Ben Luján

The Republican Party of New Mexico and GOP Senate candidate Larry Marker of Roswell claim that New Mexico State University’s upcoming Domenici Public Policy Conference has unfairly excluded Marker while giving the incumbent, U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján, a spotlight.

“NMSU gave (Luján) the single most prominent speaking slot of the entire conference — a solo keynote lunch address on September 9, with no opposing voice on the stage, the schedule, or the invitation list,” the party argued in a news release last week.

Marker, who won the party’s nomination after a write-in campaign during the primaries, aims to be the first Republican elected to the U.S. Senate in New Mexico since Pete Domenici, who founded the conference in 2008.

Domenici served in the senate from 1973 to 2009, when he retired. He was succeeded by Democrat Tom Udall.

The two-day event features two keynote speakers on separate days. On Sept. 8, former Republican congresswoman Heather Wilson, now president of University of Texas at El Paso, is slated to speak, with Luján addressing the conference the next day among other presenters.

While the focus is on public policy, the agenda on Sept. 9 also features candidates in the November elections. These include Republican gubernatorial candidate Gregg Hull with Democratic Lt. Gov. candidate Stephanie Garcia Richard invited to participate as a substitute for Hull’s rival, Deb Haaland. Also scheduled are U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez, D-N.M., and his Republican challenger, Greg Cunningham.

In an interview, Marker told the Journal the conference should convert Luján’s keynote to a debate between the candidates. If given a speaking slot, Marker said he would likely focus on Social Security and the national debt.

“I'm not sure why NMSU would choose to completely ignore me,” Marker said. “The citizens of New Mexico, the voters in particular, have a right to a bipartisan forum.”

NMSU responded through a spokesperson that Wilson and Luján were lined up as keynote speakers “months before New Mexico’s primary election” on June 2, and when Marker entered the field late, the conference’s organizing committee “chose to proceed with the strong bipartisan lineup that was already secured,” the university said.

The committee is led by Garrey Carruthers, a former NMSU chancellor, New Mexico’s governor from 1987 to 1991, and a past Republican Party chair.

“The Domenici Public Policy Conference has always aimed to be inclusive of opposing viewpoints, and while we understand the perception raised by the Republican Party of New Mexico, this situation was a result of the unusual timing of this candidate’s entry into the race,” the university stated.

Marker argued that giving Luján a prime speaking slot without including his challenger is “putting a thumb on the scale.” He added, “If they needed a United States Senator from New Mexico … they could have invited Martin Heinrich. He’s not up for election.”

Henrich, a Democrat, was elected to his third six-year term in 2024.

“Agenda timeframes change all of the time and they’ve had three months to adjust the time slots,” Leticia Muñoz, the party’s executive director, told the Journal. “The Republican Party of New Mexico is asking that the Pete Domenici organization make this right by either having … Heinrich replace Ben Ray Luján or invite … Marker, so that there is political parity.”