On June 2, two term Democrat Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver won the Democratic Party nomination to be New Mexico’s next Lieutenant Governor in a landslide primary election victory over her opponent State Senator Harold Pope (D-Albuquerque). Toulouse Oliver secured 80% (168,109) of the vote to Pope’s 20% (42,127).
On June 18, Maggie Toulouse Oliver announced she was suspending her campaign thereby dropping out of the race. Toulouse Oliver wrote in part in her Facebook announcement:
“This has been an incredibly difficult decision, but a necessary one. Recent changes to my health have caused my family and I to reflect on my commitments at home and to the people of our state — both of which I take extraordinarily seriously. Suspending my campaign will allow me to focus on my family while ensuring I can continue to fulfill my duties as secretary of state.”
Toulouse Oliver concluded her statement thanking all the New Mexicans who cast ballots in the June 2 primary election for her.
Former U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, who secured the Democratic nomination in the governor’s race also in a landslide victory over Sam Bregman, would have shared the ticket with Toulouse Oliver. Haaland issued a statement and wished Toulouse Oliver well and wrote this:
“It is a courageous decision to run for office and it’s a decision all New Mexicans understand when you must step back to prioritize your family and health. Thank you to Maggie for your exceptional, longstanding work for New Mexico, your friendship and your courage.”
In a statement, State Senator Harold Pope, who ran against Toulouse Oliver in the June primary said he is thinking of her and her family and wished them well. Pope also made it known he intends to seek the nomination from the Democratic Party State Central Committee when it meets to fill the vacancy and he said this:
“I want to fill that position if she, indeed, is going to suspend her campaign. … The results didn’t happen the way I wanted them to in the primary…but with my experience in the Senate and what I stand for, I think I would be a great addition to the ticket.”
In a statement, Democratic Party of New Mexico Communications Director Daniel Garcia said the party’s State Central Committee will select a replacement. Garcia said this:
“The timeline for that process is being finalized … “New Mexicans should know that this is a secure, well-established process that has been used successfully for many years, including to fill the CD-1 vacancy in 2021 and nominees for HD-53 and SD-28 in 2024.
Links to quoted or relied upon news sources are hereL
BERRNALILLO COUMTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY ANNOUNCES MEETING
On June 23, the Bernalillo County Democratic Party announced that it would be hosting its June General Meeting, Saturday, June 27, from 2:30 to 4:00 p.m. at Botts Hall in the Special Collections Library (423 Central Ave NE). Doors open at 2:00. This is an external monthly meeting focused on electoral work, and it’s open to the general public not just party members. DPNM Co Executive Director Isaiah Baca will attend the meeting to discuss how the selection process for Lt. Governor will work, how it’s worked in the past, and what the timeline will be.
DEMOCRATIC PARTY ANNOUNCES PROCESS TO FILL LT. GOVERNOR NOMINEE VACACNCY
On June 22, Co-Executive Directors Isaiah Baca and Clayton Cate for the New Mexico State Democratic Party sent out an email to all State Central Committee Members outlining the process that will be used to fill the Lt.Governor vacancy. Following is the full email sent:
Last week, we were notified that there will be a vacancy on the ballot for Lieutenant Governor. We want to thank you for your patience as we determined what the process will look like for filling the vacancy.
We are sending this out to members of the State Central Committee and will have this posted on our website to ensure transparency and fairness. We are dedicated to holding fair and democratic elections.
QUALIFICATIONS FOR LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR POSITIONS
According to the Constitution of New Mexico, Article V, Section 3, a candidate must be a U.S. citizen, at least 30 years old, and must have resided continuously in New Mexico for five years immediately preceding the election.
In order to be the party’s nominee for the positions, the nominee to fill the vacancy must be a qualified New Mexico voter and must also be a registered Democrat.
STATE STATUTE ON FILLING A VACANCY
The process that governs filling a vacancy on the ballot is governed by the 2025 New Mexico Statutes, Chapter 1 – Elections, Article 8 – Nominations and Primary Elections
Section 1-8-8 – Vacancy on general election ballot.
