NM Governor’s race brings familiar themes, uncertain outcomes

Sent to newspapers 5/15/2026

NM’s governor’s race brings familiar themes, uncertain outcomes

A new batch of campaign finance reports are in, and it’s hard to see a case for change in New Mexico. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Deb Haaland has nearly three times the money of her closest opponent, fellow Democrat Sam Bregman.

Former Interior Secretary Haaland has raised between $11-$12 million to date. Some are calling this “unprecedented.” Actually, with campaigns drawing more and more cash every cycle, it seems on track. In 2022, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham raised more than $14 million for her winning campaign. Her Republican opponent, Mark Ronchetti, pulled in a respectable $9 million.

So will the money keep pouring in for Haaland post-primary? Maybe not at this rate. Many betting on this race with their wallets feel the Democratic primary is the real race. The disorganization of the New Mexico Republicans, evidenced by a reliance on write-in candidates for several statewide races, shows that the NM GOP lacks the ability to even get a full slate of candidates together for the primary.

At an April 28 forum hosted by the Rio Rancho Chamber of Commerce featuring all five major party candidates, they largely stuck to the same issue: New Mexico needs work. Specifically with regard to crime, education, and the economy. I got some familiar vibes from the candidates.

Deb Haaland is Mostly Likely To Maintain the Status Quo. If you like the current governor, this is your choice. She did differentiate herself from Governor Lujan Grisham by highlighting proposed overhauls to the Child, Youth, and Families Department, which under this administration has been a closed and dysfunctional organization.

On nearly every other topic, Haaland’s solution is coalition-building, community, or systemic equity. To address education, she suggests hiring more reading coaches and incorporating outdoor experience into science education. Her crime platform calls for community-led prevention. Her economic platform centers on infrastructure equity and social safety nets. Her healthcare platform makes the state more involved as a provider and regulator, with an interest in a state-provided public health system, and higher compensation for providers. This seems….light. And probably expensive.

Sam Bregman, the Bernalillo County District Attorney, strikes me as more of a pro-business Democrat, much in the mold of the late Bill Richardson. He would like to reform the juvenile criminal code, allow medical commitment for repeat offenders with documented severe mental health issues, increase penalties for gun crimes and improve treatment options for drug dependencies. Then, he wants to spend a lot of money on education without necessarily reforming it, and his economic plan includes “baby bonds” for low-income families, keeping universal childcare intact (along with Haaland), tax credits for family caregivers, and eliminating GRT for medical services.

I’d like to note that the Legislature did Haaland and Bregman a solid this year by passing malpractice reform. Both candidates stated they did not support it, despite overwhelming support from voters and the Legislature.

Turning to the Republicans, if Bregman reminded me of Richardson, former State Secretary of Health Duke Rodriguez evokes the governor he served under, Gary Johnson. There is a strong libertarian streak here, and desire to work with the business community to better the state. He was the most vocal about New Mexico’s revolving-door criminal justice system, noting that when he was a Cabinet secretary, the state prison population was about 10,000 inmates. In 2026, it’s about 5,000.

"You can’t tell me people are just behaving better,” said Rodriguez. “We just don’t hold people accountable." Rodriguez is calling for those convicted of crimes to fulfill their full sentences, among other reforms.

On education, Rodriguez would redirect spending from PED and district administration and reprogram it to the classroom. For the economy, he proposes to eliminate both GRT and personal income tax and require compensatory “quid pro quo” concessions such as desalinization plants from resource-depleting projects like data centers.

On healthcare, Rodriguez feels the recently passed malpractice reform is the proverbial Band-Aid on a severed artery and would seek deeper structural changes. He has also called suggested that two large healthcare systems, Presbyterian and UNM Health, look at partnering or merging to prevent collapse. He wants strict accountability and outcomes-based management of Medicaid programs. New Mexico has the highest Medicaid enrollment in the nation.

Local business executive Doug Turner is mostly interested in bail reform – keeping defendants behind bars until trial – in his crime platform. A longtime chief of the state charter schools council, he advocates for additional focus on charter schools and school choice for parents regarding education.

On the economy, Turner is looking at the present and the global situation and how it affects New Mexico. This makes sense as his firm works internationally. He sees the impact of the Iran war and global oil prices as an opportunity for the state – the second largest oil producer in the nation -  to grow a cash reserve such that our tax code can be completely overhauled. He also proposes means testing for the state’s childcare program and would want to ensure the state’s gas tax is used only for road construction.

On healthcare, Turner again turns to means testing for Medicaid. He seems the most fiscally conservative of all the Republicans on the healthcare issues.

Three-term Rio Rancho mayor Gregg Hull says he will be “New Mexico’s Mayor.” Rio Rancho has a much better crime rate than its next-door neighbor, Albuquerque, and Hull attributes that to local leadership and best practices in policing work over state-level mandates. That would be his focus as governor. This approach carries over to education where he proposes to strip power from the state education department and redirect resources to individual school districts who know their schools and their students.

I have to say, I like the “municipal approach.”

Regarding the economy, Hull proposes making us more competitive with our neighbor Texas and eliminating personal income tax. One can also look at the tech businesses in Rio Rancho and see his track record of economic development. On healthcare, Hull wants to shore up rural infrastructure by improving reimbursement rates and strengthen malpractice reform.

As I have written previously, this independent will request a Republican ballot when I go to vote in the primary. I’m not giving a specific endorsement, although I am listing candidates in order of alignment with my views from last to first. I will be happy to vote for any of the Republican contenders in November, though. They are running a thoughtful, respectful, issues-centered primary, and I congratulate them.

Merritt Hamilton Allen is a PR executive and former Navy officer. She appeared regularly as a panelist on NM PBS and is a frequent guest on News Radio KKOB. A Republican for 36 years, she became an independent upon reading the 2024 Republican platform. She lives amicably with her Democratic husband north of I-40 where they run one head of dog, and one of cat. She can be reached at merritt@merrittocracy.news.