Republican Party of New Mexico | |
|---|---|
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| Chairperson | Amy Barela |
| Senate Leader | William Sharer |
| House Leader | Gail Armstrong |
| Headquarters | 5150-A San Francisco Road NE Albuquerque, New Mexico 87109 |
| Membership(2021) |  425,651[1] |
| Ideology | Conservatism |
| National affiliation | Republican Party |
| Colors | Red |
| Seats in theU.S. Senate | 0 / 2 |
| Seats in theU.S. House of Representatives | 0 / 3 |
| Seats in theNew Mexico Senate | 15 / 42 |
| Seats in theNew Mexico House of Representatives | 25 / 70 |
| Election symbol | |
.svg) | |
| Website | |
| newmexico.gop | |
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|---|
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TheRepublican Party of New Mexico is the affiliate of theUnited States Republican Party inNew Mexico.[2] It is headquartered in Albuquerque and led by chairperson Amy Barela, vice chair Hessel Yntema, secretary Kathleen Apodaca, and treasurer Kim Skaggs. It currently has weak electoral power in the state, holding no statewide or federally elected offices, and having minorities in both houses of the New Mexico legislature.
It is the primary opposition to theDemocratic Party of New Mexico. The party has provided 12 of the 31governors of New Mexico, including three since the 1990s (Susana Martinez,Gary Johnson, andGarrey Carruthers). Other key Republican figures in New Mexico's history includeLew Wallace,[3]José Francisco Chaves,[4]Miguel Antonio Otero,[5]Elfego Baca,[6]Octaviano Ambrosio Larrazolo,[7] andEdwin L. Mechem.[8]
Like most other state Republican parties, the Republican Party of New Mexico was founded during theAmerican Civil War Era in the recently acquiredNew Mexico Territory. TheState of New Mexico was created in 1912. One of the founding fathers of the Republican Party of New Mexico wasThomas B. Catron.[9] At the time of New Mexico's admission to the Union, Catron owned a significant majority[citation needed] of land in the state. Due to that wealth, Catron was influential in shaping the party. Catron served as U.S. Senator from New Mexico from 1912 to 1917.[10]
Former Republican Governor of New Mexico,Gary Johnson, ran for the party's nomination for president in the2012 Republican presidential primary. He was governor of New Mexico from 1995 to 2003.[11] However, poll numbers showed Johnson well behind the other Republican candidates and he was only included in two debates with his opponents. This was partly the reason he switched to theLibertarian Party and continued his presidential run for that party's nomination. He won the nomination by a landslide and went on to win third place in the2012 presidential election behind 1st-place finisher incumbent Democratic PresidentBarack Obama and 2nd-place finisher the (Republican) former Massachusetts GovernorMitt Romney. He won nearly 1% nationwide and slightly above 3% in New Mexico.
OnceJoe Biden defeatedDonald Trump in the2020 presidential election, the New Mexico GOP attempted to reject or question the election results.[12] Shortly after the election the New Mexico Republican Party began raising funds to help Trump and his campaignchallenge the election results.[13] In a November 19 statement, the state GOP claimed that voter fraud occurred in the state, alleging that there was "manipulation of Dominion Voting Systems machines, illegal absentee ballots, ballots submitted with no applications and illegal actions against GOP poll challengers."[14]
On December 14, 2020, the same day that New Mexico electors cast their electoral college votes, the Trump campaign filed alawsuit in federal court against New Mexico Secretary of State,Maggie Toulouse Oliver, the electors of New Mexico and the State Canvassing Board. In a news release, the state GOP questioned the validity of the presidential election results and said it was working with the Trump campaign.[15][16]
The New Mexico GOP supported a meeting ofunofficial pro-Trump Republican electors that gathered at the state capitol on 14 December.[17] Also in December 2020, the New Mexico GOP issued a statement supporting theTexas vs. Pennsylvania lawsuit seeking to reject certification of President-elect Biden's victory in four states, citingfalse claims of fraud.[12]
In early January 2021, Rep.Cathrynn Brown proposed legislation to decertify Biden's victory in New Mexico by removing the state's five electoral votes he won, citing baseless claims of election fraud in New Mexico and in other states. The New Mexico GOP expressed support for the legislation.[18][19] On January 7, 2021, New Mexico GOP chair Steve Pearce drew criticism when he claimed that alleged irregularities in the election "tarnished" democracy, soon after Biden's electoral victory was certified by Congress.[20]
The party headquarters was damaged by fire in late March 2025, and as of March, the fire is being investigated as an act of arson.[21][22]
Every two years, prior to the primary election, the party holds a pre-primary convention. This is where statewide candidates push to receive delegate support before the primary election. If a candidate receives at least 20% of the delegates vote, they are automatically placed on the primary election ballot. However, if a candidate does not receive at least 20% of the delegation vote, they can still get on the ballot by obtaining at least 1,500 signatures of Republicans who had voted in the most recent election within 10 days of the convention.[23]
The party controls none of the state's seven statewide offices, holds a minority in the New Mexico Senate, and a minority in the New Mexico House of Representatives. Republicans hold none of the state's three U.S. House seats or two U.S. Senate seats.
