New Mexico Public Lands Commissioner election, 2026
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← 2022
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| New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands |
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| Election details |
| Filing deadline: February 3, 2026 |
| Primary: June 2, 2026 General: November 3, 2026 |
| How to vote |
| Poll times:
7 a.m. to 7 p.m. |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| Federal and state primary competitiveness State executive elections in 2026 Impact of term limits in 2026 State government trifectas State government triplexes Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026 |
| New Mexico executive elections |
| Governor Lieutenant Governor |
New Mexico is holding an election for commissioner of public lands on November 3, 2026. The primary is June 2, 2026. The filing deadline for candidates seeking pre-primary designation is February 3, 2026. Candidates who do not receive the party designation must file by March 10, 2026.
Candidates and election results
Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:
- Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
- Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies
General election
The primary will occur on June 2, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands
Matthew McQueen, Jonas Moya, and Juan Sanchez III are running in the Democratic primary for New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands on June 2, 2026.
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 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands
Michael Perry is running in the Republican primary for New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands on June 2, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Michael Perry | |
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| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Candidate profiles
There are currently no candidate profiles created for this race. Candidate profiles will appear here as they are created. Encourage the candidates in this race to complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey so that their profile will appear here.
Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses
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No candidate in this race has completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Ballotpedia is seeking 100 percent participation so voters can learn more about all the candidates on their ballots.
Voting information
- See also: Voting in New Mexico
Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.
Past elections
The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2014.
2022
General election
General election for New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands
Incumbent Stephanie Garcia Richard defeated Jefferson Byrd and Larry E. Marker in the general election for New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Stephanie Garcia Richard (D) | 54.7 | 379,621 |
 | Jefferson Byrd (R) | 44.8 | 310,853 | |
| Larry E. Marker (Independent) (Write-in) | 0.6 | 3,950 | ||
| Total votes: 694,424 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands
Incumbent Stephanie Garcia Richard advanced from the Democratic primary for New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands on June 7, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Stephanie Garcia Richard | 100.0 | 116,641 |
| Total votes: 116,641 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands
Jefferson Byrd advanced from the Republican primary for New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands on June 7, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jefferson Byrd | 100.0 | 92,318 |
| Total votes: 92,318 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Aubrey Dunn (R)
2018
General election
General election for New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands
Stephanie Garcia Richard defeated Patrick H. Lyons and Michael Lucero in the general election for New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Stephanie Garcia Richard (D) | 51.1 | 352,335 |
 | Patrick H. Lyons (R) | 43.1 | 297,379 | |
 | Michael Lucero (L) | 5.8 | 39,791 | |
| Total votes: 689,505 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands
Stephanie Garcia Richard defeated Garrett VeneKlasen and George Munoz in the Democratic primary for New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Stephanie Garcia Richard | 39.5 | 65,601 |
| Garrett VeneKlasen | 37.2 | 61,783 | ||
 | George Munoz | 23.3 | 38,770 | |
| Total votes: 166,154 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands
Patrick H. Lyons advanced from the Republican primary for New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Patrick H. Lyons | 100.0 | 67,527 |
| Total votes: 67,527 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Libertarian primary election
Libertarian primary for New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands
Michael Lucero advanced from the Libertarian primary for New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Michael Lucero | 100.0 | 608 |
| Total votes: 608 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2014
| New Mexico Land Commissioner, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Aubrey Dunn |
50.1% | 250,185 | |
| Democratic | Ray Powell Incumbent | 49.9% | 249,481 | |
| Total Votes | 499,666 | |||
| Election results via New Mexico Secretary of State | ||||
Election analysis
Click the tabs below to view information about demographics, past elections, and partisan control of the state.
- Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the state.
- Statewide elections - Information about recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections in the state.
- State partisanship - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
- Demographics - Information about the state's demographics and how they compare to the country as a whole.
