Daniel Ivey-Soto

According to Peter St. Cyr of KOB-TV, the Bernalillo County Democratic Party Central Committee on Saturday (July 7) selected Daniel Ivey-Soto to replace outgoing state Sen. Tim Eichenberg (D-Albuquerque), who last month announced he’s resigning after one term in Albuquerque’s District 15.

Ivey-Soto edged out Vanessa Alarid 14-13 and will now be the Democratic Party nominee in this fall’s general election against former state Sen. H. Diane Snyder, the district’s Republican nominee.

A familiar face in the Roundhouse, Ivey-Soto has been the executive director of NM Clerks, LLC, where he serves as the legislative and regulatory representative for New Mexico’s 33 county clerks and frequently speaks at committee meeting hearings. He used to be the director of the state Election Bureau under then-Secretary of State Mary Hererra before he stepped down in 2008 to pursue a judicial appointment.

There have been plenty of changes in the state Senate in recent months. Eichenberg is the 10th person in the 42-member Senate to step down since the most recent legislative session.

And with the defeats of senators David Ulibarri (D-Grants) and Lynda Lovejoy (D-Crownpoint) in last month’s primary elections, there will be at least 12 new members in the chamber — a turnover of 28.5 percent.