Strategic voting in semi-open primaries

SB 16 is a bill that passed the Legislature and was signed into law by Gov. Lujan Grisham. The Rio Grande Foundation did not take a position on the issue, nor did we include it in our “Freedom Index” for 2025. The bill allows “Decline To State” or “Independent” voters to choose to vote in the party primary of their choice when they vote in a primary election.

Somewhat uniquely the bill received support and opposition from both parties in the Legislature. The interesting thing is that it opens a potentially interesting strategy for voters in both parties, but especially the GOP. After all, New Mexico is a “blue” state meaning that their political primaries are often much more competitive (with more candidates) than those held for Republicans. Take the prospective 2026 gubernatorial election. We have seen no serious Republicans announce a run for that office while Deb Haaland and (soon) DA Sam Bregman are already in on the Democratic side. We don’t know how Bregman will run (let alone govern), but there are numerous aspects of Bregman’s record that make him more attractive to Republicans than Haaland who toes the far left line on every significant issue.

It is difficult to organize a movement among Republican primary voters to influence Democratic primaries, but it would seem that unless you are involved in GOP (or Democrat) party activities and thus need to be registered in one party or the other, registering as an Independent (DTS) maximizes your flexibility come primary election day.