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New Mexico voters choose party nominees for governor as revenue soars from oil boom
Independents can vote in the semi-open contest as candidates debate how to use the state’s oil-fueled budget surplus.
On Tuesday, New Mexicans are casting ballots in the state's gubernatorial primary, featuring a semi-open system that allows roughly 23% of unaffiliated voters to participate in Democratic or Republican contests.
Persistent challenges including high violent crime rates and chronically underperforming schools frame the election, which occurs as a global oil revenue windfall funds the state budget and critical social programs.
Competing for the Democratic nomination, Former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and Albuquerque-based district attorney Sam Bregman seek to replace term-limited Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, with Haaland maintaining a significant fundraising lead.
Three Republicans—Duke Rodriguez, Gregg Hull, and Doug Turner—vie for the nomination, though the party faces an uphill battle given Democrats have won every statewide office since 2017.
Campaigns have grown contentious, with President Donald Trump's legal team issuing a cease-and-desist to Rodriguez for "deceptive use" of his image, while Haaland faced criticism after her name appeared in the Jeffrey Epstein files.