Haaland wins governor’s race in Bernalillo County; Hull awaits final count

Democrat Deb Haaland was declared the winner of the New Mexico governor’s race by the Associated Press at 10:40 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Tuesday evening. She defeated Republican challenger Gregory D. Hull to become the state’s next chief executive. Haaland is a member of the Laguna Pueblo and serves as the first female Native American governor of a U.S. state.

At approximately 8:16 p.m., Haaland addressed the crowd at the Democrats’ election party. She thanked her opponent for the campaign’s tone. “I want to thank my friend Gregg Hull for putting himself forward to lead our state and for running such a respectful campaign,” Haaland said. The venue, the Route 66 Casino Hotel ballroom, had been packed with hundreds of supporters by 8:00 p.m. Many attendees wore turquoise shirts bearing Haaland’s name and checked their phones for results from across the country.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Gregg Hull told his supporters at the Hotel Albuquerque in Old Town that he was not ready to concede at 8:45 p.m. He noted that Bernalillo County had not yet reported any numbers. “Everybody keep the faith because Bernalillo County hasn’t even reported any numbers yet, so we’re not out of this race,” Hull said. He added that lines remained at some polling locations and that the race could not be called until every vote was counted. Hull is a former three-term mayor of Rio Rancho.

In a separate legislative race, Democratic challenger Raul Turrieta is leading Republican incumbent Rep. Luis Terrazas in House District 39. With 11,605 votes counted from 40 of 41 precincts, Turrieta holds an 819-vote advantage. The district is located in the Silver City area. The 2022 election in this district saw slightly more than 12,000 votes cast.

State Auditor Joseph Maestas addressed the crowd at the Haaland party, describing the national returns as a blue tsunami. He called it a wonderful night for Democrats. Tate Turnbough, the 31-year-old chair of the Roosevelt County Democrat Party, expressed hope that Haaland would protect health care. He noted that Medicaid cuts are currently affecting rural hospitals in his area. Turnbough said he believes Haaland will continue the work of outgoing Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham.

U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Lujan issued a statement thanking supporters for his reelection. With 70,148 votes counted, Lujan leads Republican challenger Larry Marker by a 73-27 margin. Lujan said he is deeply grateful for the trust placed in him and noted that he visited communities in every corner of the state during the campaign. Marker expressed surprise that the Associated Press had called the race early, stating he would wait until the end of the evening.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, chair of the Democratic Governors Association, sent a statement congratulating Haaland. Beshaar visited New Mexico one week before the election to attend a rural healthcare event in Española. The release noted that the DGA-backed group Affordable NM spent $2.5 million on advertisements in the race. Beshear highlighted Haaland’s experience as a single mom who relied on Medicaid and SNAP, as well as her role managing a staff of 70,000 as Interior Secretary.