Harding County

Matt Dodson is challenging incumbent Ben Ray Luján in the Democratic Primary for New Mexico’s U.S. Senate seat.

Dodson is a Democratic Socialist, U.S. Air Force veteran, and community organizer who has lived in New Mexico for 35 years. He holds a degree in History from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and works as a small business owner and landlord in Farmington. He has run for multiple offices in New Mexico, including the State Senate (2012, 2016), State House of Representatives (2022), mayor of Farmington, and the San Juan College Board of Trustees.

Dodson does not accept corporate campaign contributions. His campaign focuses on four main issues: getting money out of politics through publicly funded elections, taxing the wealthy (including a 92% tax rate on income over $3 million per year and a wealth tax on billionaires), establishing universal healthcare that includes mental health, dental, and traditional healing for Native Americans, and providing free college education from trade school to doctoral programs while canceling all student loan debt. He has been endorsed by Progressive Victory and We Believe in Deep Canvassing. Dodson positions himself as a fighter against establishment Democrats and corporate power, stating he will not be "bought off" by special interests.

While Matt Dodson’s campaign priorities align with progressive priorities, given Ben Ray Luján’s proven track record, we recommend Luján for this seat.

Sam Bregman is running against Deb Haaland in the Democratic Primary for governor.

Bregman is the current Bernalillo County District Attorney, appointed to that position by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham in January 2023 before winning election in November 2024. He previously served on the Albuquerque City Council and as Deputy State Auditor, with a career focused primarily on prosecution and law enforcement spanning over 30 years.

Bregman’s plans for Governor of New Mexico include investing in education and healthcare as well as a strong focus on crime and punishment. He has proposed building out a centralized law enforcement surveillance system and also recently advocated for changes to the juvenile justice code that would lead to more youth in prison – instead of addressing the root causes of crime through investment in mental health, housing, and economic opportunity.

Bregman's campaign is heavily funded by corporate and business interests, with top contributors including multiple LLCs, ranching companies, and the Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino. He has also received tens of thousands of dollars from prominent Trump backers, including Johnny and Jana Trotter in Texas, Denver-based oil and gas executive Roger Hutson, and trucking company owner Butch Mathews.

There are significant concerns about Bregman’s priorities and conduct over the last 30 years. For decades, he was the go-to defense attorney for officers accused of misconduct. He defended officers in the James Boyd shooting, defended a sergeant convicted of kicking a handcuffed suspect, and defended MDC officers charged after an inmate died.

In September 2025, an article by the New Mexico Political Report highlighted how substantial parts of Bregman's 189-page policy platform appeared to be copied from government reports, legislation, and news sources without attribution, including language from the New Mexico Environment Department, U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, and the Indian Education Act. While Bregman's campaign defended the approach as using proven ideas from experts and later credited sources, critics noted errors in the copied text, describing the document as filled with typos, repeated paragraphs, and lacking proofreading.

During Bregman’s tenure leading the New Mexico Racing Commission, the organization faced multiple lawsuits alleging the body 'skimmed' millions in race-day winnings from horse owners and retaliated against critics by banning them from racetracks. Allegations of bullying and conflicts of interest then prompted the Kentucky Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, which oversees the country’s preeminent horse race, to ban all five of New Mexico’s horse racetracks from betting on the Kentucky Derby.

Additionally, Bregman lacks statewide executive experience and has never managed a budget or agency comparable to the governor's office.

Given Bregman’s stated policy priorities, minimal focus on addressing root causes of public safety, ethics concerns, and campaign donors, we do not recommend him for Governor of New Mexico.

Katherine Clark is the current Santa Fe County Clerk where she has led election administration since 2019. Her commitment to election security is informed by personal history: her grandfather's unit flag hangs in the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, honoring soldiers who helped liberate a Nazi concentration camp. She has also noted that her work was informed by January 6, 2021, the day the U.S. Capitol was attacked, just three days into her time as clerk.

