Governor's race heats up amid plagiarism charges, debate challenge - Dan Boyd, Albuquerque Journal
What started as a cordial gubernatorial primary contest between Democrats Deb Haaland and Sam Bregman is starting to get spicy.
Haaland’s campaign recently accused Bregman, who is currently the Bernalillo County district attorney, of plagiarizing sections of his sweeping policy plan for next year’s gubernatorial campaign.
Bregman, for his part, has aggressively challenged the former U.S. interior secretary to debate him on the policy proposals.
The back-and-forth barbs could signify the start of a more contentious campaign phase, even though there is still more than eight months until the June 2026 primary election.
The recent friction between the two candidates — former Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima is also running for governor as a Democrat — started this month when Bregman unveiled a 189-page plan on crime, health care, education and other issues.
The Haaland campaign responded by pointing out several sections in the plan appear to feature similar — and in some cases identical — wording to reports done by state agencies and legislative staffers.
That includes several sections dealing with tribal issues, such as a plan for ensuring Native American students receive an adequate education.
“For someone who’s been unsuccessfully running for office for 30 years, Sam Bregman still can’t get this right,” said Haaland spokeswoman Hannah Menchoff. “While he seems to have plagiarized large portions of his policy agenda, Deb is meeting with New Mexicans every day and sharing her vision for the future.”
Bregman’s campaign responded to the plagiarism allegation by saying a team of experts had worked to gather information on programs and recommendations from around the nation.
“That is not plagiarism — it is information in the public arena,” Bregman’s campaign spokeswoman Joanie Griffin said. “Sam stands by every word in all of these policies. Those who worked with him to create them believe that he is the best candidate to get these ideas accomplished.”
She also described the plagiarism allegations as “bogus and petty charges” manufactured by Haaland’s campaign.
University of New Mexico political science professor Gabriel Sanchez said allegations of plagiarism in politics typically tend to revolve around candidates’ speeches, not policy plans. U.S. First Lady Melania Trump and former President Joe Biden are among the public officials who have faced plagiarism claims for their speeches.
Meanwhile, Sanchez also said the Haaland campaign’s plagiarism allegations against Bregman could reverberate during the primary election cycle, and possibly be raised during candidate debates.
“I suspect that they are hoping that this will raise concerns about the honesty and integrity of Sam Bregman,” Sanchez told the Journal.
Candidates on a collision course?
Even before the plagiarism claims were levied, Bregman had begun publicly challenging Haaland to debate his policy proposals.
The Bregman campaign has since doubled down on those challenges, including launching a website with a time tracker.
Since announcing her campaign in February, Haaland has embarked on a 19-city listening tour and criticized President Donald Trump’s plans to cut federal jobs.
But she has not directly responded to Bregman’s debate challenge and has declined to take a stance on some hot-button issues, including Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s decision to deploy New Mexico National Guard members to Albuquerque to assist local law enforcement officers.
Haaland plans to start rolling out her policy stances over the next several months, her campaign indicated Monday.
Bregman and Haaland are both former state Democratic Party chairs, and have emerged as the two most high-profile candidates in New Mexico’s 2026 gubernatorial contest.
The race is open, since Lujan Grisham is barred under the state Constitution from seeking a third consecutive term in office and will step down at the end of next year.
GOP field still taking shape
While Democratic gubernatorial candidates are already tussling, most of the intrigue among Republicans has taken place out of public view.
Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull is the only GOP candidate who has confirmed his candidacy for governor, though he delayed a planned June campaign launch. Some other potential GOP candidates have ruled out running, while others are still considering the race.
That means the Republican field might not come into focus until closer to next year’s candidate filing deadline in February.
Meanwhile, the two leading Democratic candidates have already announced hefty campaign fundraising hauls, with new reports set to be filed next month.
Haaland said in May she had received nearly $3.7 million in donations since launching her campaign in February, while Bregman said he had raised more than $1 million in a five-week time period after announcing his own campaign.
Santa Fe bomb threat mentioned ‘MAGA’ - Danielle Prokop, Source New Mexico
The bomb threats targeting a New Mexico Democratic lawmaker’s home and office were emailed from a username titled “maga_terrorist,” according to state police reports released Monday to Source NM.
While no explosives were ever found, the threats leveled against Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth and House Floor Leader Reena Szczepanski, both Santa Fe Democrats, on Sept. 11 caused the evacuation of a nearby school and the lockdown of Santa Fe City Hall. The threats followed the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk (on Sept. 10).
