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SANTA FE 鈥� With less than two months left until New Mexico鈥檚 primary election, Democrat Deb Haaland is continuing to outraise 鈥� and outspend 鈥� her rivals in the state鈥檚 open race for governor.

The former U.S. Interior secretary reported raising roughly $4.1 million over the last six months, bringing her total fundraising haul since launching her campaign last year to nearly $11.1 million.

鈥淚 understand how hard it is to earn a dollar 鈥� and I appreciate everyone who believes in my vision for New Mexico and has supported my campaign for governor,鈥� Haaland said in a Tuesday statement. 鈥淎s the most experienced candidate, I will stand up to Donald Trump, protect New Mexicans from harmful ICE policies, and lower costs so families can afford both rent and groceries in the same month.鈥� 

Haaland鈥檚 opponent in the Democratic primary, Bernalillo County prosecutor Sam Bregman, reported raising more than $1.2 million during the reporting period. He has now received nearly $3.7 million since launching his campaign for governor.

A Bregman campaign spokeswoman said more than 80% of his contributions came from New Mexico residents, while pointing out most of Haaland鈥檚 donations came from out of state.

鈥淎s the polling in this race continues to narrow, we are confident that we will have more than enough resources to continue getting our message out to voters,鈥� said Bregman campaign spokeswoman Joanie Griffin.

With the June 2 primary approaching, the Haaland and Bregman campaigns have already sparred over televised debates and plagiarism allegations, and both candidates have launched TV ads touting their credentials.

The Haaland campaign also said Tuesday that about 5% of the total contribution amount reported by Bregman came from donors who also financially supported Trump in the past.

Among the three Republicans running for governor, cannabis entrepreneur Duke Rodriguez reported making a $500,000 contribution to his own campaign and said he would likely make another similar donation before the June primary election. The $500,000 donation made up roughly 99% of Rodriguez鈥檚 total contributions.

鈥淲e鈥檙e doing exactly what we said we would do 鈥� putting our money, our time and our full commitment behind this campaign,鈥� said Rodriguez, who has weathered two separate court challenges seeking to have him removed from the ballot.

Another Republican in the race, small business owner Doug Turner of sa国际传媒官网网页入口, also reported raising slightly more than $500,000 in contributions, though in his case the money did not come from his own bank account.

Rather, Turner鈥檚 largest donors included former state GOP chairwoman Debbie Maestas and several oil industry officials, including state Rep. Mark Murphy of Roswell and the Jalapeno Corp. that is owned by former party chairman Harvey Yates Jr.

Turner鈥檚 campaign said the fundriasing haul 鈥� raised in just three months since launching his campaign 鈥� shows a campaign message of lower taxes and addressing public safety concerns is resonating with voters.

鈥淣ew Mexicans are fired up, and they're putting their money behind the candidate who will deliver results," Turner said in a statement. 鈥淭his state has been mismanaged for decades, and voters from every corner of New Mexico are ready to fight back.鈥�

As for Gregg Hull, who received the most support from state Republican Party delegates at the GOP鈥檚 pre-primary convention in Ruidoso last month, he reported getting nearly $145,000 in contributions. That brought his total contribution amount since launching his campaign last year to more than $474,000.

Hull, who is stepping down as Rio Rancho鈥檚 mayor this year, has spent roughly half that amount, primarily on campaign consultants and TV ads.

鈥淚鈥檓 proud that this campaign is being built by hardworking New Mexicans chipping in what they can,鈥� Hull told the Journal. 鈥淚鈥檓 humbled by their trust, and I鈥檓 more committed than ever to delivering the results our state deserves.鈥�

Contested primaries mean big spending 

This year鈥檚 race for governor was expected to be an expensive contest, since incumbent Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is term-limited and is barred from seeking a third consecutive term.

In the state鈥檚 last gubernatorial contest four years ago, Lujan Grisham spent roughly $13 million on her successful re-election campaign, while Republican Mark Ronchetti spent more than $9 million. Those figures do not include hefty spending on the race by outside groups.

While it鈥檚 not yet clear whether outside groups will spend big in New Mexico again, this year鈥檚 race marks the first time since 1994 that a gubernatorial contest in the state has contested primary races among both Democrats and Republicans. The governor鈥檚 race also includes independent candidate Ken Miyagishima, former mayor of Las Cruces.

In that year鈥檚 race, Republican Gary Johnson was elected to the Governor鈥檚 Office after winning a four-way GOP primary. He defeated former Gov. Bruce King, a Democrat who barely rebuffed a primary challenge from Casey Luna, his former lieutenant governor.

With both major parties having contested primary elections this year, the five candidates have already spent more than $10 million 鈥� with the $6.7 million spent by Haaland representing roughly two-thirds of that amount.

The reports filed this week with Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver鈥檚 office cover candidate fundraising and spending over a roughly six-month period 鈥� from Oct. 7 through April 6.

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