As Secretary of State, Clark plans to protect democracy by fighting executive overreach, preserving ballot access, and ensuring elections remain transparent and trusted. Her vision includes expanding ballot access through statewide youth civic education programs, expanding jailhouse voting opportunities, and strengthening voting access and transparency for Native American communities. She supports 100 percent election night reporting with real-time turnout transparency, expanding public financing, and modernizing the Secretary of State's Office with user-friendly technology.

Clark received a majority of the March 2026 Democratic Party of NM convention vote with 46.18% of delegate support. She was asked by the Democratic Party of New Mexico to remove a logo and the words "chosen by" in a TV ad due to concerns about the public misperceiving it as a party endorsement. In April 2026, Clark was also the subject of a formal ethics complaint regarding potential violations of state election law, which was filed by Albuquerque attorney David Duhigg with the Secretary of State's Office, Attorney General, and District Attorney. The complaint alleged Clark's office uploaded election results before polls closed at 7 p.m. in four elections between 2022 and 2025, which would constitute a misdemeanor under New Mexico law. The New Mexico Secretary of State’s Office later found a violation had occurred but said there was no evidence the electorate was affected and labeled it a “teachable moment for all county clerks.”

Jonas Moya is running in the Democratic Primary for New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands.

A fourth-generation rancher born and raised on his grandmother's farm and cattle ranch in Tucumcari, New Mexico, Moya holds a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Economics and Business from New Mexico State University. He lives in Albuquerque and has spent his career fighting for farmers, ranchers, and rural families across the state.

Moya was appointed by President Joe Biden as New Mexico's State Executive Director for the USDA Farm Service Agency in October 2021, where he delivered results for farmers, ranchers, and rural communities. He previously served as Executive Director for the New Mexico Cattle Grower's Association and as Civic Engagement and Policy Manager at New Mexico First, an organization dedicated to building consensus on critical issues facing the state. He is passionate about next-generation agriculturalists and agricultural resiliency, and supports New Mexico colleges and universities, encouraging students to stay in-state.

Moya champions protecting public lands while generating strong returns for schools, expanding outdoor access and honoring cultural landscapes, balancing energy development with environmental stewardship, and partnering with acequia associations, tribes, and land grant communities to respect tradition and New Mexico's way of life. His priorities include addressing the incoming wave of retirees at the State Land Office, building and diversifying revenue streams, using state land for affordable housing projects, and addressing illegal dumping on state land.

While Jonas Moya’s stated priorities align with progressive values, given the proven track record of the other two candidates for state Land Commissioner and our hesitation over Moya’s desire to continue traditional energy development, we do not recommend him for this seat.

Joseph Sanchez is running for re-election in the Democratic Primary for House District 40.

He served as a house member from 2019-21, and from 2023-present, and is currently a member of the House Appropriations & Finance, House Rural Development, Land Grants and Cultural Affairs, and House Enrolling & Engrossing committees.

Sanchez is the CEO of Jemez Mountains Electric Cooperative, and previously worked as an Engineer at Los Alamos National Laboratory, focused on utility and construction projects, as well as previous roles as GM of Jemez Mountains Electric Cooperative and at LANL. Sanchez grew up working in contracting, ranching, and farming in his family’s business. He earned an MS and BS in Engineering from the University of New Mexico and an MBA from New Mexico State University.

His policy priorities include supporting the oil and gas industry, strengthening relationships with the national labs, increasing rural broadband access, advocating for land grants/land grant communities and Native American communities, and promoting the state as a hydrogen hub.

While Sanchez’ voting record includes some positives, including voting for solar tax credits (SB29 in 2020), prohibiting sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity discrimination (HB207 in 2023), and requiring health insurance companies to reimburse mental health coverage (SB273 in 2023), he has also opposed key progressive policies, such as voting against the Voting Rights Act (HB4), protections for abortion and gender affirming healthcare (SB13, HB7 in 2023), requiring law enforcement to use body worn cameras (SB8 in 2020), establishing a 7-day waiting period for firearm purchases (HB129 in 2024), establishing state clean energy standards (HB41 in 2024), and paid family medical leave (SB3 in 2024).