Cook PVI by congressional district
| District | Incumbent | PVI |
|---|---|---|
| New Mexico's 1st | Melanie Ann Stansbury | D+7 |
| New Mexico's 2nd | Gabriel Vasquez | EVEN |
| New Mexico's 3rd | Teresa Leger Fernandez | D+3 |
2024 presidential results by 2026 congressional district lines
| District | Kamala Harris  | Donald Trump  |
|---|---|---|
| New Mexico's 1st | 55.0% | 42.0% |
| New Mexico's 2nd | 48.0% | 50.0% |
| New Mexico's 3rd | 52.0% | 46.0% |
| Source: The Downballot | ||
2016-2024
How a state's counties vote in a presidential election and the size of those counties can provide additional insights into election outcomes at other levels of government including statewide and congressional races. Below, four categories are used to describe each county's voting pattern over the 2016, 2020, and 2024 presidential elections: Solid, Trending, Battleground, and New. Click [show] on the table below for examples:
| County-level voting pattern categories | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | |||||||
| Status | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 | ||||
| Solid Democratic | D | D | D | ||||
| Trending Democratic | R | D | D | ||||
| Battleground Democratic | D | R | D | ||||
| New Democratic | R | R | D | ||||
| Republican | |||||||
| Status | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 | ||||
| Solid Republican | R | R | R | ||||
| Trending Republican | D | R | R | ||||
| Battleground Republican | R | D | R | ||||
| New Republican | D | D | R | ||||
Following the 2024 presidential election, 65.4% of New Mexicans lived in one of the state's 13 Solid Democratic counties, which voted for the Democratic presidential candidate in every election from 2016 to 2024, and 33.8% lived in one of 19 Solid Republican counties. Overall, New Mexico was Solid Democratic, having voted for Hillary Clinton (D) in 2016, Joe Biden (D) in 2020, and Kamala Harris (D) in 2024. Use the table below to view the total number of each type of county in New Mexico following the 2024 election as well as the overall percentage of the state population located in each county type.
| New Mexico county-level statistics, 2024 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solid Democratic | 13 | 65.4% | |||||
| Solid Republican | 19 | 33.8% | |||||
| New Republican | 1 | 0.8% | |||||
| Total voted Democratic | 13 | 65.4% | |||||
| Total voted Republican | 20 | 34.6% | |||||
Historical voting trends
New Mexico presidential election results (1900-2024)
- 17 Democratic wins
- 12 Republican wins
| Year | 1900 | 1904 | 1908 | 1912 | 1916 | 1920 | 1924 | 1928 | 1932 | 1936 | 1940 | 1944 | 1948 | 1952 | 1956 | 1960 | 1964 | 1968 | 1972 | 1976 | 1980 | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winning Party | N/A | N/A | N/A | D | D | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | R | D | D | D | D | D |
This section details the results of the five most recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections held in the state.
U.S. Senate elections
The table below details the vote in the five most recent U.S. Senate races in New Mexico.
Gubernatorial elections
- See also: Governor of New Mexico
The table below details the vote in the five most recent gubernatorial elections in New Mexico.
Congressional delegation
The table below displays the partisan composition of New Mexico's congressional delegation as of October 2025.
| Congressional Partisan Breakdown from New Mexico | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | U.S. Senate | U.S. House | Total |
| Democratic | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Republican | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Independent | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vacancies | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 2 | 3 | 5 |
State executive
The table below displays the officeholders in New Mexico's top four state executive offices as of October 2025.
| Office | Officeholder |
|---|---|
| Governor | Michelle Lujan Grisham |
| Lieutenant Governor | Howie Morales |
| Secretary of State | Maggie Toulouse Oliver |
| Attorney General | Raul Torrez |
State legislature
New Mexico State Senate
| Party | As of October 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 26 | |
| Republican Party | 15 | |
| Other | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 1 | |
| Total | 42 | |
New Mexico House of Representatives
| Party | As of October 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 44 | |
| Republican Party | 26 | |
| Other | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 70 | |
Trifecta control
New Mexico Party Control: 1992-2025
Eighteen years of Democratic trifectas • No Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| Senate | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| House | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
The table below details demographic data in New Mexico and compares it to the broader United States as of 2023.
| Demographic Data for New Mexico | ||
|---|---|---|
| New Mexico | United States | |
| Population | 2,117,522 | 331,449,281 |
| Land area (sq mi) | 121,312 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White | 53.6% | 63.4% |
| Black/African American | 2.1% | 12.4% |
| Asian | 1.7% | 5.8% |
| Native American | 9.5% | 0.9% |
| Pacific Islander | 0.1% | 0.4% |
| Other (single race) | 12% | 6.6% |
| Multiple | 20.9% | 10.7% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 48.2% | 19% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate | 87.7% | 89.4% |
| College graduation rate | 30.2% | 35% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income | $62,125 | $78,538 |
| Persons below poverty level | 18.1% | 12.4% |
| Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2018-2023). | ||
| **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
See also
| New Mexico | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
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External links
Footnotes
