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An Albuquerque state senator mired in controversy over allegations of harassment and bullying will likely face a primary opponent for the first time since he was elected to the Senate, more than a decade ago.
Heather Berghmans, a former finance director for the New Mexico House Democratic Campaign Committee, announced Thursday morning her intention to run against Sen. Daniel Ivey-Soto, D-Albuquerque, while specifically citing the controversy surrounding Ivey-Soto as a reason she plans to challenge him next year.
“Senator Ivey-Soto has become a distraction and he is no longer effective,” Berghmans said in a statement. “If he chooses to run for reelection, I am prepared to run a strong campaign to defeat him in June.”
Ivey-Soto, who is staying mum on whether he plans to run for reelection, first faced public allegations of harassment and bullying in early 2022 after a lobbyist filed a formal complaint against him. Later in the year, Ivey-Soto penned an op-ed in the Albuquerque Journal announcing that a legislative investigation into the allegations was indefinitely suspended. The same day that Ivey-Soto wrote that the case was closed, the Santa Fe Reporter published a leaked copy of a report from a contracted legislative attorney that claimed there was probable cause to move forward with a further investigation and potentially a hearing. It’s still unclear how a couple of ad-hoc committees voted, but what is clear is that state lawmakers largely opted not to move forward with any further actions towards, or investigations of, one of their own. Although a handful of lawmakers unsuccessfully called for him to give up his Senate seat, he did step down from his committee leadership position.
Earlier this year, a Santa Fe attorney filed a formal complaint against Ivey-Soto with the New Mexico Ethics Commission alleging the midtown Albuquerque senator crossed ethical lines for his own benefit. That case is still pending and specifics have not been made public.
Senate candidates will not file to run until early next year and there’s nearly no way to gauge what kind of voter support either Ivey-Soto or Berghman will get. Ivey-Soto has never faced a primary opponent since he held the Senate seat he won in 2012, but his own party made a point to distance itself from Ivey-Soto in August.