Ballots set for June 28 primary

THE June 28 Primary Election features several local competitive races across the six counties of the San Luis Valley. There is also a slate of candidates vying to replace Don Valdez as state representative and candidates looking to unseat Lauren Boebert as 3rd Congressional District representative in the U.S. House.

Ballots for the primary election go out Monday, June 6. The date June 6 is also the last day for voters who are affiliated with a political party to change or withdraw their affiliation if they wish to vote in a different party’s primary election.

Below is a list of races in each county – Alamosa, Conejos, Costilla, Mineral, Rio Grande and Saguache. Keep in mind that candidates for office who don’t affiliate with either major political party – Democrat and Republican – can still petition their way onto the November general election ballot.

In fact that is the case for Cherilyn Rue, the current Rio Grande County Treasurer. Rue is planning to seek re-election as an unaffiliated candidate and will petition her way onto the November general election ballot. Since there are no Democrats or Republicans running in the respective Rio Grande County Treasurer primary races, Rue would end up running unopposed in November provided she collects the required number of signatures to get her name on the general election ballot.

Other races of note:

• Costilla County has the most candidates running for local office, with three candidates, Lorraine A. Quintana, Fernando A. Martinez, and Jake Mondragon campaigning in the Democratic primary for District 2 County Commissioner; and three candidates, Michael Ray Vigil, Benita Martinez, Rebecca Becky Romero competing in the Democratic primary for county treasurer.
• Alamosa County has a competitive Republican primary for County Commissioner District 2 to replace Mike Yohn who is not seeking re-election. Arlan Van Ry and Tom Maestas are running in the Republican primary. There is no Democrat in the race. However, unaffiliated candidates can still petition onto the Nov. 8 general election ballot.
• Alamosa has an interesting situation with the coroner race. There is no designated Republican or Democrat in the primary election. Trace Larson, the current coroner, is not seeking re-election.
• In Rio Grande County incumbent District 2 County Commissioner John Noffsker is facing Tyler Ratzlaff, a retired veterinarian, in a Republican primary challenge.
• Matthew Martinez, who supervises Adams State’s prisoner education program, is the lone Democrat in the race to replace State Rep. Don Valdez. Martinez will face either Ryan G. Williams or Carol Riggenbach, who are competing in the Republican primary of the House District 62 race.
• A race on most radars is Rep. Lauren Boebert facing retiring state Sen. Don Coram in the Republican primary of the U.S. 3rd Congressional District race. The winner will face one of three Democrats who made the primary ballot, Soledad Sandoval Tafoya, Alex Walker and Adam Frisch.

PRIMARY ELECTION RACES

*= incumbent

ALAMOSA COUNTY

COUNTY COMMISSIONER
District 2