On July 25th, 2026 the New Mexico Democratic Party State Central Committee (SCC) will convene and hold a special election to fill the vacancy for Lieutenant Governor caused by the withdrawal of Maggie Toulouse Oliver as the Democratic Party nominee. The Spring 2026 SCC Meeting will be held as a virtual meeting with the vote to be taken online.
The list of Democratic candidates who have applied with the party and who are seeking the State Central Committee nomination for Lieutenant Governor are:
- State Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard
- NM State Senator Harold Pope, District 7
- Toni Pinedo
- Geoffrey P. Luehring
State Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard and NM State Senator Harold Pope are considered the two leading candidates actively contacting State Central Committee members and campaigning for the Democratic Party State Central Committee nomination for Lt. Governor. Stephanie Garcia Richard is an elected two-term State Land Commissioner and Harold Pope is a second term NM State Senator. Toni Pinedo and Geoffrey P. Luehring hold no public office and offered little information on their qualifications to be Lt. Governor when they applied with the State Democratic Party.
STATE SENATOR ANOTNIO “MOE” MAESTAS GUEST OPINION COLUMN
On July 20, New Mexico State Senator Antonio “Moe” Maestas submitted the following guest opinion column to be published free of charge and with no compensation on www.PeteDinelli.com:
COMPARING THE RECORDS OF STEPHANIE GARCIA RICHARD AND HAROLD POPE AS DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES FOR LT. GOVERNOR
Imagine if Deb Haaland and Stephanie Garcia Richard had barnstormed the state this past month? They could’ve had dozens of public events and raised over a million dollars, shutting the door on Republican candidate Greg Hull and possibly inspired a nation as New Mexico begins this new era of progressive politics.
That scenario is not possible because the State Central Committee must now choose between Sen. Harold Pope Jr. and State Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard to replace Maggie Toulouse Oliver on the Democratic ticket. Allow me to compare the two candidates based on several different factors, then add my opinion at the end. My hope this article will start a dialogue about the direction of our state and our party.
PERSONAL BACKGROUND PERSPECTIVE
For an 11th generation New Mexican with deep ties to northern New Mexico, I was not groomed in New Mexico politics. Like many readers I find local politics quite peculiar and sometimes very difficult to navigate. After graduating from Valley high and dropping out of UNM I moved to Seattle, Washington to join the civil rights movement. I worked full time as a community organizer at El Centro de la Raza. El Centro was founded by uncle, Roberto Maestas, in 1972 after an illegal occupation of an abandoned school building. El Centro is one of the best examples in the nation of sustained community organizing. It is now one of the most prominent community based, civil rights organizations on the west coast. I was a community organizer, party activist and student of the moment for social justice in a city that was struggling to become one of the most progressive cities in the nation. I was incredibly lucky to be a part of that struggle and even luckier to receive the personal mentorship of my Tío, a civil-rights icon.
I eventually returned home and have used that knowledge and experience to contribute as best I can to my beloved homeland, New Mexico. After law school I joined the DAs office and prosecuted domestic violence offenders for 5 years. As a young party activist and neighborhood organizer and got elected to the House of Representatives after winning an open seat in 2006. I served for 16 years in the New Mexico House of Representative, leading on criminal justice reform, fought successfully for a progressive tax structure and, along with Speaker Javier Martinez, was the prime sponsor of the constitutional amendment guaranteeing early childhood education to every New Mexico child. Most recently I have served 4 years in the Senate which brings us back to the special election for Lt. Governor. I served with Garcia Richard for six years in the House and with Sen. Pope in the Senate for four of his six years in the Senate.
Let’s compare the candidacies of Stephanie Garcia Richard and Harold Pope in several categories.
CAREER PATHS
Pope is a retired Air Force veteran and Garcia Richard is a retired teacher. Both are highly prized professions within the party. Pope is the first African American ever elected to the New Mexico State Senate. Garcia Richard was elected as the first woman and first Latina Land Commissioner in our state’s history and has helped raise over $15 billion for public education.
LEGISLATIVE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF STEPHANIE GARCIA RICHARD AND HAROLD POPE
Garcia Richard passed 15 bills in 6 years as the prime sponsor. Garcia Richard’s entire legislative career was with a republican governor, Susana Martinez. Progressive leaders in the House were not passing national model bills but rather trying our best to fund basic services and playing defense against an onslaught of anti-immigrant bills, anti-teacher rhetoric and other right wing initiatives. Yet under those conditions, Rep. Garcia Richard managed to pass 7 bills during the 2 years she served as a member of the House minority (2015 & 2016).
