The Democrat captured nearly 65% of the vote in unofficial returns, winning the open Las Cruces seat previously held by Joanne Ferrary.

Damien Willis, Organ Mountain News

LAS CRUCES - Democrat Lori A. Martinez won New Mexico's House District 37 race Tuesday, defeating Republican Isabella Solis to claim the Las Cruces legislative seat vacated by former Rep. Joanne Ferrary.

Unofficial results from the New Mexico secretary of state's office showed Martinez with 6,912 votes, or 64.6%, compared with 3,796 votes, or 35.4%, for Solis.

Martinez led by 3,116 votes, with 10,708 votes reported in the contest, according to a results export downloaded at 7:07 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 4.

The statewide results system showed all 2,204 precincts fully reporting, although election results remain unofficial pending certification.

Martinez will succeed Ferrary, a Democrat who retired July 31 during her fifth term. Doña Ana County commissioners decided to wait until after the election to fill the remainder of Ferrary's term, the Albuquerque Journal reported. Tuesday's election determined who would represent the district during the next legislative term.

In a Wednesday morning response to Organ Mountain News, Martinez celebrated her victory and said her focus would remain on the needs of working families.

“It was a great night! I’m excited to join my southern NM legislative colleagues giving a voice to the needs of the people in Las Cruces,” Martinez wrote.

She also pointed to Democratic gains in the Legislature, saying the party's expanded majority carried a responsibility to deliver results.

“NM Democrats won a supermajority in the House this evening, now we’ve got to use it to make people’s lives better,” she wrote.

Martinez pledged to oppose Trump administration policies she believes are harming New Mexicans.

“We need to actively fight the cruelty of the Trump administration and protect our people,” she said. “Too many people are struggling and scared, and that’s not what government should be. I’m ready to get to work.”

Candidates brought different experience to the race

Martinez is a social worker and executive director of Ngage New Mexico, an education nonprofit. She previously oversaw social work services and the Aggie Cupboard food pantry at New Mexico State University.

In a candidate questionnaire published by Source New Mexico, Martinez identified paid family and medical leave as her first legislative priority for 2027.

She said losing wages after childbirth or while caring for an ill family member could destabilize households already struggling financially.

Solis, a former Doña Ana County commissioner and commission chair, emphasized her experience helping develop the regional crisis triage center in responses to the League of Women Voters of Southern New Mexico.

Her campaign called for expanded addiction treatment, closer cooperation between local and federal law enforcement on human trafficking and fentanyl smuggling and improvements to district roads.

She also proposed changes to legal and regulatory requirements to help New Mexico recruit medical providers.

Candidates differed on data center development

Both candidates called for public involvement in decisions about major development proposals, including large artificial intelligence data centers.

In the league's voters' guide, Martinez said she supported temporarily pausing data center development until safeguards were established and residents had more information about electricity costs and local employment.

Solis called for evaluating development incentives, long-term risks and infrastructure requirements before approving major projects. Her questionnaire response did not specify whether she supported a moratorium.

Organ Mountain News also contacted Solis for comment, but she had not responded by the time of publication.

The election results remain unofficial until certified by the state.

Damien Willis is founder and editor of Organ Mountain News. If you have a personal story to share or a lead we should follow up on, reach out at OrganMountainNews@gmail.com or connect with him on X at @damienwillis.