The Republican and Democratic candidates for the open seat on the state Court of Appeals — the only contested judicial race out of 15 on Santa Fe County ballots — remained in a dead heat late Tuesday.

Republican challenger Ned Fuller of Albuquerque led Democratic gubernatorial appointee Robert Robles by 1,848 votes out of 505,770 counted by 10:47 p.m.

The nearly 50/50 tie, with only 17 of 33 counties reporting, remained too close to call at press time. If Fuller wins the election, he will become the third Republican judge on the 10-member Court of Appeals.

Fuller, an insurance company lawyer who ran unsuccessfully for the state Supreme Court in 2004, is the only appellate court candidate to qualify for public campaign financing, with about $168,384 in tax funds for his campaign.

Robles, a former Las Cruces district judge appointed to the Court of Appeals last year, financed his campaign with private contributions. As of the last reporting period, Robles had raised $87,247 — about half of what his opponent did.

Democrats had no trouble taking the other 14 judicial positions.

Voters agreed to retain Supreme Court justices Charles Daniels and Petra Maes and Court of Appeals judges Michael Bustamante and Ceclia Foy Castillo.

Gov. Bill Richardson's two other appointees to the Court of Appeals, Linda Vanzi of Albuquerque and Tim Garcia of Santa Fe, had no Republican opposition in the general election.

The four Democrats who won their party's primary for Santa Fe's First Judicial District also had no Republican opposition, as did the Democratic incumbents for Santa Fe County magistrates.