Lea County legislator reintroduces secession amendment

A Lovington state representative has introduced a constitutional amendment that would give voters a say in whether they want their counties to secede from New Mexico.

Under House Joint Resolution 10 — sponsored by Republican Reps. Randall Pettigrew of Lovington, and Jimmy Mason of Artesia — at least 15% of the voters in three or more contiguous counties need to sign a petition requesting that secession be put on the 2026 ballot, Pettigrew said in a phone interview.

"And if we have a special election and two-thirds of the population in those counties agree and the county commissioners agree to that, and we (get) a presidential sign-off on it, we can get the hell out of New Mexico and quit being their problem," Pettigrew said.

In 2021, former Republican Sen. Cliff Pirtle of Roswell introduced a similar bill, Senate Joint Resolution 15, that died in the Senate Rules Committee. Pirtle's 2021 legislation was the first time a New Mexico lawmaker offered legislation that would allow counties to secede.

Pettigrew said he brought secession back to the table, in part, because of how people in other parts of the state view the region and the oil and gas industry.

"My colleagues on the left and the Emerge New Mexico (a training program for Democratic women planning to run for public office) people up here want all the money," he said. "They just want to spend it the way they want and they want to control oil and gas at the same time. It’s time to take the control away from them.”

Lea County Democratic Party Vice Chairman Clayton Griffin said "the idea of secession is ridiculous."

"Representative Pettigrew has always wasted time with partisan nonsense like this," Griffin said in an email. "I wish he'd work with his colleagues to address issues people care about, like making life more affordable for working families. Like most Republicans, he's only looking for ways to divide us instead of doing the work he was elected to do. Real leaders bring people together."

The idea of county secession is not exclusive to New Mexico. Across the country, people are wanting to leave their states to join more politically aligned ones or create a new state altogether.

Over the past five years, voters in 33 Illinois counties were asked if they want to consider separating from Cook County in Chicago and form a new state. Each time, a majority said yes, according to The Associated Press. Some 1,500 miles to the west, the Greater Idaho movement is seeking to incorporate eastern Oregon counties into The Gem State to address a cultural divide in Oregon.

In New Mexico, current and former Permian Basin residents, including former two-term Roswell mayor and state representative Dennis Kintigh, said secession is worth considering. Kintigh said he is proud of Pettigrew for sponsoring the amendment.

"I think by putting the resolution forward, he highlights an issue that needs to be addressed," Kintigh said. 

That issue, Kintigh said, involves the "massive cultural disconnect" between southeast New Mexico and the state capital.

"It's more than 200 miles that separates Santa Fe from the Permian Basin," the former Roswell mayor said. "Everything, I would argue, is almost diametrically opposed between the two cultures and I think (the disconnect) makes a mockery of our state pledge (that mentions) 'unified cultures.' There's no unity. There's no respect for southeastern New Mexico."

HJR 10 is still pending in its first assigned House committee with a few days left in the 30-day session. Kintigh said he doubts the amendment will be heard. 

"I think secession is a fantasy, a fun fantasy," he said. "(But) Santa Fe would never let southeast New Mexico go. Southeast New Mexico is like a Third World colony to Santa Fe. They want the money that southeast New Mexico generates."

Gregory R.C. Hasman is a general assignment reporter and the Road Warrior. He can be reached at ghasman@abqjournal.com or 505-823-3820.