At first it appeared NM GOP Chairman Steve Pearce had barely survived a three way challenge for his job last night, winning re-election to a two year term by only one vote over radio talk show host Eddy Aragon. That's how the outcome was initially reported by the GOP.

But in a great irony the party that has been claiming voter fraud and mischief by their foes had to fess up to a major and embarrassing mistake in counting the votes for its own party chair election. From the NMGOP: 

Hey, maybe TXT2VOTE should call Dominion for some advice? 

Talk about getting a taste of your own medicine. Pearce has been on the warpath making baseless claims about New Mexico voter fraud and errors only to see the biggest accounting error in the 2020 cycle in his own election for party chair.

Pearce, a former southern NM congressman, was expected to coast to victory, but Aragon, one of the most ardent Trump supporters in the state, hammered away at the party's lack of results in the November election, noting that the R's under Pearce had lost a seat in the state Senate, did not make up any ground in the Dem dominated House and failed to capture the open US Senate seat. And, most important, Trump lost here. 

Pearce, 73, who is said to be exploring another run for Governor in 2022--he lost big to MLG in 2018--was given reason to rethink those plans by his underwhelming victory to a group of largely unknown opponents. He carried 44 percent of the vote to Aragon's 27 and Snider's 24 percent, far from the blow-out that was anticipated.

A GOP Alligator came with this analysis:

Aragon blasted a GOP/Pearce plan unveiled in the final days of the election called Respect New Mexico, with the slogan: "Something we can all say yes to." The Trumpsters criticized the party for being milquetoast and fearful and for not going all in for Trump who lost the state to Biden 54-43.

Pearce has the party reins again but the horses are bucking.