Quận San Miguel

Harold Pope Jr. is running in the Democratic Primary for Lieutenant Governor.

Pope Jr. is a retired U.S. Air Force Officer with a distinguished 20-year career and made history in 2020 as the first African American elected to the New Mexico Senate, where he has served District 23 in Bernalillo County since 2021. Born and raised in Pueblo, Colorado, he earned a B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of New Mexico and commissioned through ROTC, later managing critical satellite systems and nuclear deterrence programs before retiring from Kirtland Air Force Base in 2018. He holds multiple advanced degrees including an MA in Operational Leadership, MS in Pharmaceutical Chemistry, and Executive MBA.

Pope Jr. currently serves as Vice Chair of the Senate Education Committee and Chair of the Military & Veterans' Affairs Committee. As a prolific legislator, he has championed veterans' rights, education funding, renewable energy development, police reform, civil rights, affordable housing, and environmental protections.

His focus areas include spurring higher wages, quality jobs, better schools, and improved access to affordable healthcare; protecting our environment, democracy, and fundamental rights; uplifting every community from rural to urban and Indigenous communities; and standing up to extremism to defend New Mexico values. Pope Jr. consistently carries the voices of working families, veterans, teachers, nurses, small business owners, and every New Mexican who deserves a fair shot and a future filled with dignity, opportunity, and hope into every room.

We recommend Harold Pope Jr. in the Democratic Primary for Lieutenant Governor based on his voting record and clear focus on reinforcing working families and our state’s economy.

Maggie Toulouse Oliver is running in the Democratic Primary for Lieutenant Governor.

Toulouse Oliver is currently the state’s longest-serving Secretary of State, first elected in 2016. She previously served as Bernalillo County Clerk from 2007-2016, where she gained detailed, on-the-ground expertise in election administration and was recognized for her efforts to expand voting access for all voters. A lifelong New Mexican who has called the state home since age three, she earned her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Political Science from the University of New Mexico while working her way through school.

Toulouse Oliver's career has focused on public service, including work with Native American tribes, fighting for reproductive justice as the NM State Director for the League of Conservation Voters, and organizing in communities across the state. As Secretary of State, she has made New Mexico a national model for election security and accessibility, implementing same-day voter registration, automated voter registration, and record levels of voter participation while protecting voting rights and refusing to turn over voter information to partisan federal commissions.

She supports protecting democracy and voting rights, expanding access to healthcare and education, strengthening campaign finance transparency, and building a fair economy that works for all New Mexicans.

We recommend Maggie Toulouse Oliver in the Democratic Primary for Lieutenant Governor, based on her nationally recognized work as a leader in elections administration, her track record of working across party lines, and her focus on improving healthcare, education, and a more fair economy.

Juan De Jesus Sanchez III is running in the Democratic Primary for New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands.

Juan De Jesus Sanchez III is a 13th-generation New Mexican, farmer, and conservation advocate. Sanchez was raised in a ranching family in Valencia and Socorro counties, with roots that go back to the 1730s and connect to the historic Tomé Land Grant. He holds a bachelor's degree from New Mexico Highlands University, where he served as Vice President of the Associated Students, and a Master's in Water Resources from the University of New Mexico. He lives in Los Chavez with his wife and daughter on a small farm where they grow food and raise goats.

Sanchez was elected Vice Chair of the Democratic Party of NM at 24 years old, where he helped eliminate $67,000 in debt, raised over $200,000 in grassroots contributions, and supported winning back the NM House of Representatives in 2016. His professional experience includes serving as a Natural Resource Specialist and Ranger with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Cochiti Lake, where he worked on water quality management and wildlife habitat restoration in collaboration with Cochiti Pueblo, earning the inaugural "Lifesaving Safety Award." He also spent five years at the New Mexico Acequia Commission protecting traditional irrigation systems and water rights, and served five years as Political Director for U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich, later becoming Deputy Campaign Manager for Heinrich's 2024 re-election.

Sanchez champions protecting public lands and strengthening rural economies. His priorities include supporting agriculture and ranching families, expanding outdoor recreation access to state trust lands, partnering with communities on renewable energy development that spur local jobs, holding the oil and gas industry to responsible operation standards while protecting Land Grant Permanent Fund revenues for schools, and continuing protection of tribal cultural resources. He plans to decentralize the State Land Office by opening satellite offices across New Mexico and fight against selling public lands to special interests.

We recommend Juan De Jesus Sanchez III for Commissioner of Public Lands based on his proven track record of protecting water rights, habitat restoration, and experience as Political Director for U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich.

Matthew McQueen is running in the Democratic Primary for New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands.

A conservation attorney and six-term State Representative, McQueen has served New Mexico for 30+ years. He holds a BA from Williams College, a JD from University of Michigan Law School, an MBA from University of New Mexico, and a Master of Science from University of Michigan School of Natural Resources & Environment. Originally from California, he lives in Galisteo with his wife and their two children.

McQueen has served in the New Mexico House of Representatives since 2015, representing House District 50 (Santa Fe and Sandoval Counties). As Chair of the House Energy, Environment & Natural Resources Committee, he led efforts to increase oil and gas royalty rates to ensure companies pay their fair share to fund public education, reformed the NM Game Commission into a modern wildlife management agency, and championed Roxy's Law to ban traps, snares, and poisons on public lands. He received the Foundation for Open Government's Dixon Award in 2021 for increasing legislative transparency and supported creation of an independent Ethics Commission. His previous work includes Director of Conservation Programs for Santa Fe Conservation Trust, Director of Land Conservation & General Counsel for Taos Land Trust, and Attorney for the New Mexico Office of the State Engineer.

McQueen champions sustainable land management and conservation policies to protect New Mexico's 9 million surface and 13 million mineral acres managed by the State Land Office. He supports diversifying income sources from state trust lands, expanding community development and affordable housing options, protecting water resources through the Strategic Water Reserve, and ensuring land revenues continue funding public schools, universities, and hospitals through the Land Grant Permanent Fund. He has long fought to use Land Grant Permanent Fund revenues for early childhood education and supports bold action on climate change to protect New Mexico's future.

We recommend Matthew McQueen for Commissioner of Public Lands based on his proven track record of fighting for environmental protections during his time as a State Representative.