On Tuesday, June 2, 2026, the semi open primary election will take place in New Mexico. This is the first semi-open primary in New Mexico history, meaning that independents can choose either the Republican or Democratic primary to vote in, without having to register with that party. On Tuesday, November 3, 2026, the general election will take place, and voters will decide the winners of all the races on the ballot including who will become governor.
There are two Democrats, three Republicans and one Independent running to be New Mexico’s 33rd governor. The Democrats running are former President Joe Biden’s Interior Sectary Deb Haaland and Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman. The Republicans running for Governor are former Rio Rancho Mayor Greg Hull, public affairs and strategic communications executive Doug Turner and Duke Rodriguez, the CEO of Ultra Health, one of the largest marijuana companies in New Mexico. The one Independent running for Governor is former Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima but he will not appear on the June 2 primary ballot and only on the November 3, 2026 general election ballot.
On May 28, www.PeteDinelli.com published an article on the two Democratic candidates for Governor Deb Haaland and Sam Bregman with a link to that article in the postscript below. This article is on the 3 Republican candidates for Governor.
REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES FOR GOVERNOR AND POSITIONS ON ISSUES
Following are the profiles of three Republican candidates running for Governor and their positions on the issues:
- GREG HULL
Republican Gregg Hull, age 59, is the former Mayor of Rio Rancho, a position he held from 2014 to 2026 and from which he stepped down to run for Governor. Hull is considered the front runner for the Republican nomination by many within the Republican Party. Hull is the longest-serving mayor in Rio Rancho’s history. Throughout the years, Hull has held many leadership roles, many of which he is still active in, such as chairman of the Mid-Region Council of Governments, president of the New Mexico Municipal League, and board member/chief elected official of the New Mexico Workforce Connection. Hull also previously served as president and CEO of Certified Packing and Crating Inc., a shipping company in Albuquerque.
Hull was born in Oklahoma but his family bounced around the west while he was growing up due to his father’s job in the hotel industry. He spent time in Santa Fe, Albuquerque and Pagosa Springs, Colorado, where he finished high school, before Hull settled in the Rio Rancho area in the mid-1990s. After a first marriage with two children ended in a divorce in his mid-20s, Hull eventually got married to his current wife Carrie, who had three children from a previous marriage that he helped raise. A self-described entrepreneur who did not graduate from college, Hull made a name for himself in the business industry, running his own packing and crating business for 12 years before being elected Rio Rancho’s mayor in 2014.
GREG HULL ON THE ISSUES
If elected governor, Hull said he would push for more funding to help cities and counties around New Mexico recruit and retain law enforcement officers.
Along with the two other GOP governor candidates, Hull has called for cutting state taxes as a way of providing financial relief to New Mexico residents. Hull said he would push to eliminate or reduce New Mexico’s personal income tax code, as other tax cuts could negatively impact the budgets of local governments around the state. Cutting taxes will no doubt be a tough sell to the New Mexico Legislature in that a 2025 Republican-backed bill to eliminate the personal income tax stalled in its first assigned House committee.
Former Mayor Hull has taken a cautious approach to the universal child care initiative launched by the Lujan Grisham administration that is the target of a lawsuit filed by Republican Candidate Duke Rodriguez along with two other Republicans. Describing the program as “great in concept” but potentially ripe for fraud, Hull said he would not completely scrap it if elected governor. Rather, he said he would consider scaling back the initiative to ensure the state can safely meet statewide demand for child care assistance.
Hull’s campaign website is here: https://gregghull.com/
CLICK HERE FOR ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL GREG HULL QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:
https://www.abqjournal.com/election/governor-gregg-hull-r/3034038
The link to the quoted or relied upon news source is here:
https://www.abqjournal.com/news/rio-ranchos-longest-serving-mayor-eyes-governors-office/3038764
- DOUG TURNER
Doug Turner, age 57, is a lifelong Republican who lists his primary residence as Albuquerque. Ostensibly, he is also a resident of the Taos Ski Valley Village where in 2024 he was elected to the Village Council. Turner was raised in Old Town Albuquerque and attended Albuquerque public schools, including Jefferson Middle School and Albuquerque High School. Turner completed high school at the United World College USA near Las Vegas, NM. He earned a bachelor’s degree from American University in Washington, DC, and a master’s degree from the Université Libre de Bruxelles in Belgium.
