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NEWS

Deb Haaland's big cash advantage over Gregg Hull grows in New Mexico's gubernatorial race

Democrat has raised more than $17.3 million in bid for governor — about nine times more than GOP opponent

Republican nominee Gregg Hull, left, and Democratic nominee Deb Haaland, right, are vying to be New Mexico's next governor in this year's general election cycle.
Published

SANTA FE — Deb Haaland’s cash train is showing no signs of slowing down with less than two months before Election Day in New Mexico’s open race for governor.

The Democratic nominee reported this week having raised more than $3.4 million during a two-month-plus time period that began in late June and ended last week.

That fundraising haul means the former U.S. interior secretary has raised an unprecedented $17.3 million since launching her campaign in February 2025 — and has spent roughly $13.9 million of that amount so far.

Her Republican general election opponent, Gregg Hull, has struggled to keep up with Haaland’s prolific fundraising.

The GOP nominee reported having received more than $943,000 in contributions during the recent reporting period, which came after he won a three-way Republican primary race.

Those contributions included donations from several current and former GOP legislators. He also received several large donations from oil and gas companies operating in New Mexico, including $12,400 from a political committee affiliated with the Merrion Oil & Gas Company in Farmington.

Since officially launching his campaign for governor last October, the former Rio Rancho mayor has raised nearly $1.9 million and spent roughly $1.4 million.

A Hull campaign spokesman said Tuesday that more than 90% of the campaign cash raised by the Republican nominee came from New Mexico donors, with most of those donations for $100 or less.

Republican Gregg Hull, left, and Democrat Deb Haaland shake hands after participating in a candidate forum at the Albuquerque Convention Center in this Aug. 25 file photo.

“That is what real momentum looks like, and it is New Mexicans saying they want a governor with a proven record of creating jobs, keeping communities safe and delivering results,” said Ryan Saylor, Hull’s campaign consultant.

However, Hull’s cash disadvantage in the race could make it difficult for him to keep up with Haaland on the TV airwaves as the race enters the final homestretch. Both candidates have already started launching ads touting their records.

Meanwhile, Haaland’s campaign said her latest campaign finance filing includes more than 13,300 donations from New Mexico residents. But thousands of out-of-state donors have also contributed to Haaland, who is seeking to become the first Native American woman elected governor in the nation’s history.

“I know firsthand how hard people work to earn every paycheck, and I am deeply grateful for everyone who shares my vision for New Mexico,” Haaland said in a statement.

“I am committed to standing up for New Mexicans, pushing back against Donald Trump, and bringing down the cost of living so families don’t have to choose between paying the rent or buying groceries in the same month.”

While Haaland has taken in thousands of small-dollar contributions, she has also taken in some hefty donations.

Among the campaign contributions shown in her latest report was $12,400 on Aug. 26 from Oracle America, the California-based software company behind the controversial Project Jupiter data center campus in southern New Mexico. 

Despite Haaland’s big fundraising edge, Hull has managed to make this year’s race competitive.

A Journal Poll conducted last month found 49% of likely voters surveyed said they planned to vote for Haaland, while 43% of voters said they would vote for Hull. The remaining voters surveyed were still undecided about who they planned to vote for in the Nov. 3 election.

The campaign finance reports filed this week with Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver’s office mark the first mandatory reports for the general election cycle.

Two additional reports will be filed before Election Day — along with a final report shortly after the election.

This is a developing story that will be updated.

Dan Boyd covers state government and politics for the Journal in Santa Fe. Follow him on X at @DanBoydNM or reach him via email at dboyd@abqjournal.com.