NEWS
New Mexico Republicans' headquarters vandalized
Republican and Democratic party condemn weekend vandalism at state GOP office
The Republican Party of New Mexico had its headquarters vandalized after a rock was thrown through the window of the building over the weekend.
鈥淚 am enraged and flabbergasted that this continues to be something we deal with,鈥 said GOP Chairwoman Amy Barela in a statement posted on Facebook. 鈥淪omeone could have been seriously injured as a result of this senseless act of political violence.鈥
Employees were not in the office when the incident occurred and it is unknown exactly when it happened, according to GOP executive director Leticia Mu帽oz. Staff were unaware of the vandalism until they walked into the office early Monday morning and saw the damage, she said.
In a video sent to the Journal, a fist-sized rock was shown on the ground with shards of glass on the floor and table of the building. A candle and various office supplies appeared to have been scattered around the office.
Mu帽oz said surveillance footage captured a man walking near RPNM headquarters over the weekend, but she was unsure if that was the only time a person had been near the building throughout the weekend.
鈥淲e鈥檙e still going through some of the cameras to see if there鈥檚 anyone else and the FBI is coming in a little bit so they can ask the businesses across the street,鈥 she said.
Mu帽oz said that while she was unsure of the person鈥檚 motives, she believed the vandalism was an act of political violence.
鈥淚 think people think we鈥檙e going to be so scared that we鈥檙e going to stop doing the work that we do,鈥 she said. 鈥淲e know it鈥檚 hate; we know it鈥檚 derangement. We know that it can be a dangerous job, especially after the fire bomb, but we鈥檙e not going to be deterred from doing our work.鈥
Mu帽oz was referring to an arson attack at the headquarters a year ago, which led to criminal charges.
The Democratic Party of New Mexico issued a statement in response to the incident, saying that they were 鈥渧ery concerned that another act of vandalism occurred at the Republican Party of New Mexico headquarters.鈥
鈥淗aving recently experienced our office being vandalized ourselves, we know how troubling this is,鈥 DPNM wrote in a statement posted on Facebook. 鈥淥ur hearts are with the RPNM team today. We hope whoever is responsible is found and held accountable.鈥
In February, DPNM had its headquarters broken into after a person smashed through the front door and took multiple items from the building.
In March 2025, the RPNM entryway was destroyed after an alleged arsonist started a fire and painted 鈥淚CE=KKK鈥 on the side of the building.
The alleged arsonist, Jamison Wagner, was charged with two counts of malicious damage or destruction of property by fire or explosives and faces up to 20 years in prison per count if convicted. He was accused of vandalizing the RPNM office and a Tesla showroom.
Nakayla McClelland covers crime and breaking news. Reach her at nmcclelland@abqjournal.com or at 505-823-3857.