As the founder of Agenda Global, he built a successful New Mexico based public affairs and strategic communications firm serving clients at every level. For nearly fifteen years as Board Chairman of Public Charter Schools of New Mexico, he fought for parental choice, higher standards, and accountability because success should be measured by student outcomes. He is the father of three children between the ages of 12 and 19. His late wife, University of New Mexico political science professor Mala Htun, died last year after a six-year struggle with breast cancer.
Doug Turner is seasoned campaign strategist and communications professional. In 1994, Doug Turner was the campaign manager for former Governor Gary Johnson’s successful 1994 run for governor against incumbent Democrat Governor Bruce King and again in 1998 for Johnson’s successful run against Democratic Party nominee former Mayor Marty Chavez. Doug Turner first ran for governor in 2010 and he came in third place behind future-Gov. Susana Martinez in the Republican primary drawing more than 11% of the vote with a platform calling for lower taxes and public education reform, including parity for charter schools and workforce preparation.
DOUG TURNER ON THE ISSUES
On May 15, the Albuquerque Journal published a guest opinion column written by Doug Turner entitled “Doug Turner vows to be independent, pragmatic governor: We all have the same end game”. The column provides a succinct summation of Turner’s platform and his positions on the three major issues he is running on: jobs, education and public safety. Following is the unedited Turner guest column:
“I’m running for governor for one reason: I believe that with dynamic leadership and the right policies, New Mexico’s best days are ahead of us. But to realize that future, we must stop treating our biggest challenges in isolation. Jobs, education and public safety are deeply connected, and for too long, our leadership has failed to understand and act on those connections.
When families have access to quality schools and good-paying jobs, our communities are stronger, crime is lower and prosperity is a real possibility for everyone. New Mexico deserves a vision that tackles these three priorities together.
My experience as a successful New Mexico entrepreneur working with clients like the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, University of New Mexico Hospital and the Navajo Nation has taught me an essential truth: lasting results come from addressing root causes, not just reacting to symptoms.
To begin, despite the news of large data centers coming to our state, let’s remember that our small businesses are the true backbone of our economy. They stabilize neighborhoods and provide the jobs that support our families. Yet, New Mexico ranks poorly — 44th out of 50 in CNBC’s “Top States for Business”— due to barriers like business unfriendliness, high taxes and a lack of access to capital. This must change.
I will champion common-sense, pro-growth policies by cutting unnecessary red tape, expanding access to capital, and actively encouraging entrepreneurs to start, grow and stay here.
I will advance policies that expand career pathways in growing sectors like energy, technology, defense and innovation. It’s essential that our leadership champions new opportunities that will lift communities and ensure that incomes finally rise faster than the cost of living. Moreover, when people can find good jobs close to home thanks to a growing economy, it reduces desperation and makes our communities safer than ever. That’s why I believe job creation is not just an economic policy; it is a public safety policy too.
At the same time, fixing our failing education system must be given equal attention.
Under my leadership, we will ensure high-quality schools focus both on fundamental skills like literacy and math, but also the real-world skills necessary for tomorrow’s workforce. We will implement meaningful parental choice so every parent can find the right educational fit for their child. And we will install accountability for outcomes, ensuring our schools are delivering on measurable results for students that aligns with taxpayer spending.
Our schools must equip young people with skills, confidence and a sense of purpose. When students see a path to a bright future, they are far less likely to fall into cycles of crime and dependency. A strong K–12 system is the most effective long-term strategy we have for workforce readiness and crime prevention.
In short, our state must inspire students to succeed and then ensure economic opportunity is available to them when they are ready. While both education and job growth have the benefit of yielding stronger and safer communities, we also need a public safety system that emphasizes prevention and enforcement. Students and business cannot thrive unless they are also given the best environment to do so. By connecting this strategy to our economic and educational reforms, we can reduce the conditions that contribute to crime and substance abuse.
New Mexico does not need small ambitions. We need big results for our kids, our workers and our communities. By embracing accountability, opportunity and effective governance, and by seriously connecting education, jobs and public safety, we can build a future where every New Mexican has a real chance to succeed. This is not a partisan vision; it’s a common sense New Mexico vision.”
