The Republican Party of New Mexico is the affiliate of the United States Republican Party in New Mexico. It is headquartered in Albuquerque and led by chairperson Amy Barela, vice chair Hessel Yntema, and secretary Kathleen Apodaca. It currently has weak electoral power in the state, holding no statewide or federally elected offices, and having minorities in both houses of the New Mexico legislature.

It is the primary opposition to the Democratic Party of New Mexico. The party has provided 12 of the 31 governors of New Mexico, including three since the 1990s (Susana Martinez, Gary Johnson, and Garrey Carruthers). Other key Republican figures in New Mexico's history include Lew Wallace, José Francisco Chaves, Miguel Antonio Otero, Elfego Baca, Octaviano Ambrosio Larrazolo, and Edwin L. Mechem.

History

Like most other state Republican parties, the Republican Party of New Mexico was founded during the American Civil War Era in the recently acquired New Mexico Territory. The State of New Mexico was created in 1912. One of the founding fathers of the Republican Party of New Mexico was Thomas B. Catron.History of the Republican Party in New Mexico, 1867-1952/ by Herbert Hoover. –c. 1 At the time of New Mexico's admission to the Union, Catron owned a significant majority of land in the state. Due to that wealth, Catron was influential in shaping the party. Catron served as U.S. Senator from New Mexico from 1912 to 1917.American National Biography; Duran, Tobias. "Francisco Chavez, Thomas B. Catron, and Organized Political Violence in Santa Fe in the 1890s." New Mexico Historical Review 59 (July 1984): 291–310; Westphall, Victor. Thomas Benton Catron and His Era. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 1973.

Former Republican Governor of New Mexico, Gary Johnson, ran for the party's nomination for president in the 2012 Republican presidential primary. He was governor of New Mexico from 1995 to 2003. However, poll numbers showed Johnson well behind the other Republican candidates and he was only included in two debates with his opponents. This was partly the reason he switched to the Libertarian Party and continued his presidential run for that party's nomination. He won the nomination by a landslide and went on to win third place in the 2012 presidential election behind 1st-place finisher incumbent Democratic President Barack Obama and 2nd-place finisher the (Republican) former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. He won nearly 1% nationwide and slightly above 3% in New Mexico.

2020 election Once Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election, the New Mexico GOP attempted to reject or question the election results. Shortly after the election the New Mexico Republican Party began raising funds to help Trump and his campaign challenge the election results. In a November 19 statement, the state GOP claimed that voter fraud occurred in the state, alleging that there was "manipulation of Dominion Voting Systems machines, illegal absentee ballots, ballots submitted with no applications and illegal actions against GOP poll challengers."

On December 14, 2020, the same day that New Mexico electors cast their electoral college votes, the Trump campaign filed a lawsuit in federal court against New Mexico Secretary of State, Maggie Toulouse Oliver, the electors of New Mexico and the State Canvassing Board. In a news release, the state GOP questioned the validity of the presidential election results and said it was working with the Trump campaign.

The New Mexico GOP supported a meeting of unofficial pro-Trump Republican electors that gathered at the state capitol on 14 December. Also in December 2020, the New Mexico GOP issued a statement supporting the Texas vs. Pennsylvania lawsuit seeking to reject certification of President-elect Biden's victory in four states, citing false claims of fraud.

In early January 2021, Rep. Cathrynn Brown proposed legislation to decertify Biden's victory in New Mexico by removing the state's five electoral votes he won, citing baseless claims of election fraud in New Mexico and in other states. The New Mexico GOP expressed support for the legislation. On January 7, 2021, New Mexico GOP chair Steve Pearce drew criticism when he claimed that alleged irregularities in the election "tarnished" democracy, soon after Biden's electoral victory was certified by Congress.

Headquarters fire The party headquarters was damaged by fire in late March 2025, and as of March, the fire is being investigated as an act of arson.

Pre-primary convention

Every two years, prior to the primary election, the party holds a pre-primary convention. This is where statewide candidates push to receive delegate support before the primary election. If a candidate receives at least 20% of the delegates vote, they are automatically placed on the primary election ballot. However, if a candidate does not receive at least 20% of the delegation vote, they can still get on the ballot by obtaining at least 1,500 signatures of Republicans who had voted in the most recent election within 10 days of the convention.

Current elected officials The party controls none of the state's seven statewide offices, holds a minority in the New Mexico Senate, and a minority in the New Mexico House of Representatives. Republicans hold none of the state's three U.S. House seats or two U.S. Senate seats.

Members of Congress U.S. Senate None Both of New Mexico's U.S. Senate seats have been held by Democrats since 2009. Pete Domenici was the last Republican to represent New Mexico in the U.S. Senate. First elected in 1972, Domenici opted to retire instead of seeking a seventh term. Congressman Steve Pearce ran as the Republican nominee in the 2008 election and was subsequently defeated by Democratic challenger Tom Udall.

U.S. House of Representatives None

All of New Mexico's three congressional districts have been held by Democrats since 2023. The last Republican to represent New Mexico in the U.S. House is Yvette Herrell, who served from 2021 to 2023.

