From key congressional seats to statewide offices, voters across New Mexico will help shape the political direction of both the state and the nation this year.
Congressional elections
The most important race for national politics is New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District. Republicans hope to flip the district that “leans Democrat,” which covers most of southern New Mexico to preserve their slim House majority.
The seat has been held by Rep. Gabe Vasquez (D) since 2022. During the second Trump administration, Vasquez has voted against funding for the war in Iran, voting restrictions, and transgender rights.
He’s being challenged by Republican nominee Greg Cunningham, a former Albuquerque police detective who was inspired to run by his pastor at Legacy Church in Albuquerque. Cunningham has been endorsed by President Trump, former Rep. Yvette Herrell, and other national Republican lawmakers.
Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D) and Teresa Leger Fernandez (D) are also running for re-election, both races are rated as “Solid Democrat by Cook Political Report.
Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D) is also running for re-election. Republicans failed to field a viable candidate for the party’s nomination, so Luján is running against Larry Marker who’s running as a write-in candidate. Luján is heavily favored to win after fending off a democratic socialist challenger, Matt Dodson, in the June primary.
State-wide offices
The most closely watched election in New Mexico is the race for governor. While New Mexico’s governor has swung between the two major parties for decades, Democrats currently have a majority in the state legislature and hold every state-wide office.
Former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo) is running as the Democratic gubernatorial nominee against Gregg Hull, the Republican mayor of Rio Rancho.
Haaland has a significant advantage over Hull in name recognition, polling, and fundraising. The nonpartisan Center for Politics rates the race as “Safe Democratic.”
Three other state-wide offices are also up for reelection this year: Attorney General, Secretary of State, and Commissioner of Public Lands.
Attorney Sam Kane (R) is challenging Attorney General Raúl Torrez (D) for his office, which Torrez held since 2023. Torrez has become a national political figure after pushing back against the Trump administration’s most controversial policies.
New Mexico’s Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver is term-limited, leaving an open seat that will determine how the state responds to federal pressure on elections. Democrat Amanda Lopez Askin is running against Republican nominee Ramona Goolsby, who supports strict voter ID laws.
The Commissioner of Public Lands is a little known elected state office that oversees revenue from 13 million acres of state land. This year, former political director for Sen. Martin Heinrich Juan Sanchez (D) is running against businessman Michel Perry (R).
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