Additionally, a review of campaign donations shows Sanchez top contributors include Occidental Petroleum, Devon Energy, and Phillip Morris’ US arm. These organizations consistently lobby against progressive policies on climate and public health.

We lean against Joseph Sanchez for House District 40 based on multiple issues with his voting record and his major campaign contributors.

Harry Garcia is running against incumbent Michelle ‘Paulene’ Abeyta in the Democratic Primary for House District 69. He previously served in the seat from 2016-24.

Garcia is retired and has previously mentioned his background as a business owner for 40 years as well as a Vietnam Veteran who served in the US Marines. His stated priorities include healthcare, schools, and infrastructure.

While Garcia was active in sponsoring and supporting some initiatives that align with the needs of New Mexicans, during his time in office he voted against many critical bills. In 2024 he voted against legislation to prohibit firearms at state voting drop boxes and polling places (SB5), establish a waiting period for firearm purchases (HB129), set clean energy standards at the state level (SB41), as well as against critical bills in 2023 such as enact protections for abortion and gender-affirming healthcare (SB13), establishing state protections for gender affirming care (HB7), and establishing negligently leaving a firearm accessible to a minor as a crime (HB9). Garcia’s vote history further back includes repeatedly voting against background checks for firearms and he voted against the repeal of the abortion ban in 2021 (SB10).

Given Garcia’s significant vote history against critical policies, we do not recommend him for House District 69.

Ambrose Castellano is running against incumbent Anita Gonzales in the Democratic Primary for House District 70. He previously served in the seat from 2021-24.

While Castellano is registered as a Democrat, he voted against progressive legislation during his time in the legislature. In 2024 he voted against prohibiting firearms at polling locations (SB5), clean energy standards (HB41), and establishing waiting periods for gun purchases (HB129). In 2023 he voted against: establishing protection for abortion and gender affirming care (SB13), the New Mexico Voting Rights Act and Native American Voting Rights Act (HB4), and negligence in leaving a firearm accessible to minors (HB9). In 2022 Castellano voted against capping the amount of interest lenders can charge on payday loans (HB132) and Paid Sick Leave (HB20). Castellano also voted against the repeal of the abortion ban in 2021 (SB10).

Additionally, as first reported by the Santa Fe New Mexican, in 2024, Castellano was the subject of an ethics complaint for spending campaign funds on personal purchases. The State Ethics Commission later found that he likely violated the Campaign Reporting Act. The complaint was dismissed after Castellano agreed to pay a $1,000 civil penalty.

This is not the first time that Castellano has been faced with potential ethics violations. In 2003, while Castellano was on the Board of the West Las Vegas School District, federal inspectors determined that dozens of kids enrolled in the Head Start program were ineligible as their families had incomes too high to qualify for the federally funded program. During the investigation, the federal inspectors report also contained several findings on allegations of nepotism involving an unnamed Board Member that a person with knowledge identified as Castellano. These findings included that the Board Member’s sibling was hired as a supervisor six months after the Board Member's election; that his unqualified sister was given an interview for vacant Head Start positions; and that the Board Member identified as Castellano instructed a worker to make a slot available for the child of an assistant district attorney. Ultimately, the Head Start program was ordered to pay back $526,000 to the federal government for the 94 ineligible families.

Castellano was also recently charged with aggravated battery and conspiracy to commit aggravated battery stemming from a physical altercation at a Santa Fe Municipal Golf Course in September 2025.

Based on a combination of his record of voting against critical policies, ethics complaints, and the pending battery charge, we do not recommend Ambrose Castellano for election to House District 70.

Matthew Archuleta is running against Incumbent Patricia Roybal Caballero. No publicly available information on Archuleta’s policy priorities could be found at this time.

Joseph Romero is running against Incumbent Miguel Garcia. No publicly available information could be found on Romero at this time.

