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The 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in New Mexico were held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012, and elected the three U.S. Representatives from the state, one from each of the state's three congressional districts. The elections coincided with the elections of other federal and state offices, including a quadrennial presidential election, and a U.S. Senate election.
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Overview
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District 1
Incumbent Democrat Martin Heinrich, first elected in 2008, did not seek re-election, but will instead run for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Jeff Bingaman.
Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Bernalillo County Commissioner, won the Democratic nomination to succeed Heinrich. She defeated former Albuquerque mayor Marty Chávez and state Senator Eric Griego.
Former state Representative Janice Arnold-Jones won the Republican nomination without opposition.
Dan Lewis, a member of the Albuquerque City Council, had decided to seek the Republican nomination but dropped out of the race in March 2012. Army veteran Gary Smith had also decided to seek the nomination, but was deemed ineligible and removed from the ballot in April 2012. Businessman Jon Barela, who unsuccessfully ran as the Republican nominee in 2010 and now serves as secretary of the state's Economic Development Department, chose not to run.
District 2
Incumbent Republican Steve Pearce was elected in 2010, having previously served from 2003 until 2009. Pearce is seeking re-election.
Evelyn Madrid Erhard, a former teacher at New Mexico State University, won the Democratic nomination unopposed to challenge Pearce.
Frank McKinnon, a businessman who unsuccessfully ran for the seat in 2008, had also decided to seek the Democratic nomination, but did not receive the required percentage of delegates at the pre-primary convention to qualify for the primary ballot. Martin Resendiz, the mayor of Sunland Park, dropped his bid for the Democratic nomination in October 2011 following a scandal. State Representative Nate Cote; and former U.S. Representative Harry Teague, who represented the district from 2009 until 2011, chose not to run.
District 3
Incumbent Democrat Ben R. Luján was first elected in 2008. In April 2011 Luján declined to enter the U.S. Senate race, and instead chose to seek re-election to the House of Representatives.
Sean Closson, an artist and hotel worker, and former Santa Fe County Executive Harry Montoya, had planned to challenge Luján in the Democratic primary; however, neither Closson nor Montoya received the required percentage of delegates at the pre-primary convention to qualify for the primary ballot.
Rancher Jeff Byrd defeated businessman Rick Newton to win the Republican nomination to challenge Luján.