The 2026 United States Senate election in New Mexico will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the state of New Mexico. Democratic incumbent Ben Ray Luján is seeking a second term. He is being challenged by Republican former oil and gas operator Larry Marker.
Primary elections were held on June 2. Luján won the Democratic nomination with 83.7% of the vote against minimal opposition. After no Republicans qualified for the primary ballot, Marker was nominated as a write-in candidate.
Republicans have not won a Senate election in New Mexico since 2002.
Democratic primary Ben Ray Luján, a member of the Luján political family, was elected in 2020 after serving as the representative for the 3rd congressional district from 2009 until 2021. During his tenure in the Senate, Luján has been an outspoken critic of Donald Trump, having voted in line with Trump's stated position only 5% of the time. Luján was widely considered the favorite in the primary election.
Luján's sole opponent in the primary is Matt Dodson, a U.S. Air Force veteran from Farmington. A self-described democratic socialist, Dodson had previously ran unsuccessfully for local and state offices. Originally failing to achieve the 20% threshold of votes in the Democratic Party convention, he qualified for the ballot through signature collection.
Dodson is currently suspended from the state Democratic Party, and had previously accused San Juan County party chair Mary Schildmeyer of embezzling funds. He denied the allegations, and charges were dropped due to lack of evidence. On April 8, 2026, Dodson was arrested in Otero County after blocking the entrance road to Holloman Air Force Base during an anti-drone warfare protest. He was released two days later.
Candidates Nominee Ben Ray Luján, incumbent U.S. senator (2021–present) Eliminated in primary Matt Dodson, USAF veteran
Endorsements
Fundraising Campaign finance reports as of March 31, 2026CandidateRaisedSpentCash on handBen Ray Luján (D)$7,309,462$3,212,864$4,175,921Matt Dodson (D)$11,843$8,069$3,774Source: Federal Election Commission
Polling Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Marginof errorMattDodsonBen RayLuján UndecidedResearch & Polling Inc.April 17–24, 2026534 (LV)± 4.2%9%69%22%
Results
Republican primary Christopher Heuvel, the only Republican to file for the race, was disqualified for failing to meet the requirements to appear on the ballot. The Republican Party had an opportunity to field a prospective candidate until March 17 to collect the signatures needed to qualify for the nomination as a write-in, which was successfully done by former oil and gas operator Larry Marker. Marker received the 2,351 write-in votes in the primary required to advance to the general election.
Candidates Nominee Larry Marker, former oil and gas operator (write-in)
Disqualified Christopher Heuvel
Declined Nella Domenici, former CFO of Bridgewater Associates, daughter of former U.S. Senator Pete Domenici, and nominee for U.S. Senate in 2024
Results
Third parties Candidates Did not qualify Rhett Trappman (Libertarian) Bob Perls (Forward), former state representative from the 44th district (1993–1996) Cameron Chick (Independent) Mira O'Connell (Independent), law enforcement veteran
Disqualified Toby Smith (Jewish/Christian National Party) (used fake address on forms)
General election Predictions SourceRankingAs ofThe Cook Political ReportSeptember 23, 2026Decision Desk HQOctober 2, 2026The EconomistOctober 3, 2026FiftyPlusOneOctober 3, 2026Fox NewsSeptember 22, 2026Inside ElectionsOctober 1, 2026RealClearPoliticsSeptember 24, 2026Sabato's Crystal BallSeptember 22, 2026Silver BulletinOctober 3, 2026Split TicketOctober 2, 2026
Fundraising Campaign finance reports as of June 30, 2026CandidateRaisedSpentCash on handBen Ray Luján (D)$8,277,478$3,960,048$4,396,754Larry Marker (R)$33,525$21,675$11,850Source: Federal Election Commission
Polling Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Marginof error Ben RayLuján (D)LarryMarker (R) UndecidedSurveyUSASeptember 25–30, 2026567 (LV)± 5.1%54%36%10%Research & Polling Inc.August 21–28, 2026516 (LV)± 4.3%53%38%9%
Results
Notes
Partisan and media clients
References
External links Official campaign websites Ben Ray Luján (D) Larry Marker (R) Mira O'Connell (I) Rhett Trappman (L)