Marsella Duarte Serna is running against incumbent Yanira Gurrola Valenzuela in the Democratic Primary for House District 16.

Marsella Duarte Serna is a multigenerational New Mexican who has lived in House District 16 her entire life. She currently resides in the district alongside her mother and two sisters. A proud product of Albuquerque Public Schools, she later returned to teach kindergarten at Susie Rayos Marmon Elementary School. In 2022, she was briefly appointed to serve in the New Mexico State House.

Duarte Serna has spent her professional life working on the front lines of education and state services. She taught kindergarten at Susie Rayos Marmon Elementary School within Albuquerque Public Schools, where she was also a student. She worked at the Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD), gaining firsthand experience with the changes needed at the state level. In 2022, she was briefly appointed to serve in the New Mexico State House of Representatives, and she is now seeking election to continue representing her community at the state level.

According to her campaign website, Duarte Serna's stated priorities center on public safety, education, infrastructure, and economic development. She supports expanding community-oriented safety responses including non-police crisis intervention and behavioral health support. Her education platform focuses on ensuring every student graduates ready for college, skilled trades, or employment. On housing and development, she advocates for zoning reforms to support missing middle housing and affordable housing initiatives. Her transportation priorities include investing in multi-modal mobility such as bus service and safe bike and pedestrian paths. She also emphasizes water and long-term planning by tying environmental sustainability into growth strategies, and supports park development and community centers with community input.

While Duarte Serna’s stated priorities align with progressive values, review of 2024 state candidate filings shows her top contributors include Marathon Oil Company, Jalapeno Corporation (Oil and Gas Harvey Yates company), and the New Mexico Restaurant Association. These organizations that consistently lobby against progressive policies on climate, labor, and public health.

Given Marsella Duarte Serna’s previous campaign contributions, we do not recommend her for House District 16.

Marian Matthews is running for re-election in the Democratic Primary for House District 27. Matthews has served in the seat since 2020, and is currently a member of the Agriculture, Acequias & Water Resources Committee and the Commerce and Economic Development Committee.

Matthews is a retired attorney and prosecutor, and previously worked as an educator at Central New Mexico Community College, development director of PB&J Family Services, and Deputy Attorney General to Tom Udall.

While Matthews’ vote record is typically aligned with progressive values, some of her previous votes, sponsored bills, and her vote record against a robust Paid Family Medical Leave bill are causes for concern.

During the 2025-2026 legislative sessions, Representative Matthews voted against or failed to vote on several key progressive priorities. In March 2025, she voted NO on SB 23, which would have increased oil and gas royalty rates on state lands—a measure designed to generate more public revenue from extractive industries. She also voted NO on HB 78, legislation that would have prohibited discrimination against 340B entities, which are community health centers that provide affordable prescription drugs to low-income and uninsured New Mexicans.

Additionally, Representative Matthews did not vote on six significant progressive bills that all passed the House: SB 241 which establishes no-cost child care assistance for working families; SB 122 expanding the prescription drug donation program; SB 219 authorizing medical use of psilocybin for mental health treatment; SB 252 allowing licensed social workers to provide telehealth services to expand healthcare access in rural communities; SB 39 prohibiting insurance prior authorization and step therapy barriers to care; and SB 19 requiring governance training for public higher education boards.

Based on Matthews’ voting record over the past two years, we do not recommend her for House District 27.

Veronica Mireles is challenging incumbent Elizabeth Torres-Velásquez in the Democratic Primary for House District 30.

Mireles is a medical malpractice defense attorney who grew up in Northern New Mexico near Española. Her vision of leadership is informed by her early experience when she became a teen mom, faced homelessness, and later went on to attend law school and become a practicing attorney. She now lives in Albuquerque with her four children and represents healthcare providers, small businesses, and tradespeople in civil litigation.

