 | 29.18% | 16,175 | 41.64% | 38,845 |
| Eddy | 8,539 | 60.25% | 5,633 | 39.75% | 2,906 | 20.51% | 14,172 |
| Grant | 7,502 | 72.55% | 2,838 | 27.45% | 4,664 | 45.11% | 10,430 |
| Guadalupe | 1,546 | 84.30% | 288 | 15.70% | 1,258 | 68.59% | 1,834 |
| Harding | 433 | 72.65% | 163 | 27.35% | 270 | 45.30% | 596 |
| Hidalgo | 1,037 | 71.12% | 421 | 28.88% | 616 | 42.25% | 1,458 |
| Lea | 6,473 | 55.13% | 5,268 | 44.87% | 1,205 | 10.26% | 11,741 |
| Lincoln | 4,017 | 59.91% | 2,688 | 40.09% | 1,329 | 19.82% | 6,705 |
| Los Alamos | 5,670 | 65.94% | 2,929 | 34.06% | 2,741 | 31.88% | 8,599 |
| Luna | 4,284 | 70.33% | 1,807 | 29.67% | 2,477 | 40.67% | 6,091 |
| McKinley | 14,973 | 86.05% | 2,427 | 13.95% | 12,546 | 72.10% | 17,400 |
| Mora | 1,738 | 73.80% | 617 | 26.20% | 1,121 | 47.60% | 2,355 |
| Otero | 8,271 | 57.80% | 6,039 | 42.20% | 2,232 | 15.60% | 14,310 |
| Quay | 2,134 | 65.86% | 1,106 | 34.14% | 1,028 | 31.73% | 3,240 |
| Rio Arriba | 8,621 | 81.46% | 1,962 | 18.54% | 6,659 | 62.92% | 10,583 |
| Roosevelt | 2,350 | 57.32% | 1,750 | 42.68% | 600 | 14.63% | 4,100 |
| San Juan | 18,846 | 60.08% | 12,521 | 39.92% | 6,325 | 20,16% | 31,367 |
| San Miguel | 6,884 | 78.85% | 1,847 | 21.15% | 5,037 | 57.69% | 8,731 |
| Sandoval | 24,722 | 67.69% | 11,803 | 32.31% | 12,919 | 35.37% | 36,525 |
| Santa Fe | 37,649 | 79.07% | 9,965 | 20.93% | 27,684 | 58.14% | 47,614 |
| Sierra | 2,445 | 57.49% | 1,808 | 42.51% | 637 | 14.98% | 4,253 |
| Socorro | 4,551 | 72.78% | 17,02 | 27.22% | 2,849 | 45.56% | 6,253 |
| Taos | 9,937 | 86.70% | 1,524 | 13.30% | 8,413 | 73.41% | 11,461 |
| Torrance | 3,280 | 60.67% | 2,126 | 39.33% | 1,154 | 21.35% | 5,406 |
| Union | 907 | 62.42% | 546 | 37.58% | 361 | 24.85% | 1,453 |
| Valencia | 13,222 | 66.71% | 6,597 | 33.29% | 6,625 | 33.43% | 19,819 |
| Total | 384,806 | 68.82% | 174,364 | 31.18% | 210,442 | 37.63% | 559,170 |
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
edit- Chaves (largest village: Roswell)
- Eddy (largest city: Carlsbad)
- Lincoln (largest city: Roidoso)
- Los Alamos (largest city: Los Alamos)
- Otero (largest city: Alamogordo)
- San Juan (largest city: Farmington)
- Sierra (largest city: Truth or Consequences)
- Torrance (largest city: Moriarty)
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Canvass of Returns of Primary Election Held on June 6, 2006" (PDF). New Mexico Secretary of State. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
- ^ "2006 Governor Race Ratings for November 6, 2006" (PDF). The Cook Political Report. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 5, 2008. Retrieved October 1, 2006.
- ^ "Election Eve 2006: THE FINAL PREDICTIONS". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
- ^ "2006 Gubernatorial Ratings". Senate Ratings. The Rothenberg Political Report. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
- ^ "Election 2006". Real Clear Politics. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
- ^ a b Research & Polling Inc. of Albuquerque
- ^ Rasmussen Reports
- ^ Rasmussen Reports
- ^ "Canvass of Returns of General Election Held on November 7, 2006" (PDF). New Mexico Secretary of State. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
External links
editCampaign websites (Archived)