09/15/2026
New Mexicans deserve more than campaign talking points. They deserve to know who is prepared to do the job.
Juan de Jesus Sanchez III “claims” to have experience in conservation, agriculture and politics. I bring those traits and more to this race: decades of experience directly managing the kinds of land, wildlife and natural-resource issues that come before the Commissioner of Public Lands.
I spent more than two decades with the New Mexico Department of Game & Fish, eventually serving as Major of Southern Field Operations. I then served as Assistant Commissioner of Field Operations at the New Mexico State Land Office—the very agency the next Land Commissioner will be responsible for leading.
That distinction matters.
Juan has argued that his experience grazing cattle, hunting and working in natural resources means he won’t make decisions from “a desk in Santa Fe.” I don’t have to promise voters that I understand field operations. I’ve already managed them.
There are policy differences, too. During the Democratic primary, Juan said New Mexico should use state trust lands to “push back” against the Trump administration. My approach is different: keep the State Land Office focused on its responsibilities to New Mexico: healthy land and water, responsible management, working lands, access where appropriate, and the trust beneficiaries who depend on these lands.
And now I am asking Juan to stand alongside me and make those differences clear to voters. Candidates asking for your vote should be willing to stand side by side, answer tough questions and openly defend their records, experience and vision.
Debates are not about political theater. They are about transparency, accountability and respect for the voters. New Mexicans deserve the opportunity to hear directly from every candidate before casting their ballots.
I am ready to debate. Anytime. Anywhere. My opponent, however, is not. He is going back and forth trying to adjust the time and platform. This cat and mouse game they are playing is nothing short of a stall tactic, in hopes that they can buy enough time so the debate will not take place. Period. The voters deserve nothing less. Wake up New Mexico
Let’s settle the details. Pick a date. And let New Mexicans hear from both candidates.
I am ready to defend my experience, my record and my vision for New Mexico’s state trust lands.
The voters deserve the comparison.