Mireles testified in the recent legislative session on behalf of House Bill 99, the 2026 medical malpractice reform legislation, and plans to introduce additional bills to build on that reform, including allowing doctors to apologize to patients without it being deemed an admission of guilt.

Mireles prioritizes expanding healthcare access, strengthening public safety with support for law enforcement accountability and mental health services, and improving schools and child welfare. She identifies all of these as systemic issues, and says that her focus would be on addressing their intermingled roots in order to improve life for all residents. She also supports establishing salaried lawmakers in order to allow more diverse voices to serve in the Legislature.

While Mireles generally aligns with our organization’s focus on progressive policies, there is minimal information on the specific policies she would advance if elected.

For that reason, and based on the incumbent Dr. Elizabeth Diane Torres-Velásquez’s strong track record, we do not recommend Mireles for House District 30.

Ramona Jean Martinez is running against incumbent Micaela Lara Cadena in the Democratic Primary for House District 33.

Martinez grew up on a Tierra Amarilla ranch and put herself through law school as a single mother while raising her son. Her professional background includes serving as counsel to multiple state agencies, working as a public defender, and running her own law firm. She previously worked in the governor's office of constituent services early in her career and served on the New Mexico Border Authority. Martinez also currently sits on the New Mexico Sentencing Commission, serves on the executive board of the New Mexico Hispanic Bar Association, and previously ran for Third Judicial District Attorney in 2024.

Martinez's vision for House District 33 is grounded in her background growing up on a family ranch and seeing the challenges facing acequias and farmers, as well as her father's work with the iron workers' union. She plans to continue advocating for criminal justice reform as well as focusing on improving infrastructure, healthcare access, and economic opportunity.

Her policy priorities include expanding access to mental health and behavioral health resources, investing in apprenticeships, trades, vocational training, and STEM/technical career pathways through partnerships with Doña Ana Community College and New Mexico State University, and comprehensive workforce development to ensure there are good, stable jobs available when people complete training programs. She also supports paying state lawmakers to enable greater diversity in the Legislature, and balancing economic development with protecting water resources.

While Martinez’s priorities align with ours, we do have some concerns regarding campaign donations she received from a lobbyist connected to Stack Infrastructure, the company behind the Oracle/OpenAI focused Project Jupiter AI data center.

Given that concern and the strong track record of the incumbent, we recommend Micaela Lara Cadena for this seat.

Juan Fuentes is challenging incumbent Raymundo "Ray" Lara in the Democratic Primary for House District 34.

Fuentes is a lifelong resident of the Sunland Park/Santa Teresa area with nearly 30 years of experience working with local governments. He started his career as an environmental activist in the 1990s and went on to work with local governments including Sunland Park, Mesilla, Truth or Consequences, and Roswell. He retired as director of administrative services for the City of Roswell in 2023 and transitioned to consulting work. His professional experience has focused on developing and managing budgets, balancing infrastructure and public services needs, managing workforces, and addressing community needs at the local level.

Fuentes has expressed strong interest in leveraging his background in local government by serving on the Appropriations and Finance Committee, and has stated that he believes he can contribute from a local level perspective with his experience and understanding of public finances.

His policy priorities include addressing rising costs in healthcare, fuel, and everyday essentials, where his plans include introducing legislation to provide financial relief through rebates or reductions in state income tax. He has also identified water resources as a key priority, and would focus on ensuring infrastructure needs. Fuentes also supports legislator pay in order to allow more people to serve as well as to give voters the ability to hold legislators more accountable to their needs. Additionally, he identifies the local economy and economic development as the most important issue facing the region, and would focus on economic opportunities and infrastructure.

We were unable to locate a website or social media for Juan Fuentes so all information was gathered via publicly available sources.

Matilda "Tilli" Villalobos is running in the Democratic Primary for House District 37. The incumbent, Joanne Ferrary, chose not to run again.

