Democratic state Rep. Melanie Stansbury won a special congressional election to fill a seat left vacant following Deb Haaland's appointment as President Joe Biden's interior secretary, according to an NBC news report.
Stansbury won the four-way election after campaigning in support of Biden's major policies. Her victory also increases the Democrats' congressional advantage of 219-211 ahead of the 2022 midterm elections.
"What an incredible day! What an incredible win! Thank you to all of the voters, volunteers, staff who made this amazing win possible," Stansbury wrote on her Twitter. "And thank you to everyone who has called, texted, and messaged over the last day. Love you all so much!"
The election drew a large number of early voters. More than 71,000 ballots had been received by the end of May, accounting for more than 15% of the district's registered voters, according to the Albuquerque Journal.
"Democrats sent a clear message during this election that we're not taking anything for granted when it comes to electing leaders who truly represent our values," State Democratic Party Chair Jessica Velasquez said in a statement on June 1 following the special election's results.
According to a CNN report, this election was seen as a reflection of the present political environment four months into Biden's administration and is one of several early predictors of voter sentiment ahead of next year's midterm elections.
"We know the importance of electing strong Democrats like Melanie Stansbury, and we will continue to build on that momentum as we look toward 2022," Velasquez said.
Stansbury received 79,622 votes to Republican Mark Moores' 47,070 votes in the special election; independent candidates Aubrey Dunn and Christopher Manning also campaigned in the race, according to a report by Politico.
Additionally, Stansbury's win is the first time in more than a century that a special election has been won by a margin greater than that of the candidate's party in the preceding general election.
Stansbury's legislative priorities, according to her campaign website, have been food and hunger, climate change, and economic challenges. She has previously worked in the Obama administration on environmental and community issues, as well as for the US Senate's Energy and Natural Resources Committee.