NEWS
New Mexico's crowded field of candidates for governor comes into focus on filing day
Secretary of State's Office has until next Tuesday to certify eligibility of candidates
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Modified
SANTA FE — After months of stump speeches and speculation, the field of candidates running for statewide and congressional offices in New Mexico this year is finally set — at least for now.
Two Democrats and six Republicans filed declarations of candidacy Tuesday to run in what’s expected to be an expensive and hard-fought contest to succeed Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who is term-limited and will step down at the end of this year.
The Democratic primary will pit former U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland against Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman.
Bregman said Tuesday this year’s gubernatorial election would chart the state’s direction for not just the next four years, but also the next 40 years.
“I feel strongly that we have many challenges, but we can solve them,” said Bregman, who recently warned that federal immigration officers could be prosecuted under New Mexico law if they detain individuals without a warrant signed by a judge.
For her part, Haaland said she would work to win back voters who previously voted for Democrats but supported President Donald Trump in the 2024 election. She told reporters Trump has not followed through on vows to reduce consumer costs, while also saying the president has created chaos around the nation.
“Affordability is real,” Haaland said. “It’s not a Democratic hoax.”
On the Republican side, the six candidates who filed to run for governor are: Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull, state Sen. Steve Lanier of Aztec, cannabis entrepreneur Duke Rodriguez of Albuquerque, former Public Regulation Commissioner Jim Ellison of Cedar Crest, business owner Doug Turner of Albuquerque, and political newcomer Belinda Robertson of Las Cruces.
Turner also ran for governor in 2010, coming in third in a five-way GOP primary race won by Susana Martinez, who went on to win that year’s general election.
In other races, U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján filed to run for a second term in the U.S. Senate, after first being elected to the Senate in 2020.
He will face a primary challenge from fellow Democrat Matt Dodson of Farmington, with the winner then set to face off against Republican Christopher Vanden Heuvel of Rio Rancho in the general election.
Luján has raised $6.5 million for the race and has $3.7 million cash on hand, according to his most recent campaign finance report. Dodson has raised just under $8,000 and has $7,195 cash on hand. Vanden Heuvel has not yet filed a campaign finance report.
In addition, the state’s three Democratic U.S. House members — Teresa Leger Fernández, Melanie Stansbury and Gabe Vasquez — all filed paperwork to seek reelection.
Vasquez will face a primary challenge from fellow Democrat Thomas Wakely. Two Republicans, Gregory Cunningham and Jose Orozco, will vie for their party’s nomination in the June primary election.
Vasquez has raised almost $2 million and has $1.2 million cash on hand. Orozco has raised $212,000 with $174,000 cash on hand and Cunningham has raised $172,000 and has $108,000 cash on hand. Wakely’s fundraising information is not available yet.
Leger Fernández has one Republican challenger, state Rep. Martin Zamora of Clovis, who is the best-funded Republican congressional candidate so far. Leger Fernández has raised $831,000 with $628,000 cash on hand, while Zamora has raised $368,000 with $269,000 cash on hand.
Stansbury’s Republican opponents are Ndidiamaka Okpareke, Carlton Pennington and Steve Jones.
In addition to the congressional seats, all statewide offices in New Mexico are up for election this year. All 70 state House seats will also be on the ballot, though filing day for those seats won't be until next month.
Two current Democratic state officials, state Auditor Joseph Maestas and state Treasurer Laura Montoya, did not draw Republican opponents on Tuesday, meaning they will have no major party opposition in their respective reelection bids.
Attorney General Raúl Torrez is also running for reelection, and is slated to face off against Republican Sam Kane of Las Cruces in the general election.
The office of New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver, who is running for lieutenant governor this year, will have until next Tuesday to certify the eligibility of candidates who filed Tuesday. Legal challenges targeting candidates’ eligibility — including their residency status and number of valid voter signatures — can then be filed through Feb. 13.
Both the state Republican and Democratic parties will then hold their preprimary conventions next month.
Those party conventions determine ballot order for the June 2 primary election and weed out candidates who don’t meet established criteria for delegate support. Candidates can still qualify for the ballot if they submit a larger amount of verified voter signatures.
Minor party and independent candidates are not subject to preprimary designation and face a different process to qualify for the Nov. 3 general election ballot.
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.