Villalobos has lived in Las Cruces since 2017 after growing up in California and Utah. She became a mother at 17 when her oldest son was born, and while raising him, she earned her college degree and later her law degree. She served as a prosecutor in Denton County and El Paso, Texas, before becoming a federal prosecutor in Las Cruces in 2018, specializing in sexual assault, child exploitation, and civil rights cases. In 2025, she resigned from her federal prosecutor position after President Donald Trump assumed office, stating "I felt like the administration wanted us to do things that were not legal." She now operates her own law firm in Las Cruces, where the bulk of her work involves defending people charged in federal court with criminal immigration violations.

As an attorney and former prosecutor, Villalobos has expressed strong interest in serving on the House Judiciary Committee. She believes it's important to have attorneys on the committee and brings a unique background from prosecuting both sexual abuse cases and civil rights violations. Her legal experience spans criminal prosecution, civil rights litigation, and immigration defense.

Her policy priorities include creating good, long-term, stable jobs that pay a living wage, working with labor unions to create apprenticeship programs in schools to build pathways from high school into the trades, ensuring communities are safe while protecting civil rights, and investing in education. Villalobos also identifies climate change as one of the biggest challenges facing NM and supports paying state lawmakers in order to make the government more representative of normal New Mexicans.

While Villalobos’ priorities align with ours, we do have some concerns regarding campaign donations she received from lobbyists connected to Stack Infrastructure, the company behind the Oracle/OpenAI focused Project Jupiter AI data center, as well as Cicero Institute, founded by a key Trump supporter.

Christina Aspaas is running against incumbent Joseph Hernandez in the Democratic Primary for New Mexico House District 4.

Aspaas currently serves as Vice President of the Central Consolidated School District Board of Education, having previously held roles as Board President and Board Secretary. She worked for 30 years at Bisti Fuels and serves on the New Mexico School Boards Association Board of Directors. Aspaas has run in the last two primary elections for this seat, and her stated priorities include protecting workers impacted by the San Juan Generating Station closure, funding education programs, and economic opportunity and job creation.

In a Source New Mexico article dated April 13, 2026, Aspaas stated that she is running for HD 4 in response to the state’s desire to transition to clean energy, which she does not agree with.

We were not able to locate a campaign website or social media profiles so all information provided is from public sources.

We do not recommend Christina Aspaas for House District 4 due to her stated opposition to transitioning New Mexico to clean energy.

Debbie Rodella is running in the Democratic Primary for House District 41. She previously served in the NM House of Representatives for 26 years before losing her seat in the 2018 Democratic primary to Rep. Susan Herrera (who recently chose not to run again).

Rodella was born in Española, raised in Chimayó, and has deep roots in Northern New Mexico. She graduated from Española Valley High School and continued her education at Northern New Mexico College and the College of Santa Fe, and later worked for 20+ years at Los Alamos National Laboratory. She became the first woman to chair the House Business and Industry Committee and is the longest-serving Hispanic woman in the House. After leaving the Legislature, she became a registered lobbyist (2019-present).

Her stated policy priorities include economic affordability, advocating for early education access, investing in infrastructure and protecting water resources, and strengthening land grant communities.

Rodella's previous legislative experience and lobbying work have drawn significant criticism, particularly around policies related to predatory/payday lending. After voting for a 2017 bill to ban former legislators from lobbying for two years upon leaving office (which died in the Senate), she became a lobbyist within weeks of her 2018 electoral defeat. She also co-sponsored 2017 legislation enabling storefront lenders to charge 175% annual interest rates, which consumer advocates calculated that on a $5,000 loan at this rate would saddle borrowers with $730/month payments and over $30,000 in total interest. She then lobbied for Select Management Resources (which oversaw LoanMax and North American Title Loans) from 2021-25. Additionally, she did not list her 2025 lobbying work in her recent primary election filing, even though disclosure was required.

There are also additional concerns throughout Rodella's tenure. For example, in 2017 she introduced a greenwashing bill written by The Koch Brothers' American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) that would have made it harder to install solar panels. In 2015, she voted yes for an extreme abortion ban sponsored by then NM Representative Yvette Harrell. In 2006, she was alleged to have used her political position as a state representative to influence the results of a Rio Arriba County District Court case.

