Earlier this year the race for New Mexico Senate District 28, including Silver City and the Gila Wilderness, took an unexpected turn.
Senator Siah Correa Hemphill, a Democrat, was all set to run for reelection, facing no challengers in the primary elections. But after those primaries, she pulled out, saying she couldn’t afford to commute to Santa Fe to do unpaid work as a lawmaker anymore.
The district was the closest state Senate race in the last election two years ago. Sen. Correa Hemphill won by just under 400 votes. Back then, she ran after successfully challenging sitting Democratic senator Gabriel Ramos in a primary race…