New Mexico voters choose party nominees for governor

New Mexicans will choose Democratic and Republican nominees for governor on Tuesday as the state grapples with high rates of violent crime, chronically underperforming schools and cuts to federal programs that are key safety nets for residents. Despite New Mexico's persistent challenges, the primary election comes at a time of promise for the next governor. Surging oil prices caused by the Iran war have translated into an influx of tax revenue to state coffers. New Mexico is the nation's second-largest oil-producing state behind Texas, and the industry's revenue funds an array of progressive social programs that include universal childcare.

For the first time, the primary is open to voters who are independent. The state's semi-open primary system, which was signed into law by Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham last year, allows the roughly 23% of New Mexico voters who are not affiliated with a political party to request either a Democratic or Republican ballot.

Since 2017, Democrats have won every statewide elected office in New Mexico, and it's been decades since a Republican presidential candidate won the state.

While voters will decide primaries in three congressional seats, a US Senate seat and a long list of statewide offices, the governor's race is the main attraction. Former US Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, who also served a term in the US House, and Albuquerque-based District Attorney Sam Bregman are seeking the Democratic nomination to replace Lujan Grisham, who reached her term limit.

Haaland, a citizen of Laguna Pueblo, could become the first Native American woman elected governor in the US. Her campaign has focused on reducing costs for families, emphasizing her ancestral roots in the state and touting her experience working in the nation's capital. She was out campaigning on Tuesday, making her first stop at San Felipe Pueblo, a Native American community north of Albuquerque.

"Don't just honk, vote!" Haaland said as she waved a campaign sign and encouraged passing motorists to turn into the voting center parking lot.

She was greeted with hugs by women from the pueblo. Meredith Ansera, a project coordinator with the pueblo, said she worked with Haaland during her tenure as a tribal administrator who helped oversee education and childcare programs. "She knows what our needs are and she's been there," said Ansera, who cast her ballot early last week.

Haaland leads Bregman in fundraising. Her campaign has highlighted Bregman's wealth and cast him as out of touch with everyday New Mexicans. Haaland declined several opportunities to debate Bregman, who has argued that his experience as a prosecutor puts him in the best position for Democrats in a state with high crime rates.

His campaign also criticised Haaland after her name appeared in the Jeffrey Epstein files. She flew on a private jet chartered by one of Epstein's companies during her 2014 unsuccessful bid for lieutenant governor. That flight to a fundraising meeting in Washington, D.C., was paid for by Gary King, her running mate at the time. King's family had sold Epstein a ranch in New Mexico two decades earlier.

Haaland said she was unaware of Epstein's role in arranging the flight and never met him. Bregman, the prosecutor for Bernalillo County and the father of Chicago Cubs All-Star Alex Bregman, has promised to stand up to the Trump administration on issues such as healthcare and immigration.

He campaigned throughout metro Albuquerque on Tuesday, touching on his plan to address crime and improve education. He stopped at schools and a popular New Mexican restaurant, where he went table to table on election day, shaking hands with and talking to people, saying he hoped he'd get their vote.

Three candidates are running in the Republican primary, with the winner facing an uphill battle to claim a state that has trended left in recent years.

Gregg Hull was mayor of fast-growing Rio Rancho and has pointed to his leadership there as a blueprint for how he would govern, promising to attract large employers. Republican Doug Turner, a PR professional, waved at passersby Tuesday and shook hands with those who came up to him near a polling site in Albuquerque. His campaign has focused on plans to lift the state's public education system from the bottom of national rankings.

"This place is truly special. It's worth fighting for," he said of New Mexico, adding that it goes beyond party politics and that people just want to keep their children safe, have good jobs and not worry about where their next meal will come from.

Duke Rodriguez, former state Cabinet secretary under former Republican Gov. Gary Johnson turned cannabis CEO, has focused on stabilising the state's healthcare system, which faces financial troubles and a severe shortage of physicians.

While Hull and Turner have not aligned their campaigns with the MAGA movement, Rodriguez was recently served a cease-and-desist letter from a law firm representing President Donald Trump for "deceptive use" of Trump's image in campaign materials.

Associated Press