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SANTA FE 鈥� The New Mexico Republican Party wasn鈥檛 planning on having to pick a new leader less than five months out from this year鈥檚 general election.

But after a state judge ordered former GOP chairwoman Amy Barela to step down from her post last month, Republican Party insiders from around the state will gather in Las Cruces on Saturday to pick a replacement.

The meeting was called by the state party鈥檚 1st Vice Chair Mike Nelson, following the state Supreme Court鈥檚 recent decision to deny an appeal of District Court Judge Cindy Mercer鈥檚 order. The lawsuit that prompted the judge鈥檚 ruling hinged on claims top state GOP officials violated party rules intended to ensure neutrality in contested primary races.

In a twist, Barela herself is among the five candidates running for the state GOP chairmanship, after losing her primary election for the Otero County Commission seat she was elected to in 2022. 

The four other candidates running include sa国际传媒官网网页入口 attorney Robert Aragon, who filed a separate lawsuit seeking Barela鈥檚 ouster, and KKOB radio talk show host Brandon Vogt.

Vogt said he felt compelled to run for GOP chairman after Republicans initially failed to field a candidate this year to run against incumbent U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luj谩n. After the lone GOP candidate who filed to run for the seat was disqualified, Larry Marker of Roswell ran as a write-in candidate in this month鈥檚 primary election and received enough votes to secure his spot on the November ballot.

鈥淭his is an ineffective party at this point,鈥� Vogt said in a Monday interview, while adding he would seek to unify the state Republican Party and support GOP candidates on the ballot this fall.

Meanwhile, the two other candidates vying to be the next GOP chair are Zac Anaya of Rio Rancho, who unsuccessfully challenged state Rep. Joshua Hernandez in this month鈥檚 primary election, and John Brenna, who is currently the GOP chairman in Valencia County.

Brenna, a former law enforcement officer, said he鈥檚 in talks with Aragon about a possible alliance so the two candidates don鈥檛 split votes from one another.

He also said he would push for party rule changes if elected, and would also seek to elevate the role of county parties.

鈥淲e have enough Republicans to win this election 鈥� we just have to get them off the couch,鈥� Brenna told the Journal, referring to this fall鈥檚 election in which all statewide offices will be on the ballot. 

As for Anaya, he said Monday he has decided to support either Aragon or Brenna鈥檚 candidacy 鈥� and withdraw his own candidacy 鈥� if the other two candidates can reach a deal. 

Whoever wins this weekend鈥檚 race could have a short stint as party chair, as New Mexico Republicans will meet again in December 鈥� just after the general election 鈥� to vote on party leadership for the next two years.

Dan Boyd covers state government and politics for the Journal in Santa Fe. Follow him on X at or reach him via email at dboyd@abqjournal.com.