The 1982 United States Senate election in New Mexico took place on November 2, 1982. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Harrison Schmitt was running for re-election to a second term, but lost to Democrat Jeff Bingaman. As of 2022, this is the last time an incumbent senator lost re-election in New Mexico.
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 County results Bingaman: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Schmitt: 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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Democratic primary
Candidates
- Jeff Bingaman, Attorney General of New Mexico
- Jerry Apodaca, former Governor of New Mexico
- Virginia Keehan
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jeff Bingaman | 91,780 | 54.36 | |
| Democratic | Jerry Apodaca | 66,598 | 39.44 | |
| Democratic | Virginia Keehan | 10,466 | 6.20 | |
| Total votes | 168,844 | 100.00 | ||
General election
Candidates
- Jeff Bingaman, Attorney General of New Mexico (Democratic)
- Harrison Schmitt, incumbent U.S. Senator first elected in 1976 and former astronaut (Republican)
Campaign
Bingaman ran advertisements that criticized Schmitt's views on a minimum Social Security and mining on federally protected land.[2] Schmitt countered these ads by criticizing Bingaman's work as attorney general, citing the handling of the 1980 state prison riot and asking the governor to pardon an inmate that was on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted List.[2] Another ad that Bingaman ran asked, "What on Earth has he done for you lately?"[3]
The two negative ads that Schmitt ran were received poorly and later pulled.[4]
Results
The turnout was approximately 70%.[4]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jeff Bingaman | 217,682 | 53.77% | +11.07% | |
| Republican | Harrison Schmitt (incumbent) | 187,128 | 46.23% | −10.59% | |
| Majority | 30,554 | 7.55% | −6.57% | ||
| Turnout | 404,810 | ||||
| Democratic gain from Republican | Swing | ||||
Aftermath
Schmitt thought the media was biased against him during the campaign.[2]