Ben R. Luján won just over 40 percent of the vote in a six-way race today in the Third Congressional District Democratic preprimary contest, while Don Wiviott also qualified for the ballot with just under 30 percent of the vote.
No other candidate reached the 20-percent threshold.
Luján had 40.2 percent of the vote to Wiviott’s 29.6 percent. Benny Shendo Jr. came in third with 16.4 percent of the vote, while Harry Montoya had almost 11 percent, Jon Adams had just over 2 percent and Rudy Martin had less than 1 percent.
Update, 3:55 p.m.
In a news release, Wiviott campaign spokeswoman Caroline Buerkle said Wiviott’s support shows that his message “is clearly resonating with voters.”
“It is remarkable how far this campaign has come,” she said. “Don started out with no name ID, no political network and none of the advantages of a political insider. Just a few months later, he shocked the establishment by not only getting on the ballot, but by running neck-and-neck with those who started with far more in their favor. Don’s strong showing is a testament to his progressive vision and voters’ desire for change.”
Update, March 16, 7:45 a.m.
Luján said in a news release that he is “grateful and honored by the support delegates have shown for our campaign.”
“Saturday’s victory and Friday’s endorsement by the League of Conservation Voters puts momentum on our side, and we will work 1 percent at a time to secure victory in June,” he said.
“This is a great showing, and along with the LCV endorsement, we clearly have the momentum going forward,” said Luján’s campaign manager, Carlos Trujillo. “We will keep working to let voters know about (Public Regulation) Commissioner Luján’s record of leadership on renewable energy, of holding insurance companies and big corporations accountable and of standing up for