Rodella has also received over $25,000 in campaign donations from oil and gas companies this year, including $6,000 from Jalapeño Corporation, owned by Harvey Yates.

Based on her vote record and significant ethics questions, we do not recommend Debbie Rodella for election to House District 41.

Martha Garcia is being challenged by Priscilla Benally, Johnny Valdez, David Alcon.

No updated public information on Priscilla Benally’s campaign priorities can be found at this time.

No public information on Johnny Valdez’s campaign priorities can be found at this time. Public record was found in a case determined by the Supreme Court of New Mexico on January 27, 2025 where they determined that Judge Valdez violated multiple Rules of the Code of Judicial Conduct and publicly censured him as a disciplinary measure.

No public information on David Alcon’s campaign priorities can be found at this time. There are multiple news articles dating back to 2017 highlighting multiple stalking charges against David Alcon. The most recent from April 2026.

Angela Garcia is running for Dona Ana County Commission District 1. Garcia is a mother, entrepreneur, and longtime advocate for children with a background in early childhood education and community leadership. She is the CEO of Toy Box Early Learning and Childcare Centers, which have served thousands of families and created over 80 jobs for women in the community. She grew up in Albuquerque and Las Cruces, becoming the first in her family to earn a college degree after graduating from Organ Mountain High School.

As CEO of Toy Box Early Learning and Childcare Centers, Angela has dedicated her career to serving thousands of children and families through early childhood education programs while also providing a model for responsible small business ownership and economic development. Beyond her business role, she has been a state-level advocate for early childhood education legislation, including supporting transformative legislation that established New Mexico's Early Childhood Education and Care Department and secured billions in funding for early childhood programs.

Garcia’s policy priorities include lowering the cost of living for working families, expanding access to healthcare, and improving public safety. However, her campaign materials lack specific policy details on how these priorities would be implemented at the county commission level. While she emphasizes putting families first and expanding access to early childhood education, we have hesitations about the lack of concrete policy proposals to address the issues she identifies.

Additionally, our organization has specific concerns about Angela Garcia's approach to public safety. While she lists improving public safety as a priority, her campaign materials do not specify whether she supports investing in root causes of crime—such as mental healthcare access, social services, and rehabilitation over incarceration—rather than increasing police presence and punitive policies.

Given the minimal public information on specific policies that Garcia would support and concerns about her approach to public safety, we lean against Angela Garcia for Doña Ana County Commission District 1.

Sam Bregman is running against Deb Haaland in the Democratic Primary for governor.

Bregman is the current Bernalillo County District Attorney, appointed to that position by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham in January 2023 before winning election in November 2024. He previously served on the Albuquerque City Council and as Deputy State Auditor, with a career focused primarily on prosecution and law enforcement spanning over 30 years.

Bregman’s plans for Governor of New Mexico include investing in education and healthcare as well as a strong focus on crime and punishment. He has proposed building out a centralized law enforcement surveillance system and also recently advocated for changes to the juvenile justice code that would lead to more youth in prison – instead of addressing the root causes of crime through investment in mental health, housing, and economic opportunity.

Bregman's campaign is heavily funded by corporate and business interests, with top contributors including multiple LLCs, ranching companies, and the Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino. He has also received tens of thousands of dollars from prominent Trump backers, including Johnny and Jana Trotter in Texas, Denver-based oil and gas executive Roger Hutson, and trucking company owner Butch Mathews.

There are significant concerns about Bregman’s priorities and conduct over the last 30 years. For decades, he was the go-to defense attorney for officers accused of misconduct. He defended officers in the James Boyd shooting, defended a sergeant convicted of kicking a handcuffed suspect, and defended MDC officers charged after an inmate died.

