Former Bernalillo County Sheriff Manuel “Manny” Gonzales has failed to meet the requirements to get on the Republican U.S. Senate primary ballot, thereby handing the party’s nomination to fellow candidate Nella Domenici.
Alex Curtas, the New Mexico Secretary of State’s Office communications director, confirmed that Gonzales failed to obtain the needed signatures to qualify for the ballot in the June primary.
“He filed 875 signatures but needed 2,351 to qualify,” Curtas said.
Domenici, by contrast, surpassed that number early on gathering more than 8,000 signatures before the Feb. 6 filing deadline.
According to the Secretary of State’s Office, a candidate vying to be the nominee of the Republican, Democratic or Libertarian parties must receive a number of voter signatures within their party that is equal to 2% of the total number of votes cast in the last statewide election.
For Republicans, that amounts to 2,351 signatures. For Democrats, that number is 2,505, and for Libertarians it’s 294.
Gonzales acknowledged his signature shortfall in a post on his public Facebook page, saying that to appear on the ballot, he had to gather the required signatures in a short period.
“Although we did not fulfill the requirements, I pledge to continue to remain politically active,” he said. Gonzales also pledged to support “and offer my experience” to Domenici in her bid to unseat three-term New Mexico Democratic Sen. Martin Heinrich.
Gonzales publicly launched his campaign in January in an interview with Fox News. Initially a registered Democrat, Gonzales served as Bernalillo County Sheriff from 2014 until 2022. He then made an unsuccessful bid for Albuquerque mayor in 2021, losing that race to incumbent Tim Keller.
With Gonzales’ exit from the race and Heinrich lacking an opponent, Nella Domenici, the daughter of former New Mexico Republican Senator Pete Domenici, noted in a press release that her campaign will turn its attention to the general election.
“Our campaign is about the priorities of all New Mexico voters, and I look forward to meeting, listening to, and earning the vote of New Mexicans across the state,” said Domenici. “Every day, more and more families are joining our hard-working team because they know I value collaboration, which will address the dysfunction, partisanship and gridlock in Washington.”
When reached for comment about Domenici’s status as the Republican nominee, the Democratic Party of New Mexico referred to the statement they released last month in response to news of Domenici’s campaign launch. In that statement, they refer to her as “East Coast elitist” and deride Domenici, a former chief financial officer for Bridgewater Associates, for her close ties to Wall Street.
“Democrats have won every Senate race in New Mexico since 2006, and we are confident Senator Heinrich will be reelected,” the statement said.
But Greg Zanetti, a former chairman of the Republican Party of Bernalillo County, told the Roswell Daily Record that he believes that script will not work against Domenici.
Nella Domenici’s father represented New Mexico in the Senate from 1973 to 2009, and Zanetti believes the Domenici name still holds weight within the Republican Party and broader New Mexico electorate.
“People 40 and up remember Pete. They remember him fondly, and what he did for the state, or their parents talked about him. He was ‘Saint Pete,’” Zanetti said.
However, he believes the race will ultimately be determined by policies and the condition of the state and nation.
“Everybody sees where the county is heading, what is going on here. The issues will be more important than the name and Nella knows that too,” Zanetti said.
By Alex Ross
Roswell Daily Record