The link to the Doug Turner Journal guest column with photo is here:
CLICK HERE FOR ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL DOUG TURNER QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:
https://www.abqjournal.com/election/governor-doug-turner-r/3032954
The link to Doug Turners campaign website is here: https://www.turnerfornm.com/
The links to quoted or relied upon news sources are here:
https://www.abqjournal.com/election/new-mexico-gubernatorial-candidate-profiles/3040338
- DUKE RODRIGUEZ
Republican Duke Rodriguez, age 68, is currently the CEO of Ultra Health, one of the largest marijuana companies in New Mexico. He previously served as New Mexico Human Services Department Secretary under former New Mexico Republican Governor Gary Johnson and was also Chief Operations Officer of Lovelace Health System.
Reuben M. “Duke” Rodriguez grew up in Imperial, California and he is the second of five boys born to migrant field workers. At age 14, Rodriguez, his mother and brothers moved to Silver City at the recommendation of neighbors . His father did not follow and fell out of the family’s lives.
Rodriguez attended junior high school in Silver City and high schools in Silver City and Alamogordo while his mother worked as a maid in local hotels. In his early 20s and with an accounting degree from New Mexico State University, Rodriguez landed a job at Lovelace Health System in 1980. He was named chief financial officer in 1988, then chief operating officer in 1989 before leaving the company in 1993 at age 35.
In July 1996, then Governor Gary Johnson appointed Rodriguez as his Human Services Cabinet Secretary, a post he held until October 1997. During his tenure, Rodriguez led the effort to convert the state’s Medicaid program from a “fee -for- service” model to managed health care. Rodriguez’s tenure as Cabinet secretary was controversial. Rodriguez came under fire after the state Supreme Court ordered a halt to the Johnson administration’s welfare reform program, which included work requirements that significantly reduced welfare roles in New Mexico.
Rodriguez is president and CEO of Ultra Health LLC, with 25 cannabis dispensaries statewide and the state’s largest growing facility which is an 11.3-acre property in Bernalillo County that Rodriguez purchased for $2.75 million in August 2014 on behalf of Zoned Properties Inc., an Arizona company in which he was a minority owner. Rodriguez became sole owner of the property because of a legal settlement with Zoned Properties, according to the public company’s financial disclosures. Rodriguez describes himself as a “figurehead” for Ultra Health, which is largely operated by others.
Rodriguez’s residency is an issue in the campaign to be New Mexico Governor. He owns houses in both Albuquerque and Scottsdale, Arizona, where he first registered to vote in 2001 and cast votes in the 2022 and 2024 general elections, according to Maricopa County records. He voted last year in Albuquerque’s local election and runoff and was certified as a candidate by Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver’s office after filing the necessary paperwork. He has fended off two court cases challenging his eligibility for office based on residency and contends he has lived continuously in New Mexico for more than 50 years.
The primary source of Duke Rodriguez’s campaign funding is his persona wealth saying he is willing to spend $1 Million and has donated $500,000 to his campaign.
DUKE RODRIGUEZ ON THE ISSUES
Duke Rodriguez has said he wants to “eliminate” taxes in three categories: the state personal income tax, gross-receipt taxes on retail sales and the state’s share of property taxes. He says the tax cuts will save the average New Mexico family $2,000 a year. He estimates that the elimination of state taxes would result in the elimination of state revenue of between $1.5 billion to $2 billion which the state could absorb from the state’s surplus.
The Legislative Finance Committee estimated the state’s revenues at $13.9 billion for fiscal year 2027. Lawmakers this year approved an $11.1 billion budget. Rodriguez proclaims the state can make better use of its sovereign wealth fund, which holds more than $70 billion, which the Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute ranks as the 29th largest in the world, and third in the U.S. behind the University of Texas and Alaska Permanent Fund. Rodriguez has said this:
“New Mexico is not a poor state, we are absolutely a poorly run state.”
Rodriguez says New Mexico can do a better job of enhancing the value of its sovereign wealth fund by building oil refineries within the state. He predicts the fund’s value will soar due to the recent spike in oil prices.