The original complaint to New Mexico State Police, obtained through an Inspection of Public Records Act request, has a copy of the email issuing the threats against Wirth and the address from which it was sent.
The emails describe materials used to create a “pipe bomb” that was “set to go off in the next 48 hours” within Wirth’s residential mailbox or the next time the mailbox was opened.
“Even if Peter does not open the mailbox himself I’m still satisfied with the prospect of some family member losing their life or getting injured. MAGA,” the email concluded, using the shorthand for President Donald Trump’s slogan “Make America Great Again.”
The emails were not directly sent to Wirth, but instead were addressed to the governor’s office records email. No arrests have been announced.
In a recent interview with Source NM, Wirth called the threats “a scary set of circumstances,” and said he was shaken by the impact, particularly on the children evacuated from a nearby school.
“It’s just an unfortunate place that we’re at with this political violence, and I hope we can figure out how to stop,” Wirth told Source NM on Sept. 23.
He said no additional safety measures beyond the already required metal detector scans will be necessary for the Oct. 1 special session.
“I certainly feel safer here, and I know the public does as well,” Wirth told Source NM last week. “Having said that, though, this is a challenging time and we’re certainly gonna be vigilant. ”
The Santa Fe Police Department previously took the lead on the investigation into the threats made against Szczepanski, which were emailed to Mayor Alan Webber’s office on the same day — but subsequently forwarded its information to the FBI, which is now leading the case.
“We learned similar threats had been made toward other lawmakers in Maryland in a similar manner as the ones received in our jurisdiction,” Santa Fe Police Deputy Chief Ben Valdez told Source NM in an email on Monday.
Source NM’s Monday request to the FBI seeking information on the case remains pending.
State police are still investigating the bomb threats made against Wirth, Officer Silver Wilson, a spokesperson at the New Mexico Department of Public Safety, told Source NM.
“So far, no arrests have been made in the Sept. 11 incidents that NMSP handled regarding Senator Wirth,” Silver wrote in an email Monday. “The FBI has been made aware of the threats. Nothing has come across our desks relating to any other threats since then.”
Trump's big bill is prompting urgent action in some Democratic states, but not in Republican ones - By David A. Lieb, Associated Press
New Mexico lawmakers are to open a special session Wednesday to boost funding for food assistance and rural health care — actions the Democratic governor contends are needed to "minimize the damage from President Trump's disastrous bill" cutting federal taxes and spending.
The special session follows one in Colorado, where the Democratic governor asserted Trump's tax cuts wreaked havoc on the state's budget. Oregon's Democratic officials also are wrestling with whether a special session is needed. And California Democrats recently passed new spending measures meant to counteract Trump's big bill.
Nothing like that is happening in Republican-led states.
The diverging responses highlight the partisan schism over Trump's signature legislative accomplishment of his second term and raise the question: Are Republican-led states ignoring the financial fallout, or are Democratic-led states overstating the urgency?"Probably Democrats are doing a little bit for grandstanding," said Steven Rogers, an associate political science professor at Saint Louis University who focuses on state governments.
"On the Republican side, they may also just be OK with it — or they don't want to poke the Trump bear," Rogers said.
The sweeping new law, dubbed the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" by Republicans, is likely to affect some states more than others. Federal tax cuts could reduce revenues for states that link their own income taxes to the federal code, starting with 2025 tax returns.Federal spending reductions on Medicaid and food benefits also could cause states to spend more of their own money on social safety net programs. But new Medicaid work requirements, which are among the most prominent changes, don't begin until 2027. Administrative cost shifts to states for food stamps begin in October 2026, with additional performance-based cost shifts in subsequent years.
New Mexico officials are taking 'proactive' steps
Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has called upon New Mexico lawmakers to preemptively earmark more money this fiscal year toward food assistance and rural health care.
Lawmakers also are looking to expand state subsidies for health insurance policies bought through the Affordable Care Act exchange, which covers about 75,000 residents. They point to the potential for enhanced federal subsidies to expire at the end of this year."We're not going to sit idly and watch that disaster happen," said Democratic state Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth.
Though New Mexico expects to lose about $200 million annually because of new federal tax cuts, starting this fiscal year, it still has a large surplus thanks to booming oil production.
"We're in a position fiscally to be able to be proactive," Wirth said, "and really try and hold New Mexicans as harmless as we can to these cuts that are coming."
