NEWS
GOP gubernatorial candidate Jim Ellison drops out of race, plans to run for state treasurer
Secretary of State's Office says former governor hopeful can run as write-in candidate for different office
Published
SANTA FE — The Republican field in New Mexico’s race for governor is down to four candidates.
GOP candidate Jim Ellison announced Thursday he had dropped out of the race after finishing in fifth place at last weekend’s Republican pre-primary convention in Ruidoso and plans to run instead for state treasurer.
A former state Public Regulation Commission member from Cedar Crest, Ellison said he made the decision after discussions with top state party officials.
“As a former utility regulator, I reviewed and approved multimillion-dollar rate case applications — scrutinizing financial statements, cost structures, and investment plans with the same discipline the State Treasurer's office demands every day,” Ellison said in a statement.
No Republican candidates filed last month to run for state treasurer. The office is currently held by Democrat Laura Montoya, who is seeking reelection this year.
But a spokeswoman for Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver’s office said Thursday that Ellison can still run as a write-in candidate in the race despite initially filing to run for a different contest.
Several other Republicans are also planning to launch write-in campaigns, after the GOP initially failed to field candidates in several statewide races and other candidates were disqualified from the primary election ballot.
While it’s rare for write-in candidates to win elections, it’s not unprecedented. Among other examples, Republican Joe Skeen was elected to a U.S. House of Representatives seat in New Mexico in 1980 after the incumbent Democrat Harold Runnels died after filing day. Skeen went on to serve 11 terms in Congress before retiring in 2003.
Meanwhile, Ellison’s decision to drop out of the race for governor leaves four GOP candidates in the contest — though that number could change.
Two Republicans, Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull and Albuquerque small business owner Doug Turner, automatically qualified for the June 2 primary ballot due to their showings at the pre-primary convention, while Duke Rodriguez of Albuquerque said he also gathered enough voter signatures to also qualify for the ballot.
The other candidate, state Sen. Steve Lanier of Aztec, has until next week to decide whether to try to collect enough signatures to remain in the race.
Whoever wins the Republican primary election could face several opponents in the November general election.
Democrats Deb Haaland and Sam Bregman are vying for their party’s nomination in a hard-hitting primary race, while former Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima said last month he had decided to run as an independent instead of as a Democrat.
This year’s race for governor is an open contest, as current Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is barred under the state Constitution from seeking a third consecutive term and will step down at year’s end.
Dan Boyd covers state government and politics for the Journal in Santa Fe. Follow him on X at @DanBoydNM or reach him via email at dboyd@abqjournal.com.
