Ben Luján

SANTA FE — Ben Ray Luján’s bid for reelection to a second term in the U.S. Senate looked like a cakewalk for much of this spring.

But after Republicans initially failed to land a candidate on the primary election ballot, Larry Marker of Roswell stepped in to give them a chance — and give voters a choice.

Marker, who goes by the nickname “Lead” to family and close friends, succeeded in qualifying for the general election ballot after getting more than 31,000 write-in votes in June — more than 10 times more than the minimum amount he needed.

Since then, he has tried to jumpstart a statewide campaign despite facing a significant fundraising disadvantage to Luján, who had nearly $4.4 million in his campaign account as of July.

“I’m not delusional,” Marker told the Journal. “I know it’s a challenge.”

Luján has held a comfortable advantage in recent polls — including a Journal Poll conducted in August that showed him with a 15-point edge — but insists he’s not in cruise control on the campaign trail.

“I’m working hard,” he said in a recent interview. “I don’t take any election for granted.”

The son of former New Mexico House Speaker Ben Lujan, who died in 2012, Luján first won election to the U.S. Senate in 2020 after rebuffing a challenge from Republican Mark Ronchetti. He previously served six terms representing a northern New Mexico-based U.S. House district.

But his political career appeared to be in limbo in 2022 after he suffered a serious stroke that required him to be hospitalized and undergo surgery.

Luján has since recovered and emerged as an advocate for stroke prevention and treatment efforts.

“I’m blessed that I got better,” Luján told the Journal. “I feel stronger than ever.”

In touting his effectiveness in Congress, he cited his work to expand the federal Radiation Exposure Compensation Act to include New Mexico residents impacted by nuclear testing and uranium mining. Luján also said he’s proud of his efforts to secure funding for victims of the Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak wildfire that charred a large swath of northern New Mexico in 2022.

As for his opponent, Marker acknowledges his campaign got off to an “unorthodox” start but said he’s been working hard to meet voters around the state.

The self-employed oil and gas businessman, who previously ran unsuccessfully for a state Senate seat in 2024, accused Luján of refusing to debate him in the run-up to the Nov. 3 election.

Marker acknowledged voters’ frustrations with high gas prices and inflation could hurt his chances of posting an upset victory, but said he disagrees with some of President Donald Trump’s policies.

In particular, he bristled at Trump’s social media calls to change the name of New Mexico to New America, saying, “He needs to shut the hell up about the New America thing.”

Meanwhile, Marker has also been at the forefront of a movement that involves having up to 12 counties in New Mexico withdraw from the state to form a new incorporated “Chisum Territory.”

He insisted the push was not a secession movement, describing it instead as “reversion.” In addition, he said he conveyed his opposition to Texas annexing oil-rich parts of New Mexico during a phone call with staffers in Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows’ office.

“We would be no better represented with Austin than we are with Santa Fe,” Marker told the Journal.

He said some GOP campaign consultants had cautioned him the movement could be politically perilous, but said he stands by his involvement in the effort. Marker also said there “may not be a need for Chisum,” depending on the outcome of this year’s midterm election cycle.

Democrats hold all statewide offices in New Mexico, along with both chambers of the state Legislature. The state’s congressional delegation, which includes Luján, is also all-Democratic.