Raúl Torrez will serve as the 32nd attorney general of New Mexico. Torrez defeated opponent Jermey Micheal Gay during the 2022 midterm elections.
The attorney general is in charge of “enforcement of consumer protection and antitrust laws, prosecution of criminal appeals and some complex white-collar crimes, training, and certification of peace officers, and most natural resource and environmental matters,” according to the New Mexico attorney general website. Torrez was absent from the New Mexico Democratic Watch Party due to illness, but Taylor Bui, his campaign manager, was there representing him.
Torrez is constitutionally bound to step down from his current position as Bernalillo County district attorney, according to Bui. Torrez has been serving as the DA since 2017, and his second term would have ended on Jan. 1, 2025, had he not been elected as GA. The governor will get to appoint a new Bernalillo DA.
Torrez ran a campaign with a pretty standard message throughout, according to Bui.
“Raúl has been pushing a pretty repeated message across the entire election about how critical the attorney general's races are for the future of New Mexico,” Bui said. “Issues like women's reproductive rights, issues like holding polluters accountable, holding bad actors who take advantage of the elderly consumer protection legislation. These are issues that are forefront as well as priorities.”
Torrez previously worked as a federal prosecutor and White House advisor to the Department of Justice, according to the Bernalillo County DA’s website. The attorney general of New Mexico may serve two terms, each four years long. The current attorney general, Hector Balderas, was ineligible to run again due to term limits. New Mexico has not had a Republican attorney general since 1990.
“I am truly honored and humbled by the trust and support of New Mexico, who have elected me to be their next attorney general,” Torrez said in a written statement. “This election is just the beginning as we embark on the work to make our communities safer, standing up for women’s reproductive rights, and protecting New Mexico’s most vulnerable citizens. I am ready for this fight and to work every day as the people’s lawyer.”
Elizabeth Secor is a beat reporter for the Daily Lobo. She can be contacted at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @esecor2003
Gabriel Saiz is a freelance reporter at the Daily Lobo. He can be contacted at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @gsaiz83
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Elizabeth Secor is a freelance reporter for the Daily Lobo. She can be contacted on Twitter @esecor2003