Statewide offices None

No Republican has held a statewide elected office in New Mexico since 2019. New Mexico has not elected any GOP candidates to statewide office since 2014, when Susana Martinez was re-elected as governor on a joint ticket with Lieutenant Governor John Sanchez. In 2018, term limits prevented Martinez from seeking re-election to a third term. Congressman Steve Pearce ran as the Republican nominee in the 2018 election for Governor and was subsequently defeated by Democratic challenger Michelle Lujan Grisham.

List of past chairs John Dendahl (1994 – 2003) Ramsey Gorham (2003 – 2004) Allen Weh (2004 – 2009) Harvey Yates (2009 – 2010) Monty Newman (2010 – 2012) John Billingsley (2012 – 2014) Debbie Maestas (2015 – 2016) Ryan Cangiolosi (2016 – 2018) Steve Pearce (2018 – 2024) Amy Barela (2024 - present)

Election results

Presidential +New Mexico Republican Party presidential election resultsElectionPresidential ticketVotesVote %Electoral votesState resultNational result1912William Howard Taft/Nicholas M. Butler17,73335.91% 1916Charles E. Hughes/Charles W. Fairbanks31,15246.64% 1920Warren G. Harding/Calvin Coolidge57,63454.68% 1924Calvin Coolidge/Charles G. Dawes54,74548.52% 1928Herbert Hoover/Charles Curtis69,64559.01% 1932Herbert Hoover/Charles Curtis54,21735.76% 1936Alf Landon/Frank Knox61,72736.50% 1940Wendell Willkie/Charles L. McNary79,31543.28% 1944Thomas E. Dewey/John W. Bricker70,68846.44% 1948Thomas E. Dewey/Earl Warren80,30342.93% 1952Dwight D. Eisenhower/Richard Nixon132,17055.39% 1956Dwight D. Eisenhower/Richard Nixon146,78857.81% 1960Richard Nixon/Henry Cabot Lodge Jr.153,73349.41% 1964Barry Goldwater/William E. Miller131,83840.24% 1968Richard Nixon/Spiro Agnew169,69251.85% 1972Richard Nixon/Spiro Agnew235,60661.05% 1976Gerald Ford/Bob Dole211,41950.75% 1980Ronald Reagan/George H. W. Bush250,77954.97% 1984Ronald Reagan/George H. W. Bush307,10159.70% 1988George H. W. Bush/Dan Quayle270,34151.86% 1992George H. W. Bush/Dan Quayle212,82437.34% 1996Bob Dole/Jack Kemp232,75141.86% 2000George W. Bush/Dick Cheney286,41747.85% 2004George W. Bush/Dick Cheney376,93049.84% 2008John McCain/Sarah Palin346,83241.78% 2012Mitt Romney/Paul Ryan335,78842.84% 2016Donald Trump/Mike Pence319,66740.04% 2020Donald Trump/Mike Pence401,89443.50% 2024Donald Trump/JD Vance423,39145.85%

Gubernatorial +New Mexico Republican Party gubernatorial election resultsElectionGubernatorial candidate/ticketVotesVote %Result1911Holm O. Bursum28,01946.05%Lost 1916Holm O. Bursum31,55247.41%Lost 1918Octaviano Ambrosio Larrazolo23,75250.50%Won 1920Merritt C. Mechem54,42651.26%Won 1922Charles Lee Hill49,36344.66%Lost 1924Manuel B. Otero55,98448.64%Lost 1926Richard C. Dillon56,29451.60%Won 1928Richard C. Dillon65,96755.61%Won 1930Clarence M. Botts55,02646.60%Lost 1932Richard C. Dillon67,40644.19%Lost 1934Jaffa Miller71,89947,60%Lost 1936Jaffa Miller72,53942.75%Lost 1938Albert K. Mitchell75,01747.59%Lost 1940Mauricio F. Miera82,30644.41%Lost 1942Joseph F. Tondre49,38045.45%Lost 1944Carroll G. Gunderson71,11348.19%Lost 1946Edward L. Safford62,87547.30%Lost 1948Manuel Lujan Sr.86,02345.28%Lost 1950Edwin L. Mechem96,84653.74%Won 1952Edwin L. Mechem129,11653.77%Won 1954Alvin Stockton83,37342.99%Lost 1956Edwin L. Mechem131,48852.23%Won 1958Edwin L. Mechem101,56749.53%Lost 1960Edwin L. Mechem153,76550.33%Won 1962Edwin L. Mechem116,17447.01%Lost 1964Merle H. Tucker126,54039.79%Lost 1966David Cargo134,62551.73%Won 1968David Cargo160,14050.21%Won 1970Pete Domenici134,64046.37%Lost 1974Joe Skeen160,43048.80%Lost 1978Joe Skeen170,84849.44%Lost 1982John B. Irick191,62647.03%Lost 1986Garrey Carruthers209,45553.05%Won 1990Frank Bond/Mary L. Thompson185,69245.16%Lost 1994Gary Johnson/Walter Bradley232,94549.81%Won 1998Gary Johnson/Walter Bradley271,94854.53%Won 2002John Sanchez/Rod Adair189,07439.05%Lost 2006John Dendahl/Sue Wilson Beffort174,36431.18%Lost 2010Susana Martinez/John Sanchez321,21953.29%Won 2014Susana Martinez/John Sanchez293,44357.22%Won 2018Steve Pearce/Michelle Garcia Holmes298,09142.80%Lost 2022Mark Ronchetti/Ant Thornton324,70145.59%Lost

References

External links Republican Party of New Mexico