New Mexico 2026 elections

Political landscape in New Mexico

Overview

Landlocked New Mexico, in the American Southwest, is part of the southern Rocky Mountain region and meets Arizona, Colorado and Utah at the Four Corners. Texas borders it on the east and southeast, Oklahoma on the northeast, and Chihuahua and Sonora in Mexico on the south. It is the fifth-largest state by area and ranks 36th in population, with a little more than 2.1 million people. Albuquerque is the largest city, and Santa Fe, founded in 1610, is the oldest and highest state capital in the country. Pueblo peoples lived in the region long before the Spanish arrived in 1598; the area later became part of independent Mexico, was annexed by the United States in 1848, and spent 64 years as a territory before gaining statehood on January 6, 1912, as the 47th state. During World War II the state hosted major Manhattan Project sites. The economy draws on oil and gas, mining, film, media and aerospace, along with federal sites such as the Los Alamos and Sandia National Laboratories and White Sands Missile Range.

Officeholders

As of October 2026, the governor of New Mexico is Michelle Lujan Grisham (Democratic), and the state's US senators are Martin Heinrich (Democratic) and Ben Ray Luján (Democratic).

2026 elections

On November 3, 2026, voters in New Mexico will decide the race for a US Senate seat, the race for governor, contests in 3 US House districts and 7 ballot measures. The seven measures comprise bonds for higher education, libraries and senior citizen facilities and amendments on legislative salaries, the pocket veto, regents selection and school election dates.