SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Attorney Teresa Leger Fernandez defeated former CIA operative Valerie Plame to win the Democratic nomination in New Mexico’s 3rd Congressional District in Tuesday’s primary.
Leger Fernandez is a professional advocate for Native American pueblo communities and voting rights issues. She overcame six competitors including Plame to win her party’s nomination to succeed U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján as he runs for U.S. Senate. Sen. Tom Udall is retiring.
Republican primary voters embraced the familiar faces of a former television weatherman and two-time congressional nominee in attempts to claw back a House swing seat and Senate seat from Democratic control.