California boosts spending for food programs
Legislation recently signed by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom provides $255 million for California's response to Trump's big bill and other federal policy changes. That includes $84 million to try to reduce errors in benefit payments in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Those food benefits currently are fully covered by the federal government, but states with error rates greater than 6% could have to pay part of the cost starting in October 2027.
Trump's big bill also expands work requirements for adults participating SNAP, which is expected to force some people off the program in the coming months. The California legislation provides $40 million for counties to implement the new SNAP requirements and pumps $20 million into emergency food banks, a one-third increase over previously approved state funding.
"We have been as diligent, as strategic as we can to backfill as much of those dollars as we can," Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, a Democrat, told The Associated Press.
The new spending comes as California budget officials warn of a looming multibillion-dollar deficit.
Colorado and Oregon cite tax cuts as a cause for action
Because their tax codes are closely linked to the federal one, most of the new federal tax breaks automatically apply to state income taxes in Colorado and Oregon.
In August, Democratic Colorado Gov. Jared Polis became the first to call lawmakers into special session while citing Trump's bill. His administration said the federal tax cuts blew an estimated $783 million hole in the current state budget.
The Democratic-led Legislature filled part of that gap by eliminating some corporate tax breaks and authorizing the sale of state tax credits to raise revenue.
In Oregon, Democratic officials are weighing whether to decouple from some of Trump's tax changes to avoid losing hundreds of millions of state tax dollars. Such a move could allow the state to continue taxing tips and overtime wages.
"It is a very politically risky bill to pass, let alone have a special session again for ANOTHER tax vote," Democratic state Rep. Rob Nosse said in a recent newsletter. "But at the same time it will allow us to stave off some of the cuts coming to health care and to food stamps."Republicans see no urgency from revenue losses
Like Colorado and Oregon, the Republican-led states of Iowa, Montana and North Dakota also use "federal taxable income" as the starting point for their state taxes and automatically incorporate federal tax changes. Yet officials there haven't raised major concerns.
Montana stands to lose an estimated $114 million annually as a result of the new tax cuts. But lawmakers likely can wait until their next regular session in 2027 to address any impacts, said Republican state Rep. Larry Brewster, chair of the Legislature's interim revenue committee.
"I think it's a concern, but I don't think it's an urgent problem for us," he said.Leaders of the North Dakota Legislature, which isn't scheduled to meet until 2027, are discussing holding a session early next year, but not because of federal tax cuts. Rather, lawmakers would decide how to spend the state's share of $50 billion of rural health care grants included in Trump's big bill.
Iowa's conformity to the federal tax code could cost its general fund $437 million this fiscal year, according to the state revenue department. The state's finances also could suffer from Trump's trade war with China, a top export market for farmers. The state still has billions of dollars in reserves.
"We're in a good position to weather some of the ag and some of the effects of the One Big Beautiful Bill," Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds said, "but we also have to be mindful as we move forward."
Associated Press writers Jack Dura in Bismarck, North Dakota; Hannah Fingerhut in Des Moines, Iowa; Morgan Lee in Santa Fe, New Mexico; Trân Nguyễn in Sacramento, California; and Claire Rush in Portland, Oregon contributed.
New Mexico State tabs Tulsa's Joe Fields as its next athletic director
New Mexico State has hired Tulsa deputy athletic director Joe Fields as its next athletic director.
The school announced Monday that Fields will replace Mario Moccia, who was fired in January in the wake of an investigation into the department's handling of a sexual abuse scandal. Fields begins his new role on Oct. 8.
"Aggie fans are going to love what Joe brings to the table," Justin Bannister, NMSU chief of staff and chair of the AD search committee, said in a statement. "He's been a student-athlete and an administrator, so he has unique insight into the full experience of college athletics."
Fields had served as Tulsa's deputy athletic director and COO since 2024 after working his way up through Texas A&M's athletic department. He was hired in 2017 as associate athletics director for academic services and was deputy athletic director when he left for Tulsa.
Fields played football at Syracuse and joined his alma mater as an administrator after playing one season for the NFL's Carolina Panthers.
Santa Fe County to consider another utility-scale solar battery project - Santa Fe New Mexican
Another solar energy facility is being proposed in Santa Fe County.
The Santa Fe New Mexican’s Clara Bates reports the site of the proposed solar power array is in the southern part of the county, about halfway between Galisteo and Interstate 40.
The facility, which would include battery storage, is more than three times the size of the Rancho Viejo Solar project that has been approved by Santa Fe County Commissioners but is still not certain to be built.
San Francisco-based Linea Energy wants to build the facility just north of the unincorporated village of Stanley. The site is about 40 miles south of Santa Fe.
