Three Democrats have already launched their campaigns for governor, but most of the Republicans whose names are in contention are still weighing their options.
“I’m seriously looking at it,” state Rep. Mark Murphy, a Republican from Roswell, said Thursday in an interview with New Mexico Political Report. He added that he is talking with family, friends and those in the political realm about making a bid for the governor’s office.
Murphy, the president of Strata Production Company and a longtime Republican activist and donor, has been contemplating a run for governor since about June, just months after he was appointed to fill the House District 59 seat in January following the resignation of state Rep. Jared Hembree (R-Roswell).
Another possible contender for the Republican nomination for governor, Duke Rodriguez, filed a campaign committee registration in June with the New Mexico Secretary of State’s office, a move that allows him and a potential campaign to spend and raise money.
Rodriguez, who was Secretary of the New Mexico Health Department in 1996 and is now CEO of the cannabis company UltraHealth, told the Roswell Daily Record in June that he was “about 95% certain” that he would launch a campaign. Rodriguez has not made a formal announcement about his possible candidacy, nor has he ruled it out.
“I don’t think there’s anything new that’s presented itself that would make me change my mind at this point. Now it’s just a matter of getting all our ducks in order,” he said. Rodriguez added that he will likely make an official decision sometime this month or next.
Filing day for candidates to get on the ballot in the Democratic or Republican party primaries is not until February. But since the spring when speculation about who is eyeing the governor’s office began, only one Republican contender, Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull, has committed to entering the race.
Brian Gregory Cillessen, a military veteran and business owner from Farmington, and Belinda Robertson, a businesswoman from Las Cruces, have also filed to form campaign committees, but have not officially made a decision.
Hull is also the only Republican who has raised any money for a possible run. Campaign Finance reports filed with the New Mexico Secretary of State’s Office showed that Hull’s campaign has raked in $209,144 as of June.
Other high-profile possible Republican contenders, such as former Gov. Susana Martinez, Lt. Gov. John Sanchez and former New Mexico Supreme Court Justice Judith Nakaumara — the last Republican to win a statewide election back in 2016 — have been silent or coy about their plans.
The slow pace of Republican entrants comes as the party is eager to regain a foothold in New Mexico, where Democrats have held all state-wide political offices in the state and wide majorities in the Legislature since 2019.
On the Democratic side, former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman, and former Las Cruces Mayor Ken Myagishima have made it clear that they are candidates. Current Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, also a Democrat, is unable to run for reelection.
Murphy, though, said he does not feel the need to hurry in making a decision and determining whether the vision he has for the Land of Enchantment aligns with what New Mexicans are seeking, especially in the realms of energy, paring back regulations and reforming the state’s tax code.
Rodriguez said that he thinks the decision by himself and other Republican hopefuls for governor not to state whether they will ultimately throw their hats into the political ring is the right one, given the flurry of activity happening at the federal level.
“I think it’s hard to overcome that level of activity, so I think it’s wise to let that play out,” he said. Rodriguez added that some Republicans may also be realizing that voters are more focused on the November municipal elections, specifically the mayoral election in Albuquerque, to pass before determining how to move forward.
Rodriguez added that he also believes that there is not much gained in beginning a campaign early, and for those candidates who have, they have expended large amounts of time and resources without releasing new policy or changing the fundamental state of the race.
“If you’re either Sam Bregman or Deb Haaland, and to a lesser extent Gregg Hull, if you announced way back in spring and here we are, September of 2025, you’ve pretty much wasted a tremendous opportunity. You wasted a lot of donor contributions, because no value has been gained by any candidate to this date,” Rodriguez said.
Hull argued that launching his campaign earlier this year has been a positive, allowing him to build up a campaign team and interact with voters. He said that his campaign has had a presence in 40 communities over the last 90 days in festivals, parades and other community events, allowing him to establish relationships with the electorate.
“I think the value of getting in early, especially if you don’t have that statewide name recognition, this really gives you that opportunity to introduce yourself to a broader, the broader voting base in New Mexico,” Hull said.