Pope has passed 6 bills in 6 years as the prime sponsor. He signed onto 4 other Senate bills and 6 House Bills that passed (1 vetoed) and contributed to the language in another Senate bill that also passed. Pope rode into the Senate with the wind at his back along with the class of 2021, maybe the first progressive state Senate in our state’s history. Despite having a progressive Legislature and Democratic Governor, Pope did not receive a single message from the Governor for bill introduction in 2026. In his 6th as a lawmaker, Pope did not work with the Governor’s office on any mutual initiatives.
You be the judge as who actually accomplished more during their service in the legislature. Garcia Richard served 6 years in the House under Republican Governor Susana Martinez. During that period Garcia Richard was the prime sponsor of 15 enacted bills, including 7 enacted while House Democrats were in the minority. Pope has served six years in the Senate with Democratic Lujan Grisham and has been the prime sponsor of 7 enacted bills, while also serving as a co-sponsor on several additional enacted measures.
BEING PROGRESSIVE
Pope has generally positioned himself on the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, particularly on criminal justice, voting rights, and equity issues. Garcia Richard has also consistently identified as a progressive Democrat while emphasizing public education, natural resources, and public lands. Nobody can deny they are both strong progressives. Voters may differ in how they evaluate each candidate’s ideological profile. In the end, what matters most? Ideological purity or actual accomplishments that change people’s lives for the better?
RISE TO ELECTED OFFICE AND CONTRIBUTING TO MAKING OUR STATE BLUE
You be the judge. It’s one thing to benefit from living in a blue state. It’s a whole other thing to actually make it blue.
Pope flipped a Senate seat in Albuquerque’s west side. The NW corner of Albuquerque had been written off by many Dems throughout Bernalillo County after a city council defeat in 2009, which made the entire area Republican. Great organizers like Flora Lucero, Cheryl Harris, Emma Fitzpatrick, Ellen Coplen to name a few, and great candidates like Cynthia Borrego, Daymon Ely and Joy Garratt battled back to turn it blue. Joy Garratt almost took the Senate Seat in 2016 before winning her House seat in 2018. By the 2020 cycle, it was clear Albuquerque was a blue city. Still, Pope’s 2020 electoral victory was significant as he is a historical figure of being our state’s first black Senator, which is deserving of respect and makes us all proud.
Does anyone remember Rep. Garcia Richard’s losing her first race? During the 2010 Republican landslide, the Democrats in the House lost 8 house seats that year, shrinking our majority from 45-25 to 37-33. In a political anomaly, Garcia Richard came within 200 votes of flipped a Republican seat held by longtime Republican incumbent Rep. Jeannette Wallace. Despite the loss, Garcia Richard continued to lead the charge in her community to turn conservative Los Alamos County democratic. She won her house seat the following cycle (2012) and it remains blue to this day. Six years later she gave up her house seat to become State Land Commissioner, becoming the first sitting House member to win a statewide primary and general election in several generations.
QUASHING THE ENTITLEMENT ARGUMENT
Before we get any further an argument needs to be quashed. When Maggie Toulouse Oliver withdrew her candidacy, the messaging began immediately for Pope’s candidacy. It went something like this: Pope is the only one who should be considered to replace Maggie Toulouse Oliver because he is the only one, besides Toulouse Oliver, who received votes from democrats for Lt. Governor during the primary election.
The loser of an election replacing the winner on the ballot is not realistic particularly when Pope received approximately 20% of the vote in the Democratic lieutenant governor primary, while Toulouse Oliver received approximately 80%. A 10 point win in electoral politics is a solid victory. A 16 or 20 percentage point win is a shellacking. A 80% to 20% defeat is practically unheard of.
The argument that Pope should replace Maggie Toulouse Oliver on the ballot after garnering only 20% of the primary vote makes no sense to any logical person. Nonetheless, similar to the “big lie” of say it, say it, say it, repeat it, repeat it, repeat it, believe it, believe it believe it, this argument gained a lot of traction. If Ben Ray Lujan needed to be replaced on the ballot for US Senator, nobody would ever suggest that his democratic opponent, who got 16% of the vote, should be our next US Senator.
