The Democratic Party of New Mexico chose Stephanie Garcia Richard to be the party’s nominee for lieutenant governor in the Nov. 3 General Election.
Final results released Thursday, July 30 showed Garcia Richard garnered the support of 53%, or 255 voting members of the State Central Committee, which consists of roughly 500 registered Democrats elected at the county level.
Garcia Richard’s closest competitor for the nomination was state Sen. Harold Pope, D-Albuquerque, who finished as the top choice of 46%, or 218 members. Fellow Democrats Toni Pinedo and Geoffrey Luehring received three votes and one vote, respectively.
Electronic voting by the State Central Committee members opened Saturday, July 25, and ended Wednesday, July 29, at 5 p.m. According to the news release from the party, state party rules dictate that because Garcia Richard received a majority of first-place votes, the election did not have to go to a system of ranked-choice tallying.
“Our State Central Committee of Democrats from across New Mexico spoke, and they chose Stephanie,” said Sara Attleson, chair of the New Mexico Democratic Party in a news release.
The vote means that Garcia Richard, 52, and Deb Haaland, the party’s candidate for governor and former interior secretary will campaign on the same ticket in November. They will be the first ticket in New Mexico history in which a party’s nominees for governor and lieutenant governor are both women.
Haaland and Garcia Richard will face the Republican ticket of former-Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull for governor, and state Sen. David Gallegos, R-Eunice, for lieutenant governor.
In a post on her campaign Facebook page following the release of the results, Garcia Richard said she is “honored, humbled and fired up” after receiving the nomination.
“This November, I’ll be on the ballot with Deb Haaland, and together we’ll be fighting to lower costs, expand access to healthcare, build safer communities, and deliver a world-class education for every public child,” Garcia Richard said.
Garcia Richard of Los Alamos is a former schoolteacher, who served as state representative from 2013 to 2019. She was elected New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands in 2018 and reelected in 2024. The office oversees 9 million acres of State Trust land and 13 million mineral acres.
Last year, Garcia Richard declared her candidacy for lieutenant governor but dropped out, citing her husband’s health. She restarted her campaign last month after New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver ended her bid for lieutenant governor soon after winning the party’s nomination in the June 2 Primary Election, citing health concerns.
Haaland, who endorsed Garcia Richard before voting got underway, stated in a press release that Garcia Richard will work with her to reduce costs, expand access to affordable healthcare, ensure children can read earlier and make communities safer.
“Stephanie will use her legislative expertise to move key pieces of legislation across the finish line. As our state legislators bring forth concerns of their constituents, Stephanie will ensure that we advance priorities that matter to New Mexicans,” Haaland said.
Pope issued a statement after the results were announced, congratulating Garcia Richard on the outcome.
“Running for public office is never easy, and I wish her success as she moves forward in this campaign and in serving the people of New Mexico,” Pope said in a post on his Facebook page.
GOP calls process ‘an insult’
Republican lieutenant governor nominee Gallegos was critical of how Democrats chose the nominee he will be facing, accusing the party of circumventing the choice of primary voters by having the Central Committee pick a replacement after the party’s gubernatorial nominee Haaland endorsed Garcia Richard.
Under New Mexico law, when a political party’s nominee in a race for a federal, state, district or multicounty legislative seat ends their campaign 90 days or more before a general election, the party’s state central committee votes to select a new nominee, whose name will then appear on the general election ballot.
Gallegos, in a news release posted on his website was critical of such a process although he admitted it was legal. Though Gallegos won his party’s nomination in a three-way primary, he accused Democrats of deciding to give Garcia Richard the nomination after Haaland endorsed her days before the committee vote.
“There is a real difference between a process that follows the letter of the law and a process New Mexicans can actually trust. When the party’s leadership picks the winner before the vote even happens, calling it an ‘election’ insults the people of this state,” Gallegos said.
Daniel Garcia, communications director for the Democratic Party of New Mexico, said in a text message to the Roswell Tribune that it is not unusual for political figures and groups to make an endorsement, and many made endorsements for different candidates during the selection process.
He added that Haaland was welcome to share her views and individual Central Committee members would determine whether the endorsement would have an impact on their own vote. Garcia also accused Gallegos of using the criticism to gain traction for what Garcia called “a sleepy campaign” on the Republican side.
Alex Ross is a news reporter for the Roswell Tribune. He can be reached at aross@elritomedia.com.
