New Mexico Senate Voter Guide: Luján and Marker on Energy and the Border
Two candidates are on the ballot for U.S. Senate in New Mexico on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026: Democratic Sen. Ben Ray Luján, who is seeking a second term, and Republican Larry Marker of Roswell, according to the New Mexico Secretary of State's candidate list. Two other candidates who filed for the seat, Mira O'Connell (decline to state) and Bob Perls (Forward Party), are listed by the Secretary of State as disqualified and will not appear on the ballot.
The Digital Free Press voter guide video compares the two candidates on energy and border security. Here is where each one stands, based on the video, the candidates' own words, Luján's Senate record and New Mexico reporting.
Most of the positions in the video match two KRQE News 13 candidate interviews by Madison Conner, published Oct. 6 and Oct. 7, and Marker's campaign website. Source NM asked both candidates the same questions, including one on border security, for its 2026 voter guide, and the Albuquerque Journal and the League of Women Voters of Southern New Mexico published written candidate questionnaires.
Why Energy and the Border Are Issues
New Mexico is the nation's No. 2 oil producer, and Marker's campaign says nearly half of the state's operating budget comes from the energy industry, with about $2.4 billion a year supporting K-12 schools and higher education. The campaign also says more than half of New Mexico's oil and gas production happens on federal land, which ties state revenue to federal leasing and permitting decisions.
New Mexico shares about 180 miles of border with Mexico. In February 2026, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed House Bill 9, the Immigrant Safety Act, which prohibits local governments from signing detention contracts with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Source NM reported. Republican lawmakers criticized the bill. The governor pointed to $6 million in the House budget proposal for workforce development in Torrance, Cibola and Otero counties, where the state's three immigrant detention centers are located.
Ben Ray Luján (Democrat, Incumbent)
Luján, 53, is from Nambé and graduated from New Mexico Highlands University with a business degree, according to his Albuquerque Journal questionnaire. He is the son of former New Mexico House Speaker Ben Lujan. He served six terms in the U.S. House representing northern New Mexico's 3rd Congressional District, including as Assistant Speaker of the House, before winning election to the Senate in 2020 over Republican Mark Ronchetti, the Journal and Source NM reported. He suffered a stroke in 2022 and has since recovered, the Journal reported. He serves on the Senate Finance and Agriculture committees. He won the June 2 Democratic primary with 84% of the vote, Source NM reported.
On energy, the video says Luján supports protecting public lands while supporting New Mexico's energy industry. That matches what he told KRQE News 13, which reported that he wants to continue "a balanced approach to energy policy, including protecting public lands while supporting New Mexico's energy industry." Luján told the station: "There's a place where generation makes sense and a place that it doesn't. There needs to be a balance in this space as well." His campaign website says he "helped pass historic clean energy tax credits and efficiency rebates" and led the bipartisan REGROW Act to clean up more than 700 abandoned oil and gas wells in the state, "cut methane emissions, and create jobs." On Oct. 2, he joined other Western Democrats in introducing the Stop Orphaned Wells Act, which would require oil and gas companies to post enough bonding to clean up wells on public lands. In the League of Women Voters questionnaire, he wrote that "we have a duty to support responsible, clean energy policies" and that he would "ensure that New Mexico is a leader in the clean energy economy."
On the border, the video says Luján wants 100% screening of border traffic and more federal resources for border security. That matches the record. Luján told Source NM: "We need to have smart immigration policy and strong border security in America. I've advocated for 100% screening — inbound and outbound — of our southern border for some time." KRQE News 13 reported that he said additional federal resources should be used to strengthen border security, and he told the station the current immigration system "is not working for anyone." In the League of Women Voters questionnaire, he said he supports comprehensive immigration reform, including the DREAM Act and the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, and "modern and effective border security that uses technology rather than walls to keep out narcotics and the cartels." His campaign website says he has introduced legislation to require training for ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers and to hold them accountable.
Larry Marker (Republican)
Marker, 62, was born in Hobbs in 1963 and raised in Roswell, according to his campaign website. He is a self-employed businessman who says he has worked in oil and gas production, farming, ranching, manufacturing and construction, and he lists a 1982 high school diploma in his Albuquerque Journal questionnaire. He previously ran unsuccessfully for state land commissioner and the state Senate, Source NM reported. No Republican appeared on the June primary ballot for the seat, and Marker qualified for the general election as a write-in candidate with more than 31,000 votes, the Journal reported. He told KRQE News 13 that he supports President Donald Trump, and he told the Albuquerque Journal that he disagrees with some of Trump's policies. His campaign website includes a "Legal Matters" page listing court cases he has been involved in, including a 2017 civil lawsuit against him that he says contributed to the bankruptcy of his oil company, and lawsuits he has filed against state officials.
