Gary King wins gubernatorial primary vote; will challenge Gov. Martinez in November

Attorney General Gary King has won New Mexico’s Democratic gubernatorial nomination and will face incumbent Republican Susana Martinez in the general election.

King defeated four other candidates in a quiet primary in which Democrats avoided attacking each other and focused their criticisms on Martinez.

Martinez is a rising star in national GOP circles as the nation’s first female Hispanic governor, and she’s considered a strong favorite to win re-election.

Martinez holds a hefty financial advantage, accumulating more than $4 million in her re-election account while the Democrats largely exhausted their funding in the primary.

King is a two-term attorney general and the son of New Mexico’s longest-serving governor, the late Bruce King.