Both of New Mexico'sU.S. Senate seats have been held byDemocrats since2009.Pete Domenici was the last Republican to represent New Mexico in the U.S. Senate. First elected in1972, Domenici opted to retire instead of seeking a seventh term. CongressmanSteve Pearce ran as the Republican nominee in the2008 election and was subsequently defeated by Democratic challengerTom Udall.
All of New Mexico's three congressional districts have been held by Democrats since2023. The last Republican to represent New Mexico in the U.S. House isYvette Herrell, who served from 2021 to 2023.
No Republican has held a statewide elected office in New Mexico since 2019. New Mexico has not elected any GOP candidates to statewide office since2014, whenSusana Martinez was re-elected as governor on a joint ticket with Lieutenant Governor John Sanchez. In 2018, term limits prevented Martinez from seeking re-election to a third term. CongressmanSteve Pearce ran as the Republican nominee in the2018 election for Governor and was subsequently defeated by Democratic challengerMichelle Lujan Grisham.
| Election | Gubernatorial candidate/ticket | Votes | Vote % | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1911 | Holm O. Bursum | 28,019 | 46.05% | Lost N |
| 1916 | Holm O. Bursum | 31,552 | 47.41% | LostN |
| 1918 | Octaviano Ambrosio Larrazolo | 23,752 | 50.50% | Won Y |
| 1920 | Merritt C. Mechem | 54,426 | 51.26% | WonY |
| 1922 | Charles Lee Hill | 49,363 | 44.66% | LostN |
| 1924 | Manuel B. Otero | 55,984 | 48.64% | LostN |
| 1926 | Richard C. Dillon | 56,294 | 51.60% | WonY |
| 1928 | Richard C. Dillon | 65,967 | 55.61% | WonY |
| 1930 | Clarence M. Botts | 55,026 | 46.60% | LostN |
| 1932 | Richard C. Dillon | 67,406 | 44.19% | LostN |
| 1934 | Jaffa Miller | 71,899 | 47,60% | LostN |
| 1936 | Jaffa Miller | 72,539 | 42.75% | LostN |
| 1938 | Albert K. Mitchell | 75,017 | 47.59% | LostN |
| 1940 | Mauricio F. Miera | 82,306 | 44.41% | LostN |
| 1942 | Joseph F. Tondre | 49,380 | 45.45% | LostN |
| 1944 | Carroll G. Gunderson | 71,113 | 48.19% | LostN |
| 1946 | Edward L. Safford | 62,875 | 47.30% | LostN |
| 1948 | Manuel Lujan Sr. | 86,023 | 45.28% | LostN |
| 1950 | Edwin L. Mechem | 96,846 | 53.74% | WonY |
| 1952 | Edwin L. Mechem | 129,116 | 53.77% | WonY |
| 1954 | Alvin Stockton | 83,373 | 42.99% | LostN |
| 1956 | Edwin L. Mechem | 131,488 | 52.23% | WonY |
| 1958 | Edwin L. Mechem | 101,567 | 49.53% | LostN |
| 1960 | Edwin L. Mechem | 153,765 | 50.33% | WonY |
| 1962 | Edwin L. Mechem | 116,174 | 47.01% | LostN |
| 1964 | Merle H. Tucker | 126,540 | 39.79% | LostN |
| 1966 | David Cargo | 134,625 | 51.73% | WonY |
| 1968 | David Cargo | 160,140 | 50.21% | WonY |
| 1970 | Pete Domenici | 134,640 | 46.37% | LostN |
| 1974 | Joe Skeen | 160,430 | 48.80% | LostN |
| 1978 | Joe Skeen | 170,848 | 49.44% | LostN |
| 1982 | John B. Irick | 191,626 | 47.03% | LostN |
| 1986 | Garrey Carruthers | 209,455 | 53.05% | WonY |
| 1990 | Frank Bond/Mary L. Thompson | 185,692 | 45.16% | LostN |
| 1994 | Gary Johnson/Walter Bradley | 232,945 | 49.81% | WonY |
| 1998 | Gary Johnson/Walter Bradley | 271,948 | 54.53% | WonY |
| 2002 | John Sanchez/Rod Adair | 189,074 | 39.05% | LostN |
| 2006 | John Dendahl/Sue Wilson Beffort | 174,364 | 31.18% | LostN |
| 2010 | Susana Martinez/John Sanchez | 321,219 | 53.29% | WonY |
| 2014 | Susana Martinez/John Sanchez | 293,443 | 57.22% | WonY |
| 2018 | Steve Pearce/Michelle Garcia Holmes | 298,091 | 42.80% | LostN |
| 2022 | Mark Ronchetti/Ant Thornton | 324,701 | 45.59% | LostN |
