NEWS
Two separate lawsuits seek ouster of embattled New Mexico Republican Party chairwoman
Three GOP candidates allege favoritism, rule violations by party leaders
Published
SANTA FE 鈥� With New Mexico鈥檚 primary election just a month away, the state Republican Party appears more fractured than a glass bottle at a shooting range.
Two separate lawsuits were filed in the last several days 鈥� one in Bernalillo County and one in Otero County 鈥� seeking the ouster of state GOP chairwoman Amy Barela.
One of the lawsuits was filed in 2nd Judicial District Court in Albuquerque by a group of five Republican Party county chairs from around the state, along with several other party members. It alleges Barela violated party rules by refusing to step down from her post despite facing primary election opposition in her reelection bid for the Otero County Commission.
鈥淲e hoped it wouldn鈥檛 come to this, but in reality, litigation is now our only recourse,鈥� said Albuquerque attorney Robert Aragon, who filed the lawsuit on behalf of the GOP county leaders.
The rule in question says: 鈥淚n the event the state chairman or any other state officer of the Republican State Central Committee files as a candidate for public office and there is another Republican who has filed for the same office, the state officer shall immediately vacate the party office.鈥�
Meanwhile, the other lawsuit, filed in 12th Judicial District Court in Alamogordo, also seeks the removal of Barela as state party chairwoman. But it also claims several GOP officials 鈥� including Barela, party treasurer Kim Skaggs and GOP National Committeeman James Townsend, who is also a state senator 鈥� violated party rules by picking sides in contested primary races.
As evidence, the filing shows a screenshot of a social media post from the state Republican Party鈥檚 official account that appears to list only certain candidates for a planned meet-and-greet forum.
That lawsuit was filed by Jonathan Emery, who is running against Barela for the Otero County Commission seat, along with GOP gubernatorial candidate Duke Rodriguez and Republican lieutenant governor candidate Aubrey Blair Dunn. Two other unnamed plaintiffs also signed onto the case.
Rodriguez, who has also sparred in court with Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham鈥檚 administration, said the lawsuit is intended to address the 鈥淕OP elephant in the room鈥� and ensure party officials are held accountable for their actions.
鈥淚 believe in transparency, fairness and following the rules 鈥� especially within our own party,鈥� Rodriguez told the Journal.
Barela has refused to step down since scrutiny over party rules ignited last month, and top party leaders called for unity after releasing an outside parliamentarian鈥檚 review of the situation.
However, that has not quelled the discord within the Republican ranks, as about 20 state Republican Party central committee members called for a special meeting in Belen this month to elect a new party chair. Ultimately, not enough members showed up to establish the quorum necessary to hold such a vote.
Republican Party of New Mexico Executive Director Leticia Mu帽oz did not immediately comment on the newly filed lawsuits Friday, saying she had not yet seen the court files.
But Mu帽oz said last week there was no reason to call a meeting of the party鈥檚 state central committee, adding, 鈥淭he RPNM remains steadfast in our mission to elect Republicans.鈥�
No hearings had been scheduled in either lawsuit as of late Friday, according to court records.
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.
