New Mexico Republican U.S. Senate candidate Larry Marker believes his party could win big across the state in November, if southeastern New Mexico voters go to the polls.
Marker of Roswell, who won the GOP nomination as a write-in candidate in the June 2 Primary Election is hoping to unseat incumbent Democratic Sen. Ben Ray Lujan in the Nov. 3 General Election.
He said Republicans will need a big turnout in reliably conservative Chaves, Eddy and Lea counties to blunt the impact of Democratic advantages in the northern part of the state to win statewide races this year.
“I promise you your candidates are working as hard as we possibly can and southeastern New Mexico has got to show up. I cannot stress that enough,” Marker said during the Sept. 16 meeting of the Chaves County Federated Republican Women in Roswell that.
He warned that failure to do so will mean “we get our butts handed to us” in the election.
Marker, 62, is a small oil producer, perennial candidate for public office and conservative activist, who won the Republican nomination following a write-in campaign in the June primary.
No other candidates were on the ballot for the nomination after failing to meet requirements to appear on the ballot. Marker secured 31,220 votes, more than the 2,351 necessary to get his name on the general election ballot as the Republican nominee.
Marker faces long odds. No Republican has won a U.S. Senate race in New Mexico since Pete Domenici’s reelection to a sixth and final term in 2002, and the party hasn’t won any statewide office since Judith Nakamura’s 2016 win for a state Supreme Court seat.
The Cook Political Report, a leading election forecaster, rates the race “Solid D,” meaning it isn’t considered competitive and Lujan is a strong favorite to win reelection. Lujan also holds a massive financial edge, with $4.39 million on hand to Marker’s $11,850, according to Federal Election Commission filings.
But Marker argues that this time is different. Since March, he has traveled across the state adding 49,000 miles to the 2017 Ford Escape — known as his campaign cruiser — and that voters are open to supporting Republicans.
“What I’m telling you is the state of New Mexico has seen the light,” he said. Marker cited changes in partisan voter registration since 2020 when the Senate seat was last on the ballot.
The number of registered Democrats has dropped by 35,738 between November 2020 and the end of August 2026, according to figures from the New Mexico secretary of state’s office. In that same period, the number of registered Republicans rose by 19,038.
Marker also cites the energy and enthusiasm of Republicans across the state, working hard to regain a foothold after eight years out of power in New Mexico.
He added that unlike previous years, when candidates largely campaigned individually, this cycle Republicans for congressional and statewide offices are campaigning and traveling together to promote each other.
“We’re carrying each other’s literature; we’re carrying each other’s time. In the old days we would’ve said we were carrying each other’s water,” Marker said.
The candidates have spent their time shoring up support in rural areas, he said, attending local parades, fiestas and other events. These include traditional bastions of Democratic support, such as Mora County, which President Donald Trump lost in 2024 by 17 points.
Republicans are also adopting tools for the general election used in the successful write-in campaigns launched earlier this year by Marker and candidates for two other offices: James Ellison for treasurer and Joshua James Ryan Lawrence for auditor.
In that campaign, Republican primary voters were given a small card with a sample ballot on it with the names of the write-in candidates and the offices they wanted to run for. The same tactic is being used in the general election, but with the Republican names listed on the card with the offices they are seeking.
The card also reminds people to vote in down-ballot races, Marker said. He noted that in many elections, voters cast ballots only at the top of the ticket and skip the rest.
With the campaign in its final weeks, the candidates will spend considerable time in the heavily populated north, including Bernalillo County, Marker said. He predicted that having former Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull as the Republican nominee for governor will give the party an edge in Sandoval County.
Santa Fe County, Marker said, is likely to continue its trend of going for Democrats, but the county Republican Party there can limit its losses.
“We can’t win it, but by God, we can keep them from destroying us,” he said.
