Jun. 8—Results late Tuesday of the Democratic primary election for a seat on the Santa Fe County Magistrate Court showed prosecuting attorney Dev Atma Khalsa was poised to become the new Division 2 magistrate, replacing longtime Judge George Anaya Jr., who chose not to seek reelection after 25 years on the bench.

Khalsa, who lives in Española, had a 10 percentage point lead over his closest contender, recently retired paralegal Melissa Mascareñas, in a four-way race for the Democratic nomination. The other candidates were John Baca, a former court manager and sheriff's deputy, and Michael Roybal, a court monitor for First Judicial District Judge Jason Lidyard.

So far, Khalsa faces no contender in the general election in November.

If he wins the seat, he will preside over cases that include issues surrounding traffic violations, drunken driving, felony preliminary hearings and landlord disputes.

"It feels like the work is paying off, but I do feel it is too early to call," Khalsa said late Tuesday night. "... I don't feel like it's a done deal in any way."

He added shortly after, "I'm honored by the trust the community has shown in me, and I won't let the community down."

Khalsa, 44, was born and raised in Virginia and was the only candidate in the race who was not a native New Mexican. In a recent interview, he said he moved to New Mexico in 2005 to pursue training in Kundalini yoga with the Sikh community outside Española before taking an interest in law.

He was also the only candidate with a law degree.

He's worked in the First Judicial District Attorney's Office for three years and previously worked in estate planning.

Khalsa said he believes he'll be the first turban-wearing Sikh elected to a judicial position in the U.S., something he said was confirmed by the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund based in Washington, D.C.

"It's the first time a community has rallied behind a turbaned person," he said.

California-based Sikh advocacy nonprofit Ik Onkar Bridges wrote in a recent Facebook post he'd be the "first turban wearing Magistrate selected by the people" if elected.

"I think knowing the law helps protect people's rights quite a bit more than otherwise," Khalsa said in a recent virtual interview with the organization.

During his campaign, Khalsa said he would prioritize making everyone in court feel truly heard and intended to promote transparency by creating a written record for the Magistrate Court.

"The first thing is just to make sure that any time anyone's rights are adjudicated, that that gets put in writing," he said Tuesday.

Khalsa also said he wants to see more community involvement in the court. He plans to explore the possibility of having someone available to steer people toward needed services.