Rodriguez filed a lawsuit in April challenging state-subsidized childcare for all New Mexico families. His lawsuit has drew a sharp response from Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, who has championed the program. A judge on April 29 gave Early Childhood Education and Care Secretary Elizabeth Groginsky a 30-day deadline to show why rules governing the program should not be struck down. Governor Lujan Grisham called the lawsuit “frivolous” and responded by calling Rodriguez “a third-tier Republican candidate for governor — who lives in Arizona.”
The link to the Duke Rodriguez’s Campaign Website is here: runwithduke.com
CLICK HERE FOR ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL DUKE RODRIGUEZ QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:
https://www.abqjournal.com/election/governor-duke-rodriguez-r/3032944
The link to the quoted or relied upon news source is here:
REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES FUNDRAISING
All three Republican gubernatorial candidates have lagged behind their Democratic counterparts when it comes to campaign fundraising. The three Republican candidates combined have raised a total of $2,755,857.40 which is a mere fraction of the nearly $11 million raised by Democratic frontrunner Deb Haaland and the $3.7 million raised by Sam Bregman. Review of campaign finance reports filed with the Secretary of State for the time period of April 7 to May 4 reveals the following:
GREGG HULL
Gregg Hull received the most support from state Republican Party delegates at the GOP’s pre-primary convention held in Ruidoso in March and he reported getting nearly $145,000 in contributions. According to campaign finance reports filed with the Secretary of State for the time period of April 7 to May 4, Greg Hull raised $71,000 and goes into the final days of the race with a $227,234.56 in cash on hand. Among his major campaign expenditures, Hull reported paying Peakland Strategies of Lynchburg, VA, $47,000 for campaign consulting. Total Contributions raised by Hull is $544,920.24. Total Expenditures were $317,685.68. In-Kind Contributions is $32,808.62. Hull’s Current Debt Balance is $0.00. Hull’s Current Cash Balance is $227,234.56
DOUG TURNER
Doug Turner announced his candidacy for Governor in February and raised more than $500,000 in two months, ending that reporting period with far more cash on hand than his opponents Gregg Hull or Duke Rodriquez before the primary. For the most recent campaign finance reporting period of April 7 to May 4, Turner reported he has $281,000 cash on hand. That amount does not appear to include whatever Turner brought in from the May 6 Donald Trump’s Palm Beach Mar-a-Lago Club fundraiser. Turner’s Total Campaign Contributions are reported as $703,189.16. Total Expenditures were $422,102.13. In-Kind Contributions were are reported as $6,871.58. Turner’s Current Debt Balance is $0.00
Turner’s major contributions include contributions from major oil and gas interests. Turner’s largest donors included former state GOP chairwoman Debbie Maestas and several oil industry officials, including state Rep. Mark Murphy of Roswell and the Jalapeno Corp. that is owned by former party chairman Harvey Yates Jr.
https://login.cfis.sos.state.nm.us//ReportsOutput//103/735dc20d-c8ef-4229-90be-813ab53290dd.pdf
DUKE RODRIGUEZ
Among the three Republicans running for governor, cannabis entrepreneur Duke Rodriguez is self-financing his campaign. He reports he has donated $1.5 million of personal money to his campaign. Rodriquez reports Total Contributions of $1,507,748.00, Expenditures of $994,355.15, In-Kind Contributions of $0.00, Current Debt Balance of $0.00 and a Current Cash Balance $513,392.85. He has spent $351,000 on TV airtime and production in the recent period and $168,000 on digital ads.
The links to related news sources are here:
MOST EXPENSIVE PRIMARY RACE IN STATE HISTORY
On May 29, fundraising reports filed with the Secretary of State covering the time period of May 5 through May 26, show candidate spending on New Mexico’s open race for governor has surged past $17 million as the June 2 primary approaches making it the most expensive primary race in state history.
Deb Haaland and Sam Bregman have combined to spend more than $13 million on TV ads, mailers and campaign staffers in a contentious showdown for the party’s nomination.
Haaland reported on Thursday May 28 having spent more than $2 million during the May 5 through May 26 three-week period. In all, she has now raised about $12.8 million in contributions and spent more than $10.8 million since launching her campaign in February 2025. Haaland has slightly more than $1.9 million left unspent in her campaign account.
Sam Bregman for his part reported spending nearly $250,000 during the May 5 through May 26 period. He has received more than $4 million in donations and spent about $3.8 million since launching his campaign last April, leaving him with roughly $295,000 of unspent campaign funds.
