The Associated Press called the New Mexico U.S. Senate race for incumbent Ben Ray Luján on Tuesday, Nov. 3, shortly after polls closed.

Luján, a Democrat, defeated Republican Larry E. Marker to win a second six-year term, according to AP's election results. Luján held 62% to Marker's 38% in partial returns from the New Mexico Secretary of State's Office, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported.

Luján, 54, entered the race with advantages in fundraising, name recognition and political experience after six terms in the U.S. House and nearly six years in the Senate, the Albuquerque Journal reported. He was leading by double digits when the race was called, according to the Journal.

Marker, 62, a self-employed oil and gas businessman from Roswell, reached the general election through an unusual path. After the Republican Party's original candidate failed to qualify for the ballot, Marker launched a write-in campaign in the primary that attracted more than 31,000 votes, according to the Journal.

In a statement after the AP call, Luján wrote, "Thank you, New Mexico. I am deeply grateful for the trust you have placed in me to continue serving all New Mexicans in the U.S. Senate," according to the Santa Fe New Mexican.

Marker expressed surprise that AP had called the race so quickly, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported. In a social media post before 8:30 p.m., he wrote to supporters, "We need a miracle, never surrender prayer warriors mount up."

Voter turnout

Source New Mexico reported that as of 2 p.m. on Election Day, 598,728 registered voters had cast ballots, or close to 43% of the state's more than 1.4 million voters. In 2022, New Mexico had a 52.3% voter turnout in the November midterm, according to Source New Mexico.

Source New Mexico reporter Leah Romero saw more than 60 people in line at Corbett Center Student Union on the New Mexico State University campus in Las Cruces on Election Day morning.

What's next

Election-night totals are unofficial. County and state canvassing will take place over the coming weeks, and the State Board of Canvass will meet Nov. 24 to certify official results and order any automatic recounts, according to Source New Mexico.