Monday, October 20, 2025The Hesitant Hull; Rio Rancho GOP Mayor Says He Is Officially In Guv Race But Doesn't Rule Out Another Run For Mayor, Plus: Our Free Spending Dem Guv Hopefuls, And: From SGR To MTO
In finally making his candidacy "official" after a false start Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull came with a video. So he's finally all in, right? Nope. Hull is again hedging his bets with this statement that ran as the final sentence in a report about his announcement: Hull’s current term as mayor runs through March’s local election in Rio Rancho, and he has not decided whether he will seek another term as he also pursues his gubernatorial campaign. Say what? Hull is going to run for Governor but could still be a candidate for mayor in the March 2026 Rio Rancho mayoral election where he would be seeking a fourth term? So if a political heavyweight makes a late entry into the race does that mean Hull pushes the button on the escape hatch and runs for mayor instead? Or does he get completely unserious and run for both offices at the same time? THE HULL HESITANCY This is the not the first time that Hull has pulled back from what any reasonable observer would conclude is an unequivocal run for for Governor: First he announced he would make his candidacy official on June 2, but then--as we reported--pulled that back: The middle of the road Republican has sent out an enigmatic news release saying that he delayed his planned June 2 formal announcement. That could set the stage for his withdrawal from the race, if things don't start looking up. From the release: Hull. . .will continue engaging with voters and community leaders. . .ahead of an anticipated formal campaign launch. Originally eyeing June 2 the campaign is choosing to extend its listening tour to ensure that our platform reflects the real concerns, hopes, and priorities of New Mexicans. . . Then came July 31 when Hull released a "launch video" that affirmed his candidacy, saying: Despite unfounded rumors, I am reaching out to you to confirm my commitment. But as we wrote at the time, the "rumors" were anything but unfounded. The Alligators don't play around with the future of the Governor's office. And we we responded: Hull, not ready to get in, erred by going public with a planned announcement date and then bailing out. It was his action that caused the "rumors" and cast a shadow over his steadiness and decision-making process. And here we go again. The deadline to file for Rio Rancho Mayor is January 6, leaving open the possibility that the third time is not the charm when it comes to the hesitancy of Hull. But isn't the Governor's race about the fortunes of the people of New Mexico and not the fate of a politician's career? Mayor, for your obvious fence-sitting and hedge betting, you are the victim of a self-inflicted Alligator Strike. Congrats. . . or something. FREE SPENDERS Meanwhile, while Hull may be sending signals to a future legislature that he can be easily swayed, the Democratic gubernatorial candidates are messaging that when it comes to handling the state's money, they may be more than a bit cavalier. Deb Haaland now reports raising a total of $7 million for her campaign but has only $2.8 million in cash on hand, a spend down of 60 percent. For what? It's not as though she has been in a massive paid media war. The primary isn't until next June. Dem Sam Bregman has raised a total of $3.15 million and reports only $1.5 million in cash. That's less than Haaland but still a 48 percent spend down. Again, why? Haaland ran into consultant trouble when campaign insiders confirmed that she had a falling out with then campaign manager Scott Forrester over his compensation for digital ads. He then departed but it didn't stop the money from flowing like New Year's champagne. The other consultants just picked up where he left off. Bregman's main campaign event of late was the release of a 189 page "Blueprint" for New Mexico but much of it was criticized for coming from state web sites. Where was he and his handsomely paid consultants on that one? In reaction to her massive cash haul Haaland said she is continuing to "listen" to voters about their concerns. One of those could be whether she and Bregman will have as free of a hand managing state finances as they seem to with their own campaigns. The latest finance report of Dem Guv hopeful Ken Miyagishima is here. ALL IN THE FAMILY The political community has been wondering whether Bregman's talented and very wealthy pro baseball playing son Alex Bregman would be getting in on Dad's campaign. Yes, he will. He showed up to bat in the latest finance reports along with his wife who both donated the maximum $12,400. That raises the question whether Alex will continue aiding Pop with donations that could be put in a PAC that could then hit some campaign home runs for Bregman. Haaland, a national figure, retains the money lead but because so much of her funds have been spent she can't really hold it over Bregman' s head. To the chagrin of her bevy of consultants who told her otherwise, Bregman is in this for the long game. His problem is getting stuck in the mud of rural New Mexico while she easily conquers progressive bastions in ABQ/Santa Fe. FROM SGR TO MTO Speaking of which, the expected emergence of Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver as the leading candidate for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor--now that Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard has dropped out--is all about vote-rich Bernalillo County.
Garcia Richard proved less resilient than many expected but her husband's bout with cancer combined with an MTO poll (conveniently leaked) that showed her with a big lead were high hurdles. If MTO does defeat ABQ Sen. Harold Pope for the Light Guv nomination--and why would he even stay in at this point--it would not be a blow for Bregman. In fact, even if he did not get along with his running mate--not unusual--she would likely help him in the general election in big BernCo as much as as she would Haaland. But let's not get carried away. As the second banana the SOS is about to find out that when it comes to getting in on the inside of the campaigns for #1, she might have to send out an SOS. This is the Home of New Mexico Politics. E-mail your news and comments. (newsguy@yahoo.com) Interested in reaching New Mexico's most informed audience? Advertise here. |
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