Haaland’s and Bregman’s eye-opening fundraising hauls and spending levels do not include spending by outside groups in this year’s election cycle. Several independent expenditure groups, or Super PACs, have also spent large amounts on largely negative TV ads and mailers in the run-up to Election Day.
In contrast, eight years ago the three Democrats running for governor in 2018 e had spent about $6.9 million at a similar point in that year’s election cycle or slightly more than half the amount of this year’s race featuring two candidates.
Campaign spending has been significantly less among the three Republicans vying for their party’s nomination on June 2.
Cannabis entrepreneur Duke Rodriguez has spent the most of the three GOP candidates, with roughly $1.2 million in total campaign spending to date. His campaign has been largely self-funded, as Rodriguez has pumped $1.5 million of his own money into the race to pay for billboards, radio ads and other expenses.
The two other Republicans running for governor, small-business owner Doug Turner and former Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull, have trailed Rodriguez in campaign spending. Turner has spent nearly $835,000 since entering the race this year, while Hull has reported spending about $520,000 on his campaign since last year.
The link to the quoted or relied upon news source is here:
NEW MEXICO OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY PRESIDENT THROWS IN THE TOWEL
It’s common knowledge that the New Mexico Oil and Gas Industry is a major player and financial supporter of Republican causes and candidates statewide. On May 20, 2026, Missi Currier, the president of the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association urged attendees of the Williston Basin Petroleum Conference in Bismarck, North Dakota to oppose former U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland’s Democratic campaign to become New Mexico’s next governor. At the same time, she said a Republican will not be able to win in the current political climate. Missi Currier said a Republican cannot win in November essentially throwing in the towel.
At the North Dakota conference, Currier did not endorse Democrat Sam Bregman by name, but she stressed that she believed opposing Deb Haaland in the primary was critical and the focus should switch to defeating Deb Haaland in the primary.
“If you know anybody that can vote in New Mexico, please encourage them to get to the polls. I hate to be the bearer of potentially bad news, but we don’t think a Republican will be able to win in our current political climate, especially in a Trump midterm. So, the primary is incredibly important to us. I would like to protest [Deb Haalannd] being governor. . .I’m sure she has a good heart, but she does not have a heart for oil and gas. She is threatening over 100,000 direct and indirect jobs in the state, and knowing that she did not want drilling on public lands, she said in a recent interview that she would keep that same mentality when she came into office.”
Currier also criticized New Mexico for not supporting the oil and gas industry more while relying on the tax revenues from the industry that fund a significant portion of the state’s budget. She said the only reason New Mexico officials have been unsuccessful in implementing stricter regulations on the level of Colorado or California is the state’s economy isn’t as diversified.
Currier said this:
“They may not like us operating, but they sure do love to spend the money that we generate. … A lot of that money is good, and a lot of that money does really great things, but in order to have that money to support everyday New Mexicans, production has to keep going.”
COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS
The remarks made by Missi Currier, the president of the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association, at the North Dakota conference, make it abundantly clear very clear it will be a steep climb for any one of the three Republicans running to win the general election in November. The two biggest problems for any one of the 3 Republicans who is nominated to run in the November 4 general election for Governor against either Deb Haaland or Sam Bregman are history and lack of campaign fundraising.
In the last 30 years, New Mexicans have only elected Republicans Gary Johnson and Susana Martinez to the Governor’s Office each serving two four year terms for a total of 16 years. Today, New Mexico is considered “solid blue” Democratic state.
Currently, Democrats have large majorities in both the New Mexico State Senate and House of Representatives. There are 26 Democrats, 16 Republicans in the NM Senate. In the NM House of Representative there are 44 Democrats and 26 Republicans. All 5 of New Mexico’s federal congressional delegation of 2 United States Senators and 3 Representatives are Democrats. In the last 3 Presidential elections, Donald Trump lost New Mexico to Democrats. In 2016 Donald Trump lost to Hillary Clinton, in 2020 Trump lost to Joe Biden and in 2024 Trump lost to Kamala Harris.
Please ignore the polls and vote your conscience for the candidate you believe is best for New Mexico. The only poll that really matters will be taken on June 2. Please vote!
POSTSCRIPT
The links to related News and Commentary on the Democratic candidates for Governor is here: