WASHINGTON, D.C. — New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and leaders from the state Democratic Party pitched the Democratic National Committee on moving the state’s primary elections earlier in the 2028 election cycle. The presentation was made to the DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee in Washington, D.C.

Lujan Grisham told the committee, “New Mexico has, frankly, everything to offer. We’re a minority-majority state. We have demonstrated getting Democratic value-led policies on the ground in ways that no other poor state in this country’s history has done.” She emphasized that New Mexico is the only border state with a majority-minority electorate, sovereign Native American nations, and a working-class base with more in common with red states than blue.

“Not every state is a border state. This notion that we’ve allowed this messaging to be that every state is affected by border policies in the same way is false. When we let a false narrative occur, it’s a problem for the Southwestern border states,” Lujan Grisham said. She also cited bipartisan discontent with federal deportation policies, saying, “These indiscriminate, unjust, unconstitutional deportation efforts — while we have not been a target state — both parties are unhappy. It’s enough to get solid Republican voters to vote in a general election for a Democrat.”

Sean Ward, executive director of the Democratic Party of New Mexico, argued that the state offers a unique testing ground for national messaging. “The voters that we’re losing nationally are in New Mexico. There is no better place to test messaging on the border than New Mexico,” he said. Ward added, “You can’t win by campaigning in one place in New Mexico,” highlighting the state’s diverse geography and demographics.

Hispanic or Latino people make up nearly half of New Mexico’s population, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. One in four New Mexicans live in a rural area, and fewer than one in three residents hold a bachelor’s degree. In the 2024 presidential election, New Mexico remained Democratic despite early polling showing a tie between Donald Trump and Joe Biden. Hispanic and Latino men in the state increasingly voted for Trump in 2024, with his vote advantage doubling in rural areas.

New Mexico is the only border state to apply for an earlier Democratic primary in 2028. Campaigning in the state costs a fraction of what it does elsewhere, and the Santa Fe-Albuquerque media market reaches 90% of the population. Indigenous media outlets serving the state’s tribes and pueblos are also highly read.