On energy, the video says Marker believes federal limits on oil and gas threaten school funding and wants New Mexico energy independence. That matches his campaign. On a page titled "New Mexico Energy Independence," his website says, "When Washington targets New Mexico energy, families feel it in teachers, school buildings, and scholarships," and that federal "permitting paralysis" puts state revenue at risk. As senator, he says he would introduce legislation setting "shot-clocks" for federal drilling permits on federal land, so that a permit not processed in time "will be deemed approved." He says he would use the Senate's confirmation power to block nominees who hold "a record of using regulatory overreach to target New Mexico's energy sector" and hold oversight hearings on delayed energy projects. He calls for an "all-of-the-above" strategy that includes oil, gas, hydrogen and nuclear energy. He told KRQE News 13: "I'm into drill baby drill, dig baby dig, grow baby grow, and build baby build," and said decisions about public lands should rest on long-term policies that stay consistent no matter which party controls the White House. He told Source NM, "We need to get a handle on the government putting the independent oil and gas producers out of business."
On the border, the video says Marker wants to stop fentanyl at the border and to end state limits on working with federal immigration agents. His campaign website lists "Shut down the fentanyl pipeline" as a border priority and says, "To save our children, we must stop the poison at the source." The site says "state policies that block meaningful cooperation with federal immigration authorities make it harder to remove dangerous offenders." It does not name a specific state law to repeal. As senator, Marker says he would tie Homeland Security funding to "verifiable, 100% border surveillance and interdiction" and block nominees who do not publicly support enforcing immigration laws. He told Source NM, "We need a very, very strong, secure border, but we do need a way for people to migrate into the U.S. — a legal method that is not real cumbersome and especially not real expensive." KRQE News 13 reported that he supports ICE while emphasizing accountability; he told the station, "We need to make sure when those guys arrest somebody or deport somebody that that's what they're supposed to be doing."
Where to Follow the Candidates
Ben Ray Luján: @benraylujan on X (campaign) and @SenatorLujan on X (Senate office). Larry Marker: @ElectMarker on X. No official TikTok account was found for either candidate.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. This guide is for information only; The Digital Free Press does not endorse any candidate.
Yossi Schmidt, Founder and Editor-in-Chief, The Digital Free Press
Hold Everyone Accountable.
Sources: New Mexico Secretary of State, 2026 General Election candidate list: https://candidateportal.servis.sos.state.nm.us/CandidateList.aspx?eid=2917&cty=99 ; KRQE News 13 via Yahoo News, "Luján outlines priorities as he seeks another term in U.S. Senate" (Oct. 6, 2026): https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/luj-n-outlines-priorities-seeks-032120371.html ; KRQE News 13 via Yahoo News, "Republican Larry Marker looks to unseat Ben Ray Luján in U.S. Senate race" (Oct. 7, 2026): https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/republican-larry-marker-looks-unseat-034521701.html ; Source NM, "New Mexico Election 2026: US Senate" (Sept. 11, 2026): https://sourcenm.com/2026/09/11/new-mexico-election-2026-us-senator/ ; Source NM Voter Guide, U.S. Senator: https://sourcenm.com/voter-guides/contests/u-s-senate/ ; Albuquerque Journal, "U.S. Senate: Ben Ray Luján (D)" candidate Q&A: https://www.abqjournal.com/election/us-senate-ben-ray-lujan-d/3128964 ; Albuquerque Journal, "U.S. Senate: Larry Marker (R)" candidate Q&A: https://www.abqjournal.com/election/us-senate-larry-marker-r/3128990 ; Albuquerque Journal via Yahoo News, "US Sen. Ben Ray Luján faces long-shot challenge" (Dan Boyd): https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/us-sen-ben-ray-luj-140100001.html ; League of Women Voters of Southern New Mexico, 2026 Voters' Guide: https://www.lwvsnm.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/LWV-GUIDE-2026-finalREV.pdf ; Source NM, "New Mexico governor signs medical compacts, Immigrant Safety Act, road bonds into law" (Feb. 5, 2026): https://sourcenm.com/2026/02/05/new-mexico-governor-signs-medical-compacts-immigrant-safety-act-road-bonds-into-law/ ; Office of Sen. Michael Bennet, "Bennet, Ansari, Padilla, Hickenlooper, Schiff, Luján Introduce Legislation to Protect Public Lands and Taxpayers from Orphaