1978Final resultsSpecial election
1978 special election for New Mexico Senate District 5
New Mexico State Senate · New Mexico
Emilio Naranjo (D) won with 51.7% of the vote, defeating Samuel R. Ziegler (R) by 11.7 points.
Emilio NaranjoDemocrat · winner
51.7%5,022
Samuel R. ZieglerRepublican
40.0%3,883
Antonio I. DevargasOther party
8.3%808
9,713 votes
Source: Harvard Dataverse / Carl KlarnerUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:29 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 1978
Races before and after
Source: Past results: 99chambers results archive (MEDSL, Klarner, state election offices)