New Mexico Election 2026: trail notes

With the start of 2026, expect to see a ramp-up toward New Mexico’s June 2 primary and, of course, the Nov. 3 midterms. Source NM will be both rounding up and digging into the election cycle. For now, here’s an overview of campaign activity in the first week of the year.

Signature scamper

More than a dozen candidates have announced campaigns for New Mexico’s top executive office in the 2026 election, as current Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, is term-limited from running again. 

In order to appear on the ballot, candidates running with either of the state’s major Democratic or Republican parties must collect a little more than 2,000 signatures from members of their political parties and submit them to the Secretary of State by a Feb. 3 deadline, according to state law. 

The secretary of state’s office will publish the petition forms for minor party and independent candidates, including the required number of signatures, by March 31. Those candidates have until June 25 to file for candidacy, since they do not participate in the primary elections. 

The law requires that signatures for the major party candidates represent 2% of registered voters in the party who voted in the last gubernatorial primary election. For Democrats that number is 2,505 and for Republican candidates that’s 2,351 signatures, according to the state’s election information guide. 

Candidates have until the deadline to collect signatures, and then submit that along with other paperwork to the Secretary of State, according to Alex Curtas, a spokesperson for the office.

“At this point no one is officially a candidate for anything,” Curtas told Source NM in an email. “People have made announcements and ‘declared’ they are running, but no one is officially running until the paperwork is submitted and verified/accepted by our office on candidate filing day.”

Four candidates have reported exceeding the signature counts in statements from their campaigns. They include Democratic candidates Deb Haaland, the former Secretary of the Interior and U.S. congresswoman, who reported exceeding the minimum within 24 hours in October; and Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman, who has gathered more than 8,000 signatures, his campaign spokesperson told Source NM on Friday.

Republican candidates Gregg Hull, the mayor of Rio Rancho; and recent entry to the race Duke Rodriguez, a cannabis businessman and former cabinet secretary under former Gov. Gary Johnson, also said they’ve met the threshold. 

Rodriguez said in a news release this week he had collected more than 6,000 signatures.

“This wasn’t about checking a box. It was about earning trust,” Rodriguez said in a statement. “Every signature represents a real person who took time to participate, engage, and make their voice heard. That matters.”

New entries

While no campaign will be official until the Feb. 3 filing day, candidates are still announcing their entries into the race.

James “Jim” Ellis, a former Public Regulation Commissioner appointed by Lujan Grisham in 2023, who served until 2024, unveiled his website earlier this week, saying his platform is building “affordability, opportunity, and trust in government.” An emailed request for comment was not returned by deadline.

Ellis is the fourth candidate to seek the Republican nomination, with a field that includes Hull, Rodriguez and Sen. Steve Lanier (R-Aztec). Lanier has served in the state senate since his election in 2024, and served one term as a San Juan County commissioner. 

Dem contenders report additional events, endorsements

Haaland opened the new year with a donation of more than 350 books Friday to the Albuquerque-based literacy nonprofit Read to Me!

“By investing in education we invest in New Mexico’s future. As governor, I’ll prioritize making sure kids can read early on day one,” she said in a social media post.

Also this week, Bregman received the endorsement of Ohkay Owingeh, his third tribal endorsement.

Ohkay Owingeh Governor Benny J. Lujan said in a Jan. 5 statement that Bregman “respects our sovereignty and understands the realities facing our community,”  in the official endorsement. 

“He listens, he follows through, and he approaches tribal nations as partners not afterthoughts. That distinction matters,” Lujan said.

Bregman celebrated the endorsement in a statement. 

“I’m deeply honored by the trust Ohkay Owingeh has placed in me,” Bregman said. “For decades, I’ve stood alongside tribal governments in the fight for sovereignty and fairness. As governor, I will make sure tribal nations have a real partner in the Governor’s Office and a real voice in state government.”

Bregman also took to social media at the end of 2025 with what he called an “Obama-inspired favorites list” that included items such as his favorite musician and beer (Luke Combs and Coors).

What’s in a name

The Santa Fe County Clerk’s Office on Friday issued a news release reminding candidates of an approaching deadline for their own voter registrations. Once the Secretary of State issues the official election proclamation on Jan. 26, under state law anyone interested in running for office will be unable to make any changes to their names, addresses or political party affiliations. Those rules do not apply to anyone not running for office.

Got election year tips or questions? Send them to [email protected].