Willie Madrid won the Doña Ana County Commission District 3 seat on Tuesday, Nov. 3, unseating an incumbent the governor appointed nine months ago.
Madrid, a Democrat and former state representative, defeated independent incumbent Susie Kimble and write-in candidate Julia Brown in a three-way race, according to unofficial returns from the New Mexico secretary of state's office, Organ Mountain News reported.
Madrid received about 60% of the vote to Kimble's 38%, with Brown collecting roughly 2%, according to the unofficial tallies. Madrid led by more than 2,500 votes out of nearly 12,000 cast. The results remained unofficial as the Doña Ana County Clerk's Office continued adjudicating write-in ballots on Nov. 4.
The State Board of Canvass is scheduled to meet Nov. 24 to certify official results, the Las Cruces Sun-News reported.
Kimble did not formally concede. In an email on election night to Organ Mountain News, she wrote: "I don't really have anything to say. If Willie Madrid succeeds and wins the race, I wish him the best."
Appointed incumbent falls short
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham appointed Kimble in February to fill the District 3 seat after Commissioner Shannon Reynolds resigned in December 2025. The term runs through Dec. 31, 2026. Kimble was seeking her first elected term.
Before the appointment, Kimble founded the Doña Ana County Behavioral Health Local Collaborative and served on the state's Behavioral Health Planning Council, according to the governor's office.
Madrid returns to elected office
Madrid represented New Mexico House District 53 from 2019 through 2024, serving three terms in the Legislature. He lost his reelection bid in 2024, the Sun-News reported.
Brown, a former Doña Ana County manager and Sunland Park city manager, argued at a candidate forum that residents were missing grant and service opportunities because county staff did not consistently explain how to access them, according to Organ Mountain News.
Organ Mountain News reported that it contacted Madrid and Brown for comment, but neither responded by the time of its publication.
Two new commissioners heading to the dais
Madrid's win was one of two commission seats that changed hands on Nov. 3. Democrat Daisy Maldonado defeated Republican Samantha Barncastle Salopek for the open District 1 seat, collecting about 60% of the vote, according to the Las Cruces Bulletin. Maldonado will succeed Commissioner Christopher Schaljo-Hernandez, who did not seek a second term.
The Doña Ana County Clerk's Office said fewer than 100 absentee ballots remained to be processed countywide when election officials recessed on election night.
