By Jesse Jones and Kevin Hendricks, New Mexico Political Report — National Democrats came to Albuquerque on Saturday to get a taste of New Mexico, literally, at a matanza rally celebrating the state’s new fourth-in-the-nation slot on the 2028 presidential primary calendar.
Sens. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland and Mark Kelly of Arizona, along with former Arizona U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords were special guests at the inaugural 4th in the Nation Matanza Rally, which ran at Balloon Fiesta Park. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and members of New Mexico’s congressional delegation joined them, along with local musicians and food vendors. The rally doubled as a get-out-the-vote push 10 days before the Nov. 3 general election.
Sen. Ben Ray Luján, who hosted the event, credited Lujan Grisham with landing the early primary slot and said presidential hopefuls will now have to learn what New Mexico values: its blue-collar workers, farmers and ranchers, national labs, veterans and water. He told reporter Jesse Jones that about 2,000 people RSVP’d, but he expected the real crowd to run double that. “We don’t like to RSVP, right? We just show up to the party,” he said.
Vote in the Nov. 3 general election:
- Check your registration, sample ballot and early voting locations: sos.nm.gov
- Find details on candidates and questions on your ballot from the League of Women Voters
- Election Day: Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026