In September 2025, an article by the New Mexico Political Report highlighted how substantial parts of Bregman's 189-page policy platform appeared to be copied from government reports, legislation, and news sources without attribution, including language from the New Mexico Environment Department, U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, and the Indian Education Act. While Bregman's campaign defended the approach as using proven ideas from experts and later credited sources, critics noted errors in the copied text, describing the document as filled with typos, repeated paragraphs, and lacking proofreading.

During Bregman’s tenure leading the New Mexico Racing Commission, the organization faced multiple lawsuits alleging the body 'skimmed' millions in race-day winnings from horse owners and retaliated against critics by banning them from racetracks. Allegations of bullying and conflicts of interest then prompted the Kentucky Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, which oversees the country’s preeminent horse race, to ban all five of New Mexico’s horse racetracks from betting on the Kentucky Derby.

Additionally, Bregman lacks statewide executive experience and has never managed a budget or agency comparable to the governor's office.

Given Bregman’s stated policy priorities, minimal focus on addressing root causes of public safety, ethics concerns, and campaign donors, we do not recommend him for Governor of New Mexico.

Katherine Clark is the current Santa Fe County Clerk where she has led election administration since 2019. Her commitment to election security is informed by personal history: her grandfather's unit flag hangs in the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, honoring soldiers who helped liberate a Nazi concentration camp. She has also noted that her work was informed by January 6, 2021, the day the U.S. Capitol was attacked, just three days into her time as clerk.

As Secretary of State, Clark plans to protect democracy by fighting executive overreach, preserving ballot access, and ensuring elections remain transparent and trusted. Her vision includes expanding ballot access through statewide youth civic education programs, expanding jailhouse voting opportunities, and strengthening voting access and transparency for Native American communities. She supports 100 percent election night reporting with real-time turnout transparency, expanding public financing, and modernizing the Secretary of State's Office with user-friendly technology.

Clark received a majority of the March 2026 Democratic Party of NM convention vote with 46.18% of delegate support. She was asked by the Democratic Party of New Mexico to remove a logo and the words "chosen by" in a TV ad due to concerns about the public misperceiving it as a party endorsement. In April 2026, Clark was also the subject of a formal ethics complaint regarding potential violations of state election law, which was filed by Albuquerque attorney David Duhigg with the Secretary of State's Office, Attorney General, and District Attorney. The complaint alleged Clark's office uploaded election results before polls closed at 7 p.m. in four elections between 2022 and 2025, which would constitute a misdemeanor under New Mexico law. The New Mexico Secretary of State’s Office later found a violation had occurred but said there was no evidence the electorate was affected and labeled it a “teachable moment for all county clerks.”

Jonas Moya is running in the Democratic Primary for New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands.

A fourth-generation rancher born and raised on his grandmother's farm and cattle ranch in Tucumcari, New Mexico, Moya holds a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Economics and Business from New Mexico State University. He lives in Albuquerque and has spent his career fighting for farmers, ranchers, and rural families across the state.

Moya was appointed by President Joe Biden as New Mexico's State Executive Director for the USDA Farm Service Agency in October 2021, where he delivered results for farmers, ranchers, and rural communities. He previously served as Executive Director for the New Mexico Cattle Grower's Association and as Civic Engagement and Policy Manager at New Mexico First, an organization dedicated to building consensus on critical issues facing the state. He is passionate about next-generation agriculturalists and agricultural resiliency, and supports New Mexico colleges and universities, encouraging students to stay in-state.

Moya champions protecting public lands while generating strong returns for schools, expanding outdoor access and honoring cultural landscapes, balancing energy development with environmental stewardship, and partnering with acequia associations, tribes, and land grant communities to respect tradition and New Mexico's way of life. His priorities include addressing the incoming wave of retirees at the State Land Office, building and diversifying revenue streams, using state land for affordable housing projects, and addressing illegal dumping on state land.

While Jonas Moya’s stated priorities align with progressive values, given the proven track record of the other two candidates for state Land Commissioner and our hesitation over Moya’s desire to continue traditional energy development, we do not recommend him for this seat.