In an unsurprising development, Democratic New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas announced on Tuesday that he would not run for governor in 2018 and planned on seeking re-election next year. Considered a rising star in the party, Balderas had previously been considering a gubernatorial bid, but the 43-year-old can likely afford to wait for future opportunities rather than taking on a tough primary battle against Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham. His decision to stay out of the race leaves Lujan Grisham as the undoubted frontrunner thanks to her existing name recognition, robust fundraising, and key endorsements from EMILY’s List and top state Democrats like former longtime Sen. Jeff Bingaman.
Of course, there’s still a year to go until the primary, and the outcome isn’t inevitable. Former Univision executive Jeff Apodaca, whose father Jerry Apodaca served as governor from 1975 to 1979, jumped into the race earlier in May, while a few other prominent Democrats expressed interest late last year. Wealthy state Sen. Joe Cervantes told New Mexico political blogger Joe Monahan back in March that he was “all in” and would announce his candidacy in April, but Monahan notes that Cervantes still hasn’t formally jumped into the race yet, which could be a sign that he’s getting cold feet.
Republicans still have no noteworthy candidate to speak of for what is shaping up to be a difficult effort to succeed unpopular term-limited GOP Gov. Susana Martinez in this blue-leaning state. Rep. Steve Pearce and Lt. Gov. John Sanchez have both expressed interest, but both have also fared terribly in general elections when they have previously run for statewide office. Additionally, Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry and state Land Commissioner Aubrey Dunn have refused to rule it out. If none of those candidates runs, Monahan reports that unnamed Republican insiders say that term-limited Public Regulation Commissioner Pat Lyons might be persuaded to go for it, though Lyons hasn’t expressed his interest publicly yet.