WPMA News / Fall 2026 43 State Report Democrats Pick Garcia Richard as Lt. Governor Candidate New Mexico Democrats have chosen State Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard as their candidate for lieutenant governor in the upcoming election. The state Central Committee stated Garica Richard was elected with 255 votes, or 53%, while runner-up state Senator Harold Pope Jr. of Albuquerque garnered 218 votes. The party said Toni Pinedo and Geoffery Luehring received three votes and one vote respectively. Garcia Richard will join gubernatorial candidate Deb Haaland on the Democratic ticket in the November election. House Democrats bid Farewell as Representatives Retire Early, Paving Way for Their Successors After Representative Susan Herrera, D-Embudo, announced her early retirement, House Speaker Javier Martinez said he started thinking how best to encapsulate her seven-year career at the Roundhouse. Herrera and fellow House Democrat Joanne Ferrary, D-Las Cruces, have both previously announced their intention not to seek reelection. They retire on Monday before their term expires in January 2027, creating space for new political nominees to fill the seats. Democrats Face Legal Hurdles in Attempt to get Fill-In Legislative Candidates on the Ballot The late withdrawals of two Democratic state House candidates have set up legal showdowns with Election Day just over two months away. At issue is whether Democrats met a statutory deadline to replace Joseph Hernandez of Shiprock and Elise Falanga Taylor of Rio Rancho on the November general election ballot. Hernandez, a first- term incumbent, announced he was bow- ing out of his reelection campaign in House District 4 after police reports and witnesses implicated him in a late-night disturbance involving public nudity at a Chi- cago hotel. For her part, Falanga Tayor, an actress, announced this month she was suspending her House District 23 campaign against House GOP Whip Alan Martinez of Bernalillo. Public Safety is a Key Issue in New Mexico’s 2nd District Congressional Race In a New Mexico race that could determine political control over the U.S. House for the next two years, both candidates are trying to make public safety a cornerstone of their campaigns. With the November general election less than four months away, incumbent Democrat Gabe Vasquez has touted his track record in Congress over the last three-plus years, including his ability to secure federal funding for law enforcement facilities. But his opponent in the 2nd Congressional District race, Republican Greg Cunnningham of Albuquerque, said many New Mexicans remain concerned about high violent crime rates and rampant fentanyl use around the state. Cunningham’s background was an Albuquerque police detective who infiltrated drug cartels. Land Commissioner Rejects Project Jupiter Pipeline Again For a second time, New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands Stephanie Garcia Richard denied a request to grant rights-of-way and a lease to build a natural gas pipeline through state trust land to serve Project Jupiter. Project Jupiter, a hyperscale data center under development for use by Oracle and OpenAl to train artificial intelligence models, has been under construction in Santa Teresa, New Mexico. NMPMA Once Again Has a Successful Annual Convention at Sandia Resort in Albuquerque The convention received great reviews regarding the new format for 2026. The board meeting and evening reception were on Tuesday August 18th, with speakers, trade show, golf, dinner, and entertain- ment all combined on Wednesday, August 19th. Approximately 80 golfers played on the beautiful Sandia Resort golf course.
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