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SANTA FE — One of the two Republicans running in New Mexico’s closely-watched 2nd Congressional District announced last week he was dropping out of the race and would be supporting his fellow GOP candidate.

But Jose Orozco of sa���ʴ�ý������ҳ��� did not submit the necessary withdrawal paperwork to the Secretary of State’s office before a deadline last week, meaning his name will still appear on the June 2 primary ballot.

In his announcement last week, Orozco said he was ending his campaign for the CD2 seat in an attempt to consolidate support behind the other Republican candidate — Greg Cunningham of sa���ʴ�ý������ҳ���.

“At this critical moment, we must come together as a party to present a strong, unified front,” Orozco said in a news release posted to his social media account. “Division only benefits our opponents.”

Cunningham, a former Marine and retired police officer, received more than 80% of the votes cast by Republican Party of New Mexico delegates at the GOP’s pre-primary convention last month in Ruidoso, but Orozco still qualified for the primary ballot by submitting enough voter signatures to meet a requirement in state statute.

Meanwhile, the winner of the Republican primary race will face off against incumbent U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez, a Democrat, in the November general election.

Vasquez first won the southern New Mexico-based congressional seat in 2022 by defeating a Republican incumbent. He then won reelection in 2024 and is seeking a third term in Congress this year.

The 2nd Congressional District has been considered a key swing seat in recent election cycles, drawing hefty outside spending and national attention.

But the district, which stretches from Las Cruces north into sa���ʴ�ý������ҳ���'s South Valley and also includes much of the Oil Patch in southeast New Mexico, has tilted more Democratic since state lawmakers redrew the district’s boundary lines in redistricting in late 2021.

The state Republican Party filed a lawsuit arguing the new map was a partisan gerrymander that intentionally split up a conservative stronghold, but the state Supreme Court in 2023 upheld its legality.

This year’s race could be key to determining control of the U.S. House of Representatives for the next two years, as Democrats are seeking to reclaim control of the chamber by flipping GOP-held seats.

In New Mexico, all three of the state’s congressional districts are currently held by Democrats. In addition to Vasquez, incumbents Melanie Stansbury and Teresa Leger Fernandez are also seeking reelection.

None of the three Democrats are facing primary election challengers, though all three are set to have GOP opposition in the general election.

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.