New Mexico Republican primary for governor decided in open-seat race
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President Donald Trump has maintained a firm grip on the Republican Party’s primary races, ensuring victory for all of his endorsed candidates in the 2026 primary season. Joe Concha notes that the GOP is now the ‘MAGA party.’ Former Sen. John Cornyn lost his primary in Texas to Trump-endorsed Ken Paxton, further underscoring Trump’s staying power.
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Former Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull has clinched the GOP nomination in New Mexico’s open-seat gubernatorial race.
Widely seen as a leading candidate heading into Election Day, Hull campaigned on public safety, experience in government and economic growth.
A man votes at a polling station in New Mexico. (Nicholas Roberts/AFP/Getty Images)
He defeated businessman Doug Turner and former New Mexico Human Services Secretary Duke Rodriguez.
Turner presented himself as a business-oriented, conservative, political outsider focused on labor and education reform. Rodriguez, the health care executive and former cabinet secretary, emphasized addiction treatment, health care and government reform.
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Throughout the race, Hull argued that New Mexico needed tougher approaches to violent crime, fentanyl smuggling and border security, and criticized Democratic leadership in Santa Fe.
The American flag and the New Mexico state flag fly side by side at the New Mexico Museum of Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico. (Robert Alexander/Getty Images)
Hull’s victory solidified Republican support behind a candidate who many in the party see as a strong statewide challenger heading into November.
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Democratic New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is term-limited. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
He will face former President Joe Biden’s Interior Secretary Deb Haaland in the general election as Republicans seek to flip the governor’s office in New Mexico for the first time since 2019.
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The race for governor to replace term-limited Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham in November is expected to be one of the most closely watched political contests in the state in 2026.
