Republican voters may have one less candidate to choose from on their June primary ballot after one candidate failed to show up to file paperwork confirming his eligibility for the primary ballot.
State Senator Steve Lanier, a first-term legislator from San Juan County, and Duke Rodriguez, a former health department secretary and cannabis business owner, both failed to earn an automatic placement on the ballot provided to candidates who earn at least 20% of party delegate votes at the Pre-Primary Convention held earlier this month. Lanier pulled in just 7% and Rodriguez earned 9%.
State Sen. Steve Lanier appeared for initial candidate filing day on Feb. 3. He missed the secondary filing day on Mar. 17. (Source: Lanier campaign FB)
But both candidates appeared to have secured enough signatures from Republican voters to qualify outside of the party’s delegate process, provided they submitted those signatures to the Secretary of State’s Office on Tuesday.
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Lanier told The Santa Fe New Mexican that he missed the deadline and would now explore legal options to get on the ballot. “We are looking at legal options and may file a challenge, given that we filed with all the necessary signatures from the start,” he said. “I am committed to helping New Mexico thrive, and to building our Republican Party in every corner of the state.”
Rodriguez submitted the required additional signatures which are being reviewed by the secretary of state for qualification.
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Pat Davis is the founder and publisher of nm.news. In a prior life he served as an Albuquerque City Councilor.
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Early voting for the 2026 New Mexico Primary Election begins Tuesday, May 5.
Residents can vote at county clerks’ offices until May 16, at which point more early voting locations open.
The Primary Election is on June 2.
Key races in New Mexico Primary Election?
Several state races have a crowded primary field including Democrat candidates for the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, governor and the state Legislature. Local races in Doña Ana and Otero County for sheriff and the Board of County Commissioners.
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Who can vote in New Mexico Primary Election?
New Mexico has semi-open primary elections, which means voters who are not registered with a qualified political party may participate in the election by selecting which major party’s ballot they want to vote on without changing their voter registration.
Voters who have not registered with a qualified party can participate by selecting a major party’s ballot and vote.
Registration status, voting locations and sample ballots can be viewed at the New Mexico Secretary of State website.
Where to vote in Doña Ana County
Early voting at the Doña Ana County Government Center, 845 N Motel Blvd., Las Cruces, will begin from 8 a.m. through 5 p.m. Monday through Friday on May 5 until May 29, and from 10 a.m. through 6 p.m. on Saturday, May 30.
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Alternate site early voting locations will begin at 11 a.m. on May 16 and run through May 30 from Tuesday through Saturday.
The alternate site locations in Doña Ana County are:• Anthony Library (750 Landers Road, Anthony)• HVPS Student Services (350 Main Street, Hatch)• Doña Ana County Community College (755 Prescott Anthony Drive, Chapparal)• Doña Ana County Community College (800 Sonoma Ranch Blvd., Las Cruces)• Doña Ana County Community College (3365 McNutt Road, Sunland Park)• Las Cruces City Hall (700 N. Main Street, Las Cruces)• Mesilla Town Hall (2231 Avenida de Mesilla, Mesilla)• Corbett Center Student Union (1600 International Mall, Las Cruces)
Same day registration will be available at the Doña Ana County Government Center during early voting and all absentee ballots may be returned to the County Clerk’s Office or any Election Day polling location no later than 7 p.m. on Election Day.
More: New Mexico primary elections: Who is running for state House?
Where to vote in Otero County
Early voting at the Otero County Clerk’s sub-office, 1101 New York Avenue, Room 101, will begin from 8 a.m. through 5 p.m., Monday through Friday on May 5 until May 29, and from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 30.
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Alternate site early voting locations will be staggered beginning on May 16 at 11 a.m. and run through May 30.
The alternate site locations in Otero County are:10 a.m. to 6 p.m. May 16 through May 30Otero County Fairgrounds (401 Fairgrounds Road, Alamogordo)
8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., May 27 through May 29Inn of The Mountain Gods (287 Carrizo Canyon Road, Mescalero)
8:00 am to 5:00 p.m., May 28 through May 30 Chaparral Far South Fire Station (827 Luna Street, Chaparral)
Cloudier skies have moved into New Mexico today along with warmer temperatures. A few spotty to isolated showers have also developed this afternoon across western parts of New Mexico. Overnight, upper level moisture will increase across the region. This will bring more scattered to widespread shower and storm chances starting Tuesday.
Showers, storms and high elevation snowfall will move throughout much of the region with southeast New Mexico remaining quiet through Wednesday. Drier air moves in statewide by Thursday. This will bring fewer rain chances through the end of the week along with warming temperatures into the weekend.