Here are the applicable components of the statute:
- If after a primary election, but ninety or more days before the general election, a vacancy occurs, for any cause, in the list of the nominees of a qualified political party for any public office to be filled in the general election [shall be compiled],
- The central committee of the state political party filing the name of its nominee for the office with the proper filing officer when the office is a federal office, state office, district office or multicounty legislative district office; and
- The county or state central committee members making the appointment pursuant to Subsection A of this section shall be as provided for in the rules of the respective party; provided that, at a minimum, the committee shall include those members residing within the boundaries of the area to be represented by the public office.
DPNM RULES ON FILLING A VACANCY
Step 1. The Chair issues a call to an SCC meeting to fill the vacancy
The State Chair issues a CALL for the SCC meeting and election. Under DPNM Rules, Article I, Rule 4.3, only the State Chair can call a meeting of the SCC to fill the ballot vacancy. This process starts with the Chair’s CALL.
Step 2. The CALL goes out, minimum 30 days before the SCC meeting/election.
Per Article II, Rule 1.3, the CALL must be sent to every SCC member at least 30 days before the meeting, by mail or email (whichever method they chose). The CALL must state the date, time, and location of the meeting (plus login info if the meeting is virtual), and that the purpose of the SCC election is to fill the vacancy in the Dem. Lt. Governor position on the General Election ballot.
Step 3. The qualified electors
Article I, Rule 4.1 states that the nominee is chosen by the SCC members “from the geographical area corresponding to the jurisdiction of the office.” Lt. Gov. is a statewide office, so the jurisdiction is the whole state and the entire SCC is eligible to vote.
Step 4. Establishing quorum
In accordance with Article II, Rule 1.3, SCC meetings/elections must meet two quorum requirements:
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- Committee quorum: 25% of SCC members
- County quorum: A majority of the counties must be represented (at least one member voting from 17 of the 33 counties)
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With absentee voting, quorum is met when the specified minimum of SCC members vote (at least 25% of members vote, with at least 17 county parties represented).
Step 5. Voting by non-secret ballot
One candidate will be elected as the DPNM nominee for the General election ballot.
Voting Procedures:
- If only one candidate runs, the SCC members vote for that candidate, or a write-in, or abstain.
- If two candidates run, the SCC members vote for one of the two candidates; the candidate who receives a majority of votes is declared the winner
- If three or more candidates run, the SCC members vote on a ranked-choice ballot for their preferred candidates. See Article I, Rule 5.4.4.2 for the number of choices available.
- On a ranked-choice ballot, if one candidate receives a majority of first-choice votes, they are declared the winner.
- If no candidate receives a majority of first-choice votes, the ranked score (Borda Count) is calculated for each candidate (see Article I, Rule 5.4.4). The candidate who receives the highest ranked score is declared the winner.
- Ties are broken by lot. See Article I, Rule 5.3.6.
Because SCC members are voting on behalf of their constituents, this is a non-secret ballot and cannot be made a secret ballot (Article I, Rule 5.2.2).
Voting will be done absentee via election buddy. Since the vote is going to be done absentee, we will not have proxy voting.
Per DPNM’s policy for internal elections, the voting period will be open for four days to ensure all eligible voters are able to cast their ballot.
Step 6: State Chair files the nominee with the Secretary of State
After the results are announced, the DPNM Chair files the elected nominee’s name with the Secretary of State, on the SOS form, along with the new nominee’s sworn declaration of candidacy and Campaign Reporting Act paperwork.
FILING TO BE A CANDIDATE
Candidates interested in filling the vacancy on the ballot must register their interest with the party. Click here to fill out the DPNM form. Per party rules, DPNM must send out a list of the candidates 20 days prior to voting. Write-in candidates will be accepted.
OBTAINING THE STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEE LIST
Candidates who are interested in obtaining the SCC list for the purpose of campaigning must fill out the list privacy agreement. Click here to view. Submit the signed agreement to Isaiah@nmdemocrats.org.
MEETING DATE
DPNM cannot send the call until we have received official notice of the ballot vacancy. We are expecting that announcement to come this week and are currently planning on holding the meeting 30 days after that notice. The expected date of the meeting is July 25, 2026. The meeting will be held virtually.
FORUMS
According to the DPNM Candidate Forum Policy for Internal Party Elections, the state party must hold a forum within a time window between 14 to 7 days prior to the election.
