Duke Rodriguez (KRWG)

The gubernatorial candidacy of marijuana magnate Duke Rodriguez is getting a closer look from Republicans who initially wrote him off because of residency issues and his association with legal pot which remains unpopular with GOP voters. 

Rodriguez officially entered the race Sunday without fanfare, releasing his website RunWithDuke.com and naming crime, education and healthcare among his top priorities. He also took out a newspaper ad posted below).

Rio Rancho Mayor Greg Hull and Farmington state Sen. Steve Lanier are the only other candidates in the chase for the '26 GOP nomination, the ebullient Rodriguez, if he can resolve his residency issue, could emerge as the leading candidate. 

Here's how one Republican, who initially supported Roswell oilman and state rep Mark Murphy for the nomination but who has since dropped out of contention, made the case for Rodriguez:

Click to enlarge

Duke is smart as a whip and can carry the Republican case on the campaign trail; He is a Hispanic male male in a state that has not elected An Anglo governor in nearly 30 years; He does not carry the baggage of Trump--he is demonstrably independent minded. Perhaps most important he says he is willing to put up as much as $2 million of his personal funds to make the run. 

That source also reports that Rodriguez, 68, is telling him that his lawyers have the residency issue "all buttoned up" and he does not see it as an obstacle. 

Rodriguez heads up medical marijuana company Ultra Health, headquartered in Scottsdale where he has a residence and that has 29 dispensaries in New Mexico. He also haas a residence in ABQ's NE Heights.

Rodriguez, who is a former Sec. of Human Services under GOP Gov. Johnson, will likely face a legal challenge over the five year continuous residency requirement declared in the state Constitution.

HOME SWEET HOME 

We reported on our June 16 blog of Rodriguez's residency controversy and how, according to the SOS, he had not voted in any recent state elections. Records show he registered to vote in the state only in January. 

He has voted mostly in Arizona elections for several decades. When we asked him about his New Mexico voting record when we interviewed him in June, he said: 

I’m taking a page from Governor Gary Johnson’s playbook—keep it focused, keep it real, and don’t take the bait.

SIMILAR SUITCASES 

The recent ABQ mayoral candidacy of Republican Darren White increased the chatter about a Rodriguez candidacy. Their political baggage is remarkably similar. 

White has also owned a medical marijuana business--after being an ardent foe of legalization--and he was caught taking a tax break he did not qualify for by claiming his Florida home was his primary residence when it was not. He sold the marijuana business several years ago.

Both of those circumstances were thought by some observers to be major obstacles for the former BernCo Sheriff. But once it became clear that White was the only Republican in the mayoral field with a chance to win, GOP voters looked away from his past and voted for him. 

White finished with 42 percent of the city vote in the December 9 runoff election with Mayor Keller--in line with recent GOP performance in BernCo.

Mayor Hull is well-liked in the party but is not generating excitement and his fund-raising is anemic. Lanier is an unknown. That is seen as leaving the door open for the energetic, aggressive and wealthy Rodriguez. 

The small Republican party is good at uniting behind candidates they see having a shot at winning. If Rodriguez can overcome his legal problems and convince the grassroots he is a potential winner, he could be the party's pick next year. 

Stay tuned.

This is the Home of New Mexico Politics.