Volpato concedes Primary Election to incumbent Cathrynn Brown for House District 55

Incumbent New Mexico Rep. Cathrynn Brown appeared the winner of the June 4 GOP Primary Election for New Mexico House District 55, according to unofficial results from the New Mexico Secretary of State.

Brown earned about 71% of the vote, 1,940 votes, records show, while her opponent Jack Volpato took about 29%, 809 votes, with 22 of 26 precincts fully reporting, records show.

No Democratic candidate entered the June 4 Primary, meaning the winner of the GOP nomination would run unopposed in the November General Election.

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"It is quite an honor to be entrusted with the responsibility of serving the people of southeastern New Mexico," Brown said in a statement following the election. "First and foremost, I think God for victory in this race. A big thank you to every person in Eddy and Lea who voted in this election. Heartfelt thanks, also to my amazing campaign team whose hard work, wise council and prayers made all the difference.

"And finally, I wish to comment Jack Volpato for running a clean race. I know the voters were pleased with the positivity of our campaigns."

Volpato conceded the election at about 9:30 p.m. June 4.

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"I'm conceding the race. I was surprised," Volpato said in an interview on election night. "I thought we would do better. It was a surprise to me and my workers. We worked hard but it just wasn't meant to be. We wish her (Brown) the best."

Volpato pointed to low voter turnout and the district's boundaries that don't cover all of Carlsbad, a city where he said he had "broad support." District 55 encompasses parts of Carlsbad and Eddy County but also Lea County to the east.

"I had broad support across the city (Carlsbad). Had the boundaries been drawn different, the result might be different," Volpato said. "Voter turnout appears to have been rather light. We thought there would be more."

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Brown, a former attorney was first elected in 2011 after defeating incumbent Democrat John Heaton for the seat representing portions of Eddy and Lea counties. She rarely faced a challenger in elections since, running unopposed since 2014, but had one this year in the form of Volpato, a former Eddy County Commissioner.

Volpato said his experience as an advocate for the Carlsbad and Eddy County communities during trips to Santa Fe qualified him for the position in the legislature. He was first elected to the Commission in 2006 and served until 2014 when he was term limited. Volpato pointed to his membership on the Carlsbad Mayor's Nuclear Task Force and other local boards as evidence of his pro-business stance.

He also advocated for tougher border security measures, and giving more authority to local school districts to regulate issues like school curriculum.

Brown, who characterized herself as the "fifth-most senior" member of the New Mexico House sits on the House Appropriations Committee, which each year draws up New Mexico's budget and serves as ranking member of the House Transportation, Public Works and Capital Improvements Committee, a post Brown said allowed her to direct millions of dollars in road funds to the district.

She pointed to social security reform, cutting taxation for most senior citizens and saving an average of $700 a year, along with work to reform on how lodger’s tax is allocated to increase payments to municipalities where businesses are headquartered instead of where they operate.

In another House race impacting Eddy County, Artesia Mayor John Henry ran unopposed for the GOP nomination in House District 54, which was vacated by Rep. Jim Townsend in his unopposed bid for Senate District 34, while Libertarian candidate Christian Scott Ehmling was unopposed for that party's nomination seat. Rep. Jimmy Mason (R-66) was also running unopposed for reelection.

Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, achedden@currentargus.com or @AdrianHedden on the social media platform X.

This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: Rep. Cathrynn Brown poised for House District 55 primary victory