Sanchez Wins New Mexico Land Commissioner Primary, Targeting 9 Million Acres as Trump Ally Looms
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 3
Sanchez Wins New Mexico Land Commissioner Primary, Targeting 9 Million Acres as Trump Ally Looms
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 3
Juan De Jesus Sanchez III, 34, won the Democratic nomination for New Mexico land commissioner, defeating Matthew McQueen and Jonas Moya in Tuesday’s primary.
The office oversees 9 million surface acres and raises money for public schools and hospitals, largely through oil and gas leases, making the race unusually consequential.
That power has drawn extra scrutiny because Steve Pearce, recently confirmed to lead the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, is expected to push drilling, mining, logging and grazing on public lands.
Sanchez, a former political director for Senator Martin Heinrich who highlighted Army Corps of Engineers experience, now faces Republican Michael Perry, a retired game warden and former assistant land commissioner, in November.
Democrats have held every statewide office in New Mexico since 2020, but the land commissioner post has alternated between parties since 2003, leaving the general election competitive.