A proposal out of Texas to study whether some New Mexico counties could potentially join the state of Texas has triggered a surprisingly emotional response from New Mexico’s top Democratic leaders — and exposed a political nerve that Santa Fe clearly did not want touched.
Earlier this week, Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows directed a Texas legislative committee to study the possibility of adding “one or more contiguous counties of New Mexico” to the state of Texas. The committee has been instructed to study the constitutional, legal, fiscal, and economic feasibility of such a move and outline what steps would be required at both the state and federal levels.
Burrows framed the idea as a conversation about representation and economic alignment, particularly in the oil- and gas-producing Permian Basin region that stretches across southeastern New Mexico and West Texas.
“Southeast New Mexico deserves a real voice in its own future, not one dictated by Santa Fe,” Burrows said in a statement, pointing to the region’s energy production, property rights concerns, and cultural alignment with West Texas.
The proposal is still in the early stages, with Texas lawmakers expected to study the issue and present findings during the next Texas legislative session in 2027. Any actual boundary change would require approval from the New Mexico Legislature, the Texas Legislature, and the U.S. Congress — meaning the proposal is far from becoming reality.
But the mere suggestion was enough to spark sharp reactions from New Mexico Democrats, including House Speaker Javier Martínez and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s office.
Martínez responded with a statement that sounded more like a social media post than a formal statement from the leader of the New Mexico House of Representatives.
“I suggest that Speaker Burrows get offline, touch some grass, and get his own House in order,” Martínez said, before launching into criticism of Texas and national Republicans over grocery prices, healthcare costs, and energy prices.
Meanwhile, Gov. Lujan Grisham’s office also dismissed the idea but issued a defensive statement emphasizing that New Mexico would remain “fully intact,” while also pivoting to methane emissions comparisons between Texas and New Mexico.
“We have every intention of keeping the great state of New Mexico fully intact. This is not a serious proposal, but Texas can study it all they want,” said Michael Coleman, the governor’s communications director, who then added that Texas should study New Mexico’s methane regulations, per KOAT 7.
The intensity of the response raised eyebrows among some observers, given that Texas is currently only studying the idea — not moving forward with any annexation proposal.
Still, the conversation touches on a very real political tension within New Mexico: southeastern New Mexico produces a massive share of the state’s oil and gas revenue, generating billions of dollars that fund state government, schools, and infrastructure across New Mexico, while the region often finds itself politically outnumbered by lawmakers from Albuquerque and Santa Fe.
Republican State Rep. Randall Pettigrew of Lea County acknowledged those frustrations but said he wants to solve the issue within New Mexico rather than leaving the state.
“At the end of the day, we’re in New Mexico,” Pettigrew said. “I was born in New Mexico, raised here, have a business here, and became a state rep because I love this state. I want to fix the issues within this state.”
For now, Texas lawmakers are only studying the idea. But judging by the reaction from Santa Fe, the mere suggestion that southeastern New Mexico might have options appears to have struck a nerve in the Roundhouse.
And that reaction may end up fueling the conversation more than the proposal itself.