NEWS
Rio Rancho's longest-serving mayor eyes governor's office
Republican Gregg Hull says his decade as Rio Rancho's mayor gives him a unique edge in the three-way GOP primary race for governor
Correction: A previous version of this story included incorrect information about Gregg Hull鈥檚 stepchildren.
RIO RANCHO 鈥 Gregg Hull lives on the go, navigating New Mexico鈥檚 third-largest city in his black pickup truck like a hawk patrolling its home territory.
But whether Hull can spread his wings beyond Rio Rancho is a key question in this year鈥檚 three-way Republican race for governor 鈥 and possibly in this fall鈥檚 general election, too.
The longest-serving mayor in Rio Rancho鈥檚 history, Hull is one of three Republicans vying for the GOP nomination in this year鈥檚 open race for governor.
He was the first Republican candidate to jump into the race last year and earned the most delegate votes at the GOP鈥檚 pre-primary convention in March.
With that establishment support bolstering his campaign, Hull entered the final month before the June 2 primary leading his two GOP rivals 鈥 Doug Turner and Duke Rodriguez 鈥 in the polls.
However, Hull has struggled to keep up with other candidates in campaign fundraising, reporting last month having raised slightly more than $474,000 since January 2025.
In contrast, Democratic front-runner Deb Haaland has reported receiving more than $11.1 million since launching her campaign last year.
In a recent interview, Hull acknowledged it took him longer to raise campaign funds than his opponents, and he may not be able to air as many TV ads as his rivals.
But he said he has received more small contributions from New Mexico donors than his GOP opponents.
鈥淲e鈥檙e in a place where we鈥檝e really focused on just raising money in New Mexico from New Mexicans,鈥 Hull said.
He also expressed a desire for fiscal prudence on the campaign trail, which could stem from his past work in marketing, sales and management in the manufactured housing industry.
鈥淲e鈥檙e being careful about the way we鈥檙e spending money,鈥 Hull said, referring to his campaign. 鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to make every dollar count.鈥
A businessman with a baker鈥檚 touch
Hull was born in Oklahoma but his family bounced around the west while he was growing up due to his father鈥檚 job in the hotel industry.
He spent time in Santa Fe, Albuquerque and Pagosa Springs, Colorado, where he finished high school, before Hull settled in the Rio Rancho area in the mid-1990s.
After a first marriage with two children ended in a divorce in his mid-20s, Hull eventually got remarried, to his current wife Carrie, who had three children from a previous marriage that he helped raise.
A self-described entrepreneur who did not graduate from college, Hull made a name for himself in the business industry, running his own packing and crating business for 12 years before being elected Rio Rancho鈥檚 mayor in 2014.
In addition to his busy work and family life, Hull says he is a "little bit famous鈥 for his cooking ability, especially homemade cheesecakes that he has prepared for charity auctions.
At one such event, Hull said Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller at first refused to believe the cheesecake he had brought was homemade.
He鈥檚 even taught a cooking class focused on cheesecakes at a local Rio Rancho senior center, and also touts his New England lobster chowder recipe.
鈥淐ooking is one of my relaxation methods, where I just kind of get into the recipe and block everything out,鈥 he said.
鈥楴ew Mexico鈥檚 mayor鈥
Much, if not all, of Hull鈥檚 political identity stems from his stint as Rio Rancho鈥檚 mayor.
While no New Mexico mayor has gone on to be governor since former Farmington mayor Tom Bolack did so briefly in 1962, Hull says his experience working with the state Legislature gives him an advantage over other gubernatorial candidates.
鈥淵ou鈥檝e got to look at each community and what their needs are individually,鈥 Hull told the Journal.
鈥淚 think that鈥檚 what gives me a very unique perspective is understanding that Santa Fe, more often than not, takes a very one-size fits all approach, and our communities are very diverse and different,鈥 he added.
After initially vacillating on whether he would seek to remain mayor while running for governor, Hull ultimately decided against doing so.
In his last month before stepping down as mayor, Hull said Rio Rancho has been recognized nationally as one of the safest cities and best places to live.
State Sen. Jay Block, R-Rio Rancho, described Hull at the event as 鈥淣ew Mexico鈥檚 mayor,鈥 adding that other mayors around the state look up to him.
But Block said in a subsequent interview he has not endorsed any of the three candidates in this year鈥檚 Republican gubernatorial primary race.
He also said Hull had worked to make Rio Rancho a better place as mayor, but added that other local officials also deserve credit for the city鈥檚 economic development successes.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a team effort, it hasn鈥檛 been one person,鈥 Block told the Journal.
In addition, Rio Rancho faced criticism 鈥 and lawsuits 鈥 over its handling of public records during Hull鈥檚 tenure as mayor.
The city in 2022 after news outlets filed a lawsuit alleging Rio Rancho had withheld documents related to the accidental 2021 shooting death of a young boy by his 4-year-old brother. The gun used in the accident belonged to the boy鈥檚 father, who worked as an officer with the Santa Fe Police Department.
Meanwhile, Hull also faced a 2016 lawsuit from a Rio Rancho resident who claimed the mayor had violated New Mexico鈥檚 open records laws for not turning over requested communications. That lawsuit was ultimately rejected by a state judge.
On the issues
If elected governor, Hull said he would push for more funding to help cities and counties around New Mexico recruit and retain law enforcement officers.
鈥淚 would be more inclined to see what we could do from a state level to help them fund more police officers, as opposed to deploying the National Guard in Rio Arriba County,鈥 Hull said, referring to an ongoing state law enforcement effort focused on the Espa帽ola area that was authorized by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.
Along with other GOP governor candidates, Hull has also called for cutting state taxes as a way of providing financial relief to New Mexico residents.
Specifically, he said he would push to eliminate or reduce New Mexico鈥檚 personal income tax code, as other tax cuts could negatively impact the budgets of local governments around the state.
鈥淭he quickest way to put money back in people鈥檚 pockets would be to look at personal income tax, because if we鈥檙e not taking it out of your (paycheck) then you鈥檙e keeping it,鈥 he said.
But that could be a tough sell at the Roundhouse, as a 2025 Republican-backed bill to eliminate the personal income tax stalled in its first assigned House committee. That bill was estimated to cost the state $3.8 billion in foregone revenue by 2027, according to a .
Meanwhile, Hull has taken a cautious approach to the universal child care initiative launched by the Lujan Grisham administration that is the target of a lawsuit filed by Rodriguez and two other Republicans.
Describing the program as 鈥済reat in concept鈥 but potentially ripe for fraud, Hull said he would not completely scrap it if elected governor.
Rather, he said he would consider scaling back the initiative to ensure the state can safely meet statewide demand for child care assistance.
During a GOP gubernatorial debate hosted by the Journal on Friday, he used a sports analogy to describe the program, saying, 鈥淚t looks like we snapped a football without having any receivers downfield.鈥
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Dan Boyd covers state government and politics for the Journal in Santa Fe. Follow him on X at or reach him via email at dboyd@abqjournal.com.