New Mexico GOP to choose candidate for Congressional District 1 next week
Mar. 19—The central committee of the Republican Party of New Mexico will convene March 27 to nominate one of seven candidates to run in a June 1 special election to fill the U.S. House seat vacated by Deb Haaland, the GOP announced Thursday.
A state lawmaker and a talk radio host are among the Republican candidates competing for the position.
The field of GOP contenders includes:
* Eddy Aragon, CEO of the Rock of Talk radio station.
* State Sen. Mark Moores.
* Michaela Chavez, who ran unsuccessfully for the District 13 state Senate seat last year.
* Ronnie Lucero, a Navy veteran who lives in Albuquerque.
* Elisa Martinez, who ran unsuccessfully for a U.S. Senate seat in 2020.
* Jared Vander Dussen, who made an unsuccessful bid for the 1st Congressional District House seat last year.
* Tracy Trujillo of Questa.
At least six Democrats also have expressed an interest in the seat: state Rep. Georgene Louis; Albuquerque attorney Randi McGinn; state Rep. Patricia Roybal Caballero; state Sen. Antoinette Sedillo Lopez; state Rep. Melanie Stansbury; and Victor Reyes, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's legislative director.
The Democratic state central committee will hold a virtual vote March 30 to choose its nominee.
Haaland, a Democrat, resigned from Congress after being confirmed as interior secretary earlier this week.
