Gov. pitches for early state status in 2028 primary for NM

Moving up state’s primary election could also require change to current state law

BY DAN BOYD

JOURNAL CAPITOL BUREAU

SANTA FE — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham lent her political muscle Thursday to New Mexico Democrats’ long shot bid to land coveted early state status for the 2028 presidential election cycle.

The outgoing governor, who is term-limited and will step down at the end of this year, joined top state Democratic officials in Washington, D.C., to make the pitch for New Mexico to be moved up on the election calendar.

“We think we have a lot of blueprints for democracy in New Mexico,” said Lujan Grisham during a presentation to members of the Democratic National Committee’s Rules and Bylaws Committee.

Specifically, the governor touted the state’s diverse electorate and female-majority Legislature — it’s one of only two states with that distinction — along with Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver’s resistance to the Trump administration’s request for identifying information in the state’s voter rolls.

While Democratic candidates could benefit from a favorable political environment in this year’s midterm election, Lujan Grisham said Democrats can’t take that for granted two years from now.

“We can create our own tailwinds over and over again” if the national Democratic Party takes

EDDIE MOORE/JOURNAL

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham speaks during a Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce luncheon at the Sandia Golf Club on May 5. The governor helped state Democratic Party officials make the pitch Thursday to be included in the early window for the 2028 presidential primary.

note of New Mexico’s approach, the governor said.

New Mexico Democrats applied in January to be among four or five states in the early window for 2028, citing the state’s diverse electorate and relatively inexpensive media market.

But the state could face long odds since the DNC has announced that only one or two states from each geographical region will be selected. Nevada already has an early primary codified in its laws and is also among the 12 states that applied this year for early state status.

A timeline for a decision has not been announced, but members of the DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee have expressed a goal of announcing the final list of states by the end of this summer.

Proponents of moving New Mexico’s presidential primary earlier in the calendar year say such action could increase the state’s political visibility by prompting more candidate visits. It could also lead to more campaign ads and political spending in New Mexico.

While President Donald Trump held an October 2024 campaign rally in Albuquerque, Democratic presidential candidates have visited New Mexico only on occasion in recent election years.

Lujan Grisham was one of several Democrats to speak during the state’s Thursday presentation to the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee, along with state Democratic Party Chairwoman Sara Attleson and other party officers. The governor traveled to Washington, D.C., specifically to participate in the event. Her travel expenses were paid for by the Democratic Party of New Mexico, a spokesman said.

As part of the state’s presentation, DPNM Executive Director Sean Ward pointed out New Mexico’s population includes large numbers of Native American voters and Hispanic men — groups that Trump made inroads in during his 2024 presidential campaign.

“The voters we’re losing nationally are in New Mexico,” Ward said.

He also cited broad support among this year’s crop of Democratic candidates and top legislative leaders, including House Speaker Javier Martínez of Albuquerque, for moving the state’s primary election up.

However, bills filed at the Roundhouse in recent years — by both Republicans and Democrats — to move up New Mexico’s primary election have failed to win approval. And state GOP officials have expressed concern that adding another election to the state’s calendar could be costly and inefficient.

Per state law, New Mexico’s primary is currently held on the first Tuesday in June. That makes New Mexico one of the last states to hold its primary, and major party presidential nominations are sometimes clinched before state voters even cast their ballots.

That was the case in 2024, when Trump secured the GOP presidential nomination in May.

Former Gov. Bill Richardson also pushed for an earlier primary, and legislation was passed in 2003 allowing Democrats and Republicans to hold nominating contests before the June primary.

But New Mexico Democrats’ presidential caucus in February 2008 was widely criticized for long waits at polling places and vote counting that took more than a week. Such an approach has not been used in the subsequent years.

Dan Boyd covers state government and politics for the Journal in Santa Fe. Follow him on X at @DanBoydNM or reach him via email at dboyd@abqjournal.com.