Former Bernalillo County Sheriff, Manny Gonzales, has announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate. After years of membership in the Democratic Party, Gonzales is now running for New Mexico's senate seat as a Republican.
In a social media post on January 10th, Gonzales announced his decision to run for office. He stated that he is "running for Senate to bring New Mexican values to Washington."
According to the New Mexico Political Report, Gonzales served two terms as Bernalillo County Sheriff from 2014 to 2022. Subsequently, he contested in the Albuquerque mayoral race but lost to incumbent Tim Keller. In this election, Gonzales ran politically right of Keller and secured 25.5% of the vote compared to Keller's 56.1%.
Gonzales said that "the radical elements within the national Democratic Party" led him to switch parties, as reported by the New Mexico Political Report. During his tenure as Bernalillo County Sheriff, it was reported that he visited the White House under President Donald Trump's administration and his mayoral campaign was managed by Republican political figures.
Gonzales will likely be up against incumbent U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a Democrat who announced his intention to run for a third term in the U.S. Senate according to the New Mexico Political Report. It should be noted that Democrats have won every U.S. Senate race in New Mexico since 2008.
As per information on his website, during his tenure as Bernalillo County Sheriff, Gonzales was appointed to the President’s Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice by the United States Attorney General. Alongside public service as sheriff, he also has experience in private sector as a small business owner.
According to a Justice Clearinghouse newsletter, prior to working in the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department, Gonzales served in the U.S. Marine Corps. He and his wife are both life-long residents of Albuquerque.