POPE WAS NEVER FRONT RUNNER
Garcia Richard was the first to announce a run for Lt. Governor but dropped out on October 16, 2025 for personal reasons. Pope had entered the race July 14, 2025. Maggie Toulouse Oliver then entered on October 23, 2025. From the moment Maggie Toulouse Oliver jumped in, the outcome of the Lt. Governor’s race was a foregone conclusion.
There’s no way that Pope expected to win the primary. Politicians enter races despite long odds for a variety of reasons, including advancing particular issues. Examples include Ross Perot in 1992 or Ralph Nadar in 2000 or representing a political movement like Jesse Jackson in 1988 or to build name recognition, or simply offering voters an alternative. Everyone is entitled to run, but losing candidates are not entitled to the seat when the winner steps down.
MORE TO THE JOB THAN JUST SHOWING UP
One thing Pope has going for him is that he shows up. You can’t go to a democratic event or public protest without seeing him there. Not to take anything away from his activism but he’s retired and has no immediate family living in New Mexico. My point is he has the time. He is a great supporter and showing up matters.
How many of the events has the Pope actually organized? What coalitions has he built? What struggles has he been the actual leader on? You have to weigh “showing up” to be seen with other types of activism and accomplishment. Being a legislator is voluntary. Still my colleagues manage to use their elected office the best they can to improve their communities. Some examples are a Job Fair sponsored by Senator Michael Padilla, an Energy Symposium sponsored by Representative Lujan, an ICE Reporting website sponsored by Representative Anaya, fundraising for a homeless shelter sponsored by Senator Hamblen, volunteering with Meals on Wheels regularly like Sen. Figueroa or sitting on a non-profit board such as Representative Herndon and Representative Abeyta or bringing the community together with “Heights Night” sponsored by Rep. Herndon or “West Side Day” sponsored by myself.
Pope is highly visible at Democratic Party events, public demonstrations, and community gatherings. Garcia Richard’s public profile has centered more on her executive responsibilities as Land Commissioner and statewide fundraising for public schools. The two have emphasized different forms of public engagement.
Garcia Richards’ record as Land Commissioner is off the charts. Garcia Richard was elected as the first woman and first Latina Land Commissioner in our state’s history and has helped raise over $15 billion for public education. She has won two statewide races and captured an agency that been known as the easiest for Republicans to capture. Stephanie Garcia Richard’s record and Land Commisioner includes the following:
- Record revenues for the state as well as permanent funds for trust beneficiaries including early childhood education
- Created the Office of Renewable Energy within the State Land Office and growing renewable power generation from roughly 400 megawatts in 2019 to more than 3,000 megawatts by 2026;
- Established an Environmental Compliance Office and pressuring companies to plug more than 850 orphaned or abandoned wells;
- Adopting the Cultural Properties Protection Rule which protects archaeological and historic sites such as Chaco Canyon.
Under Garcia Richards’s leadership the land Office will forever balance its constitutional obligation to maximize revenue with increased conservation, renewable energy development, and environmental oversight.
CONCLUSION
It has been the consistent and relentless work of all of us that has brought our state this moment in history. We must judge real accomplishment seperated from the politcal rhetoric that is not governing. We must distinguish between principled leadership and opportunism.
We all enjoy it when MAGAs get interviewed. They espouse deep admiration and support for Trump and then they get stumped when asked what has Trump accomplished to make their lives better. I ask the same thing of Pope supporters and to examine how effective Pope has been. These are not unfair questions:
- What bills of any real consequence has Pope passed?
- Has Pope passed any bills to support the poorest, most disenfranchised people in our state and to close the gap between rich and poor?
- What has Pope done to help New Mexicans overcome generational poverty?
- What has Pope done to dismantle institutional racism, systemic inequality, lower incarceration rates, increase life expectancy, and increase educational levels for all New Mexicans?
In Garcia Richard we have one of the strongest democratic leaders in our state that has raised billions of dollars for education and created institutional change in one of our State’s most important institutions. Garcia Richard’s legacy of contributing to generations into the future must continue as our Lt. Governor. Let’s move forward immediately and have the Haaland / Garcia Richard ticket barnstorm the state to victory in November and beyond.
I look forward to hearing from you and continuing this dialogue about our state and our party. I can be reached at antonio.maestas@nmlegis.gov and 505-304-7497.
POSTSCRIPT
The link to a related Dinelli Blog article is here: