ABSTRACT
New Mexican Hispanos have a political history that is greatly different from that of Latinos in other states. The 1996 election illustrated the enigmatic role of Hispanos in politics. New Mexico's thirty-four voting delegates to the Democratic National Convention were elected in late June at a party convention in Albuquerque. The Senate seat up for election in 1996 was that of longtime popular and powerful Republican Pete Domenici. This Senate race illustrates how Hispanic ethnicity as a factor in electoral politics operates in New Mexico. New Mexican Hispanos' reliable participation made a significant difference in the context of a change in the voting patterns of Anglos. This time around the Hispanic voters of the state were both prominent and pivotal. It remains to be seen whether and how the reliability of Hispanos in New Mexico will be recognized, and whether it will be continued in the face of the rapidly changing demographics of the state.
