By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper.
Former Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull won the Republican nomination for New Mexico governor Tuesday, defeating two opponents in a primary race that some pundits predicted he would lose — and setting up a November general election against former U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland.
Hull captured 47% of the Republican primary vote — 56,412 votes — against Doug Turner, who received 37%, and Duke Rodriguez at 16%, according to unofficial returns from the New Mexico Secretary of State. Turnout in the Republican primary totaled 120,019 votes.
Speaking to The Paper in a phone interview Wednesday morning, Hull said his campaign defied expectations by running a positive, issues-focused race rather than going negative — an approach critics and commentators had predicted would doom him.
“We were told we could not win unless we went negative,” Hull said. “Well, we didn’t go negative, and we won — and we didn’t just win by a little bit, we won by double digits.”
Hull said pre-election polling had projected he would lose by five points, making his 10-point margin of victory a 15-point swing, he said.
Hull vs. Haaland in November
Hull now faces Haaland, who won the Democratic nomination with 72% of the vote — 156,861 votes — over Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman. Haaland, a Laguna Pueblo member and the nation’s first Native American Cabinet secretary, brings significant name recognition and a fundraising advantage into the fall campaign.
Hull acknowledged the challenge but said he intends to run the same issues-based campaign statewide, pointing to Rio Rancho’s growth and national recognition during his tenure as evidence of his governing record.
“You cannot take away the national accolades that our city has received under my leadership,” Hull said.
Hull served three terms as Rio Rancho’s mayor — the longest tenure in the city’s 43-year history and the only mayor elected to three consecutive terms — overseeing road improvements, business recruitment and a sustained rise in quality-of-life rankings that made Rio Rancho the fastest-growing city in New Mexico and now its third-largest. He declined to seek a fourth term, announcing in January he would focus on the governor’s race.
The Democratic Party of New Mexico wasted no time drawing contrasts. State Party Chair Sara Attleson called Hull “extreme and wrong for New Mexico,” alleging in a statement that as mayor he tripled his own pay, raised property taxes and used taxpayer money to fund a Trump rally. Attleson said Hull would “push a MAGA agenda focused on restricting healthcare” and allowing prices to rise unchecked.
Hull, in his interview with The Paper, said the MAGA label was a deflection. “The Democrat party in New Mexico doesn’t have a better message than that,” he said, adding that he intends to focus on what he described as the state’s persistently high crime, poverty, education failures and healthcare shortfalls.
New Mexico Governor — 2026 Primary Results (unofficial)
Republican
- Gregg Hull — 47% (56,412)
- Doug Turner — 37% (44,319)
- Duke Rodriguez — 16% (19,288)
- Total votes: 120,019
Democratic
- Deb Haaland — 72% (156,861)
- Sam Bregman — 28% (60,189)
- Total votes: 217,050
General election: Nov. 3, 2026
Learn more or get involved:
- Hull campaign: gregghull.com
- NM Secretary of State election results: sos.nm.gov