Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull becomes first GOP candidate in race for governor

SANTA FE — One day after filing a report detailing more than $200,000 in campaign donations, Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull confirmed his plans to run for governor next year.

Hull, who is Rio Rancho’s longest-serving mayor, is the first Republican to officially enter the 2026 gubernatorial race.

Two Democrats, Deb Haaland and Sam Bregman, have already announced campaigns to succeed Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who is barred under the state Constitution from seeking a third consecutive term in office.

A Hull campaign spokesman said Tuesday the mayor will publicly launch his campaign in June, but plans to continue meeting with local leaders, GOP stakeholders and other New Mexicans in the run-up to that event. He has already launched a campaign website.

“Mayor Gregg Hull appreciates the outpouring of support and encouragement he has received to run for governor of New Mexico,” campaign spokesman Corey Stevens told the Journal.

Other Republicans could also join the race in the coming weeks and months, though one potential candidate, 2024 GOP U.S. Senate nominee Nella Domenici, ruled out a run this week.

Hull has served as Rio Rancho mayor since 2014, having twice won reelection to the post.

The city is New Mexico’s third largest, behind only Albuquerque and Las Cruces, and has grown faster than the state as a whole, with its population rising from 87,521 residents in 2010 to 110,660 as of 2023, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.

A former businessman and avid chef, Hull has not previously run for statewide office.

His campaign report filed Monday with Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver’s office shows Hull has received more than $206,000 in donations dating back to January.

That amount includes a $500 contribution he made to his own campaign. Other large contributions include $11,000 donations from Roswell auto dealership owner Tom Krumland and his wife, and $10,000 contributions from housing developers Chris Hakes of Albuquerque and David Parmeter of Las Cruces.

New Mexico has not had a Republican governor since Susana Martinez left office at the end of 2018, and state Democrats were quick Tuesday to point out that murder investigations in Rio Rancho went up last year.

The Washington, D.C.-based Democratic Governors Association also issued a statement about Hull’s candidacy.

“As New Mexico braces for what will no doubt become a crowded, messy GOP primary, Republicans can expect an uphill battle as Gregg Hull and anyone else who jumps in this race will have to answer for their party’s extreme attacks on Americans’ livelihood and efforts to strip away their rights,” DGA senior communications adviser Izzi Levy said in a statement.

The 2026 primary election will take place next year in June, with the general election scheduled for Nov. 3, 2026.