Per the policy, equal time will be given to candidates. Questions may be submitted prior to the forum. We will set up a form before the forum to collect questions.
TIMELINE
All of this is subject to change based on when we receive information from the Secretary of State. We will update the SCC if any changes occur.
- June 25, 2026: Call to the SCC to hold an election to fill the vacancy goes out
- July 5, 2026: List of declared candidates sent to the SCC
- July 18, 2026: Candidate forum will be held on Saturday, July 18, 2026
- July 25, 2026: SCC meeting will be held on Saturday, July 25, 2026. The meeting will be brief. We will explain the voting procedures. Voting will open after the meeting concludes.
- July 28, 2026: voting closes at 5:00 p.m. on July 28, 2026 per the Policy for Internal elections
- July 29, 2026: voting results will be released. A letter with the nominee to fill the vacancy will be sent to the Secretary of State.
Isaiah Baca and Clayton Cate
Co-Executive Directors
DEB HAALAND ANNOUNCES SHE WILL INTERVIEW INTERESTED LT. GOVERNOR CANDIDATES AND MAKE ENDORSEMENT
Democratic gubernatorial nominee Deb Haaland made it known she intends to get involved in the vetting of a new running mate. Less than a week after lieutenant governor nominee Maggie Toulouse Oliver announced she would suspend her campaign due to health issues, Haaland told all members of the New Mexico Democratic Party State Central Committee (SCC)she will interview potential replacements for Lt. Governor for the November general election. Haaland also said she plans to send candidates for the post a questionnaire and issue an endorsement before party insiders make a final selection.
On Monday, June 22, 2026 Democratic Party nominee for Governor Deb Haaland sent the following email to all members for the Democratic Party State Central Committee. The Subject was entitled “A personal note from Deb Haaland regarding an endorsement process”:
“Dear Distinguished Democratic State Central Committee Member:
First, thank you to Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver for her exceptional, longstanding and ongoing work for New Mexico. I also value her friendship, and her courage.
I have received a number of inquiries in the past few days on my perspective to help ensure that a hardworking and unifying lieutenant governor candidate fills Secretary Toulouse Oliver’s shoes. I am writing to you today to share my intention to meet with these candidates as the State Central Committee begins to consider their options to fill this significant vacancy on the ballot.
As a former State Party Chair, I respect each of you and the important role you will play in helping choose the best person for the job. In my role as the Democratic nominee for Governor and with a deep concern for the direction of New Mexico, I also carry a responsibility to ensure we have the best candidate, who will help accomplish our shared vision to lower costs for families, increase access to healthcare, improve education, and make communities safer.
Out of respect for your duty to our party and state, and with the firm belief that this process should be open and transparent, I wish to share how I plan to consider the candidate who I plan to support in this race. I approach this process with a focus on what we stand to gain as a state when we are successful at winning the November election.
- For any candidate who wishes to participate, we will send a questionnaire that will be available to all lieutenant governor candidates. Candidates can request this questionnaire by sending an email to info@debhaaland.com.
- Second, my team and I will hold interviews ahead of the SCC election with the goal of understanding their ideas about how they will share in the campaign work ahead as well as their vision for our state.
- When all of the interviews are complete, I plan to announce an endorsement.
Thank you for your thoughtful consideration in this process of nominee selection, and I look forward to working alongside you as we seek the best candidate to stand up for New Mexico’s working families.
In service,
Deb Haaland
CANDIDATES EXPRESSING INTEREST
Several Democrats have expressed interest in filling the Lieutenant Governor vacancy since Toulouse Oliver’s abrupt withdrawal from the race. The list of potential candidates includes state Senator Harold Pope Jr. of Albuquerque, State Senator Leo Jaramillo of Española and outgoing state Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard.
Garcia Richard had previously planned to run for lieutenant governor but suspended her campaign last October due to her husband’s cancer battle. After Toulouse Oliver announced she planned to bow out of the race, Garcia Richard said her husband’s health has improved in recent months and indicated she would be “ready to serve” if called upon.
On June 23, another potential candidate, state Auditor Joseph Maestas, announced he was removing his name from consideration due to logistical challenges that would be created if he were to step down as State Auditor.
Four other names that have been mentioned as possible candidates include:
- Former State Auditor Brian Colón
- Los Ranchos de Albuquerque Mayor Lawrence Rael
- Former House Speaker Brian Egolf (D-Santa Fe)
- Former Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez (D-Belen)
Haaland campaign spokeswoman Hannah Menchhoff did not answer directly when asked by the Albuquerque Journal whether Haaland would consider candidates’ ethnicity and gender in her endorsement process. Menchhoff said this:
“Deb is looking to support the most qualified candidate who will be equipped to help lower costs, increase access to health care, strengthen education, and keep communities safe. …Lieutenant governor candidates will have access to the questionnaire, which focuses on leadership style, collaboration, vision, accomplishments, and background.”
State Democratic Party spokesman Daniel Garcia did not say committee members would automatically select whoever Haaland endorses but acknowledged her wishes could carry political weight. Garcia said this to the Albuquerque Journal in an interview:
“State Central Committee members may be interested to know who Deb thinks could most effectively help run the state and be the best complement to our party’s statewide ticket as they evaluate the candidates and make their individual decisions on how they rank the candidates. ”
COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS
The Democratic ticket was set to be all-female ticket with Haaland and Toulouse Oliver, a historical first for a major political party in New Mexico before Toulouse Oliver announced her withdrawal from the race. Under New Mexico primary election law, governor and lieutenant governor candidates run independently in the primary and the winners of these races who share the same party affiliation are then paired on a ticket for the general election. New Mexico history is replete with New Mexico Governors and Lt. Governors, who ran independently in the primary who are then elected as a ticket, but who simply do not get along, or who did not like each other and where relations were strained.
It is believed that that this is the first time for a New Mexico gubernatorial nominee to get actively involved with selection of a new running mate after a candidate has dropped out. More than a few political purists within the Democratic Party are arguing that Haaland is overstepping her authority as the Democratic Party Nominee for Governor by getting involved with the vetting process for a new Lt. Governor nominee. Some are arguing that Senator Harold Pope should fill the vacancy because he ran and that there is a need for a balance ticket to include a male. The political purist argue that Haaland should leave the vetting for a new Lt. Governor exclusively to the State Central Committee which would be a mistake.
Deb Haaland won the Democratic nomination for Governor in the largest landslide in State Democratic Party history securing 72.3% of the vote (156,861 votes) to Sam Bregman’s 27.7% of the vote (60,189). Deb Haaland won every single county in the state by varying percentages. In Santa Fe County she won with 80% of the Democratic vote. In Bernalillo County Haaland won with 69%. In Dona Ana County, she won with 79%. In conservative Chavez County, thought to lean moderate Bregman, she won with 73%. The 2026 New Mexico primary for Governor was the most expensive primary in the state’s history. According to finance reports filed with the Secretary of State, Democrat Deb Haaland raised over $12 Million while Sam Bregman raised upwards of $4 Million.
Simply put, Deb Haaland is head of the Democratic Party by virtue of her landslide victory and her fundraising. She needs to call the shots for the Democratic Party because it will be her political career that is ultimately at stake and on the ballot. Leaving the vetting for a new Lt. Governor candidate exclusively to the State Central Committee would be a major mistake on Haaland’s part and she needs to make her thoughts known as who she wants to replace Toulouse Oliver.
Haaland heads the Democratic Party ticket for state government elective offices and she needs to help with the selection of a new Lt. Governor candidate she believes she will be able to work with once they are elected as a ticket. Haaland must make sure that the Lt. Governor vacancy is filled by someone she can fully trust and someone who will not undercut her agenda but rather someone who will campaign and promote her agenda. More importantly, the person selected must be fully qualified and who can assume the office of Governor should she leave office before her term ends. She is showing real leadership in getting involved with the vetting process.
There is some risk to Haaland getting involved and endorsing a candidate in that the state central committee may not agree with her and go with another candidate, but there is too much at stake at this point in time. The bottom line is, it will be the State Central Committee that will make the ultimate decision as to who will be the party’s Lt. Governor nominee, but the State Central Committee should respect the recommendation made by its nominee for Governor Deb Haaland to allow her to go forth with a unified party and with a candidate for Lt. Governor that she can work with now and after they are elected.