New Mexico primary election: Berghmans aims to unseat Ivey-Soto

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Political candidates are gearing up for next Tuesday’s primary election.

One of the biggest showdowns is in northeast Albuquerque, where Democrat Heather Berghmans is running to unseat Democratic state Sen. Daniel Ivey-Soto. The Senate District 15 race is easily one of the nosiest this year, as an accomplished state senator with a history of controversial behavior tries to hang onto his seat.

Ivey-Soto was first elected into the Roundhouse over a decade ago, and he’s helped craft dozens of new laws in New Mexico. However, he’s also faced numerous sexual harassment allegations and that’s playing a role in his competitor’s campaign.

Berghmans is no stranger to the Roundhouse or the allegations of what happens inside.

“What I’ve heard from the community is that they want a leader that can work well in the Roundhouse to get, to find solutions to these problems and not be a distraction,” Berghmans said.

Berghmans is focused on issues like homelessness and public safety, but her campaign website challenges Ivey-Soto, saying he “has been credibly accused by multiple women of sexual harassment and other forms of abuse over the last two years.”

“It’s important for me to let voters know how he conducts himself in the Roundhouse,” she said.

In 2022, multiple women accused Ivey-Soto of sexual harassment and aggression. That list includes a current state lawmaker, a former lobbyist, and gun violence prevention advocate Mirando Viscoli.

“He, between two doors in a building where there are no cameras, yelled and screamed at me and violently pointed his finger at my face, in my face,” Viscoli said. “It was one of the worst moments of my life.”

Ivey-Soto denies the allegations, but he did step down as chair of the Senate Rules Committee after a leaked report revealed there was probable cause he violated anti-harassment rules.

“I do believe that actually, that initial investigation should not be done by the Legislature,” Ivey-Soto said. “Because I think the public naturally is going to be suspicious either way.”

The New Mexico State Ethics Commission dismissed a similar ethics complaint against Ivey-Soto last year. The senator says revisiting the allegations is a distraction from accomplishments, like a new pretrial detention bill.

“It’s been pretty stressful,” Ivey-Soto said. “You know, we’ve been really wanting to talk about the issues, talk about a lot of the bills that I’ve been working on, the policy issues that I’ve been passing, and the things that I’ve been doing in the district.”

Ivey-Soto pointed out that several of his fellow state senators have donated to his reelection campaign, and one even appeared in his campaign ad extending their support. However, Viscoli argues that should not excuse the numerous accusations of bad behavior.

Whoever wins the primary will likely face Republican Craig Degenhardt in the general election this November.