Far-Left wins show who really runs NM Dems
New Mexico Democrats are not moving to the center. They are doubling down on the far left.
That was the unmistakable takeaway from Tuesday’s primary election results, and even the left-leaning outlet New Mexico In Depth is now acknowledging it.
In a post-primary analysis titled “Democrats are in a progressive mood,” New Mexico In Depth wrote that the political mood in a state where Democrats control every statewide office and hold commanding majorities in the Legislature “did not shift toward the center” on primary night. The outlet pointed to both the governor’s race and legislative primaries as proof that Democrat voters are embracing the progressive wing of the party.
At the top of the ticket, former Biden Interior Secretary Deb Haaland crushed Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman in the Democrat gubernatorial primary by a margin that surprised political observers. Veteran New Mexico pollster Brian Sanderoff noted during the Albuquerque Journal’s election night webcast that Haaland was even winning in traditionally more conservative Democrat areas.
“…even in Chaves County and Curry County, places where the Democrats are even conservative, Deb Haaland is ahead. She’s ahead in Roswell and she’s ahead in San Juan County,” Sanderoff said, according to New Mexico In Depth. “…how is it that Sam Bregman is even losing the most conservative counties in the state?”
Sanderoff said Haaland’s victory was not shocking, but the scale of it was.
The result confirms what conservatives have warned for years: the Democrat Party of New Mexico is no longer being driven by moderates or “commonsense” Democrats. It is increasingly dominated by the activist left.
New Mexico In Depth noted that more than 217,000 voters participated in the Democrat gubernatorial primary — nearly twice the roughly 120,000 who voted in the Republican gubernatorial primary. The outlet also reported that, as of 5 p.m. Election Day, almost 25,000 independent voters had participated in the Democrat primary.
For Republicans, that turnout gap is a warning sign heading into November. For conservatives, it is also a reminder that New Mexico’s growing far-left political machine is organized, motivated, and still largely unchecked in Santa Fe.
The legislative results were just as revealing.
New Mexico In Depth wrote that progressives “batted away well-funded centrist challengers,” won open seats, and in one high-profile case ousted a more moderate Democrat incumbent: Rep. Marian Matthews of Albuquerque.
Matthews lost her House District 27 Democrat primary to Abby Foster, a progressive challenger backed by the left. New Mexico In Depth described the race as the exception to the night’s general rule that incumbents are difficult to defeat, noting that progressives had targeted Matthews for the second election cycle in a row.
That result matters because Matthews was one of the few Democrats who occasionally presented herself as a “big tent” voice inside the party. Her defeat sends a clear message: even Democrats who merely appear too moderate are now vulnerable to the activist wing.
Other results reinforced the same trend.
In House District 69, progressive incumbent Michelle Abeyta defeated former Rep. Harry Garcia 68% to 32%, ending Garcia’s attempt to reclaim the seat after losing to Abeyta in 2024. In House District 70, progressive incumbent Anita Gonzales defeated former Rep. Ambrose Castellano 62% to 38%. Castellano had also been viewed as one of the more practical Democrats during his time in the Legislature.
In House District 41, Yolanda Jaramillo defeated Debbie Rodella 55% to 45% in another open-seat race. Rodella had previously served in the House from 1993 to 2018 before being ousted by progressive Rep. Susan Herrera. Jaramillo’s win kept that northern New Mexico seat in the hands of the newer progressive wing.
New Mexico In Depth also noted that progressive Democrats now control both chambers of the Legislature and that this control has been built over the past decade through primary races.
That is the real story for conservatives heading into November.
This election is not just about Haaland versus Republican nominee Gregg Hull. It is about whether New Mexico continues down a path of one-party progressive control — higher spending, anti-energy policies, weak-on-crime legislation, attacks on gun rights, abortion extremism, and more government control — or whether voters finally demand balance.
Hull won the Republican gubernatorial primary with 47% in a three-way race, a result New Mexico In Depth described as strong and one that suggested he likely would have won handily in a two-person contest.
But Republicans now face a difficult environment. Democrats are energized, progressives are ascendant, and the so-called moderate wing of the Democrat Party is losing ground.
For conservatives, the lesson is simple: New Mexico Democrats are not moderating. They are moving further left — and even their own media allies are admitting it.