The development could provide electricity for about 93,000 homes annually. The power would be sold to Public Service Company of New Mexico, the state’s largest electric utility.
A Santa Fe County land use hearing officer could review the proposal as early as November, which would put the application on pace to go before the Planning Commission in January.
Some opponents of the controversial Rancho Viejo project are in favor of this latest proposal. The Linea Energy project would generate more power and is located in a more remote area.
Mold, asbestos shutter village complex in remote Northern New Mexico community - Santa Fe New Mexican
The Village of Cuba Administrative Offices are closed indefinitely.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports Cuba Mayor Denny Herrera announced the closure last Friday.
The reason for the closure - mold was discovered in restrooms, a kitchen in the Cuba senior center and in a storage closet. The restrooms were also found to have a trace amount of asbestos.
The closures include the municipal court, the motor vehicle department, the senior center, and the water and sewer department.
Village of Cuba staff told the New Mexican the village clerk and water department are moving into the Cuba Public Library for the time being. The library will be open to the public, but closed for library services during the closures.
For now, Cuba officials are still figuring out where the motor vehicle department and the municipal court will be conducting business. The Cuba Senior Center will be moving operations to the county fairgrounds.
Heinrich stresses impact lost health insurance tax credits could have on New Mexico - Leah Romero, Source New Mexico
As a possible federal government shutdown looms, so does the chance that thousands of New Mexicans will see significant increases to their health insurance premiums.
Federal health insurance tax credits have become a sticking point in negotiations over a spending bill Congress needs to pass to avoid a government shut-down at the end of the month.
U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) spoke in Las Cruces Friday alongside representatives of BeWell, the state’s health insurance marketplace; La Clinica de Familia, a private, federally qualified health center; and New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty, a social justice advocacy organization.
Heinrich explained that if passed, the GOP-led government funding bill will mean the Affordable Care Act premium tax credits will expire at the end of the plan year, and people insured under the ACA will see their monthly insurance premiums increase between $300 and $500.
“I don’t know about you, but after the last few years of increased costs, when you think about how inflation and tariffs have impacted everything from beef to coffee to what you buy at the hardware store, I don’t know New Mexicans who can afford another $300 or $400 a month in their health care premiums,” Heinrich said during the news conference. “This is going to be absolutely dire for the state of New Mexico… In addition, the president has basically directed his leadership in the Congress not to negotiate.”
Victoria Hernandez, outreach and eligibility specialist for BeWell, explained that BeWell currently provides assistance to more than 75,000 New Mexicans to pay monthly premiums — about double the enrollment from several years before. With premiums increasing, “We’re going to have our families, our individuals, our fellow New Mexicans making some tough decisions,” she said. “Do I pay for health care, do I pay for rent, do I pay utility bills and my car payment?
NM Center on Law and Poverty Policy Director Arika Sánchez explained that the state has made significant progress in reducing the number of uninsured residents over the last decade – from 22% in 2013 to 12% in 2023.
“With nearly 810,000 New Mexicans currently accessing Medicaid and enrollment of about 75,000 on BeWell, the impact of coverage losses will be devastating, especially for our rural communities, low-wage workers, caregivers, hospitals and clinics,” Sanchez said. “And we know that when people don’t have health insurance, they’re forced to skip checkups and testing and the care they need. They wait until things get really bad before going to the doctor, and they often end up in the emergency room where services are the most expensive.”
She added that six to eight hospitals will be at risk for closing their doors within the next two years, if assistance is discontinued.
John Andazola, chief medical officer for La Clinica de Familia, said while his clinic will continue seeing patients regardless of their ability to pay, the loss of assistance will mean patients may not be able to pay for tests, X-rays, vaccines and other preventative care. It also could mean that the clinic will have to reduce its staff, cut services or close completely.
“Health care costs will rise due to delayed care, but also access to basic services will diminish if we are forced to reduce programs or worse, cut care and again, close our doors,” he said. “These cuts will not only threaten the physical health of our patients, it’ll threaten our patients’ financial stability.”
The New Mexico Legislature is slated to convene for a special session beginning next week, where health care coverage is included in the agenda. Fernandez said BeWell will be asking for additional funds to support people in paying their increased premiums.
“Our concern is that the state can’t sustain this forever,” she said.
Heinrich added that while he appreciates the state’s willingness to step up and fill the need left by the federal government, it doesn’t have the financial capability to take on the large scale of need by New Mexicans.