ALBUQUERQUE — Former Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull holds a narrow lead over businessman Doug Turner in the Republican primary for governor, but a new poll released this week shows Turner closing fast ahead of the June 2 election.
A survey conducted May 18–20 by Public Opinion Strategies for the No Doubt About It podcast — hosted by former Republican gubernatorial nominee Mark Ronchetti — found Hull at 33% and Turner at 30% among 400 likely Republican primary voters, with a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points. Cannabis entrepreneur Duke Rodriguez trailed at 12%, with 25% of voters still undecided.
The results represent a significant shift from a poll conducted roughly a month earlier, which showed Hull at 30%, Turner at 21%, and 40% undecided. Rodriguez had polled at 9% in that earlier survey.
Turner has spent the final stretch of the primary accumulating high-profile endorsements. This week, the campaign added state Sens. Crystal Diamond Brantley, R-Elephant Butte, and Pat Woods, R-Broadview, to a list that already includes former U.S. Rep. Yvette Herrell, former Lt. Gov. John Sanchez, state Rep. Rod Montoya, R-Farmington, and Albuquerque City Councilor Dan Lewis.
Rodriguez has faced a rocky final stretch.
Earlier this month, attorneys representing President Donald Trump and his political action committee sent the Rodriguez campaign a cease-and-desist letter demanding it stop using Trump’s likeness in mailers and digital ads that implied a presidential endorsement. Trump has not endorsed in the race. Rodriguez agreed to discontinue the imagery but characterized the ads as political parody.
Hull, Rio Rancho’s longest-serving mayor, has pushed back on the narrative of a tightening race, pointing to his consistent lead across all polls in the contest. His campaign has touted a Rio Rancho-area endorsement slate that includes Mayor Paul Wymer, two city council members and state Reps. Catherine Cullen, R-Rio Rancho, and Josh Hernandez, R-Rio Rancho, state Sen. Craig Brandt, R-Rio Rancho, and two Sandoval County commissioners.
Ronchetti, whose podcast commissioned the poll, predicted Turner could overtake Hull on election day, arguing Turner has drawn sharper contrasts with his opponents while Hull has run a less combative campaign.
Tuesday’s election marks New Mexico’s first semi-open primary, allowing unaffiliated voters to cast a ballot in either the Republican or Democratic primary without first changing their party registration.
For a full New Mexico Sentinel voter guide to the Republican primary ballot, visit nmsentinel.com.
