After Senate district moved in redistricting, Republicans eye rare Albuquerque area breakthrough

Editor’s note: This is part of a series of stories the Journal is writing on competitive state legislative races in the 2024 general election.

SANTA FE — For the last 30 years, the Senate District 12 seat has been a safe Democratic seat in central Albuquerque.

But that changed during the latest round of redistricting, as lawmakers moved the district to the north and west — it now includes parts of northwest Albuquerque and Rio Rancho — to allow for changes to be made to adjacent districts.

The redrawing of the district’s boundaries also came after incumbent Sen. Gerald Ortiz y Pino, who has held the seat since 2005, announced he would not seek reelection this year.

As a result, the new-look seat could represent a pick-up opportunity for Republicans, who have seen Democrats win all but one Senate seat in Albuquerque in recent years.

Jay Block, a Rio Rancho Republican who ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2022 and is finishing up his second term as a Sandoval County commissioner, is running against Democrat Phillip Ramirez for the open seat.

Block defeated ex-legislator Candace Gould in the June primary election and said he’s learned from his past campaigns.

“This is the right race for me at the right time,” said Block, who said he would try to work with Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and the Democratic-controlled Legislature on crime-related issues.

He also said that, if elected, he would push for another round of tax rebates for New Mexico adults and a reduction in the state’s income tax rates amid an ongoing state revenue boom.

As a county commissioner, Block faced both criticism and praise in 2022 for voting against certifying that year’s election results, though he has voted since then in favor of certifying election results.

Ramirez, for his part, is an Albuquerque resident who helps run a family-owned mechanical contracting business and is making his second bid for elected office. He previously ran for an Albuquerque City Council seat three years ago but lost in a three-way race won by Republican Dan Lewis.

Ramirez cited expanding blue-collar training programs and addressing sky-high prescription drug costs as among his top priorities.

“We shouldn’t go into debt just because we want live,” said Ramirez, who is also an assistant high school baseball coach.

While the two candidates disagree on a range of issues, the race thus far has had a largely civil tone. Ramirez described Block as a “pretty decent guy” and said he told his campaign team to avoid negative attacks, while Block said he could imagine going to a baseball game with his opponent.

Block also posted a photo on Facebook of himself kneeling next to a campaign sign of Ramirez that had been vandalized.

“There is no place for this, and if you support me and did this, I do not want your vote,” Block said in his post.

Block has a financial advantage over Ramirez in this year’s general election race, as he has reported $238,608 raised for his campaign.

That includes money carried over from his 2022 gubernatorial bid.

Block has received hefty contributions from several GOP legislators and from Jalapeno Corporation, an oil company led by former state Republican Party Chair Harvey Yates Jr.

Ramirez has reported $68,547 in contributions for his campaign, with large donations from a Senate Democratic caucus committee and several labor unions.

All 42 state Senate seats are for election this year, and there’s guaranteed to be a number of new faces in the chamber come January.

That’s because 12 incumbent senators — five Democrats and seven Republicans — are not running for reelection this year, while an additional four senators were ousted in the primary election.

Democrats entered the election cycle with a 27-15 advantage over Republicans in the Senate.