1980Final resultsSpecial election
1980 special election for New Mexico Senate District 39
New Mexico State Senate · New Mexico
Charlie Lee (R) won with 60.5% of the vote, defeating Wilton H. Howell (D) by 20.9 points.
Charlie LeeRepublican · winner
60.5%5,252
Wilton H. HowellDemocrat
39.5%3,434
8,686 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 1980
Races before and after
Source: Harvard Dataverse / Carl KlarnerUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:29 AM ET