Santa Fe County Clerk Katharine Clark enters NM secretary of state race

SANTA FE — The open race to pick New Mexico’s next top elections official will feature a Democratic primary showdown involving at least two county clerks.

Santa Fe County Clerk Katharine Clark recently announced her campaign for secretary of state, ending weeks of speculation.

She joins Doña Ana County Clerk Amanda López Askin, who became the first candidate in the race when she announced her candidacy last month.

In announcing her campaign, Clark cited her trip to Washington, D.C., earlier this year to advocate for the restoration of election security programs as part of the National Association of Counties Board of Directors.

She said in a Friday interview she would push to expand voter education programs in high schools if successful in next year’s election cycle, while also vowing to continue the work of outgoing Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver.

“We want to make sure elections are protected,” Clark told the Journal.

Clark was first elected as Santa Fe County clerk in November 2020, and then won reelection to a second four-year term in 2024.

Before that, she worked on political campaigns, including as a campaign manager, an experience she said gave her unique perspective about how elections are run.

“The election administration should never be the reason a candidate wins or loses,” Clark said. “Voters should decide whether a candidate wins or loses.”

She recently launched a TV ad campaign — in her role as county clerk — touting the ease of “pajama voting” for New Mexicans who request permanent absentee voter status.

But she said the TV ads were launched before she announced her campaign, and not intended as a way to boost her political profile.

Clark also said she believes she’s the “best candidate” in the race, citing Santa Fe County’s high voter turnout rate in recent election cycles, including a turnout of 75.1% of registered voters in last year’s general election.

Next year’s secretary of state race will not feature an incumbent, as Toulouse Oliver is constitutionally barred from seeking a third consecutive term in office.

Toulouse Oliver, a Democrat, has served as secretary of state for eight-plus years. She was first elected to the office in 2016, following former Secretary of State Dianna Duran’s resignation after being charged with using campaign funds to fuel a gambling habit.

All New Mexico statewide offices will be on the ballot next year, including governor, attorney general and secretary of state.

A Democrat has held the Secretary of State’s Office for all but a few years in modern New Mexico history.

When she won election in 2016, Duran became the first Republican elected to the office since 1929. After she resigned, fellow Republican Brad Winter served as secretary of state for one year after being appointed to the post by then-Gov. Susana Martinez.