On June 23, less than a week after Democratic Party Lieutenant Governor nominee Maggie Toulouse Oliver announced she would suspend her campaign due to health issues, it was widely reported by news agencies that Democratic Party nominee for Governor Deb Haaland told all members of the New Mexico Democratic Party State Central Committee (SCC) that she would be interviewing potential replacements for Lt. Governor. Haaland also said she planned to send candidates for the post a questionnaire and issue an endorsement before party insiders make a final selection.
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HAALAND SAYS WILL INTERVIEW CANDIDATES
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”
HAALAND REVEALS APPLICANTS
On Wednesday June 24, Deb Haaland emailed all Democratic State Central Committee Members the following:
“Dear Distinguished Democratic State Central Committee Member:
On Monday, I shared that as the State Central Committee considers their options to fill the vacancy on the ballot for Lieutenant Governor, my campaign and I will conduct a thorough endorsement process.
We received thirteen requests for our questionnaire and nine questionnaires were completed and submitted. I am deeply appreciative of the hard work and commitment to public service every person demonstrated.
In the interest of transparency, I am sharing the five who I plan to meet with in the coming days:
- Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard
- State Senator Leo Jaramillo
- State Senator Harold Pope
- Antonia Roybal-Mack, J.D.
- Sonya Smith, Ret. US Air Force
Again, I am looking to support the most qualified New Mexican who will be equipped to move forward our shared vision for a better New Mexico. In these interviews, I plan to assess candidates on a number of qualities including leadership style, collaboration, vision, accomplishments, and background.
Thank you again for your consideration. 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”
STATE DEMOCRATIC PARTY CHAIR SENDS OUT CALL TO STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEE TO FILL LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR VACANCY
On June 25, Sara Attleson, Chair of the Democratic Party of New Mexico sent out the official call to fill the Lieutenant Governor vacancy caused Maggie Toulouse Oliver. Following is the call sent to all State Central Committee members:
Dear SCC Member,
On today, June 25, 2026, we received notice from the Secretary of State’s office that the Democratic Party nominee for Lieutenant Governor is withdrawing from the race.
According to 2025 New Mexico Statute 1-8-8, 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, the central committee of the state political party of the nominee fills the vacancy. State Statute states that committee members must reside within the boundaries of the area to be represented by the public office.
Per DPNM Rules Article I, Section 4.3, I am writing to provide you with the official CALL to the Democratic Party of New Mexico (DPNM) State Central Committee (SCC) Meeting to fill the position of Lieutenant Governor on the general election ballot.
The Spring 2026 SCC Meeting will be held as a virtual meeting on Saturday July 25th, 2026. The meeting will be called to order at 12:00PM.
All SCC voting conducted pursuant to this SCC Meeting will be conducted via Absentee Voting by non-secret ballots per DPNM Rules, Article I, Rule 5.5.
All 2025–2027 SCC members are invited to participate in the SCC Meeting on July 25th, 2026. We look forward to seeing you.
- When: Saturday July 25th, 2026 at 12:00PM.
- Where: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/JINJOXJ7T5-eDiJ4ObMlJg
We will issue further information on the process as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
Sara Attleson
Chair, Democratic Party of New Mexico
COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS
It is interesting that the July 25th, 2026 meeting of the Democratic Party State Central Committee to select a new nominee for Lt. Governor will not be an in-person meeting but be held remotely by zoom conference call. Such an effort will reduce to a great extend the political drama of the event on the day the selection is made by the party as the candidates will likely engaged in extensive lobbying efforts over the next few weeks and as Haaland goes through her vetting process.
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.
Political self-righteous efforts to exclude Haaland from the vetting process and excluding her in expressing her view and endorsing someone is pure political garbage, especially as it is being expressed as being anti-democratic and by the New Mexico Republican Party. 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.
The political purist argue that Haaland should leave the vetting for a new Lt. Governor exclusively to the State Central Committee. That would be a mistake. 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 and Haaland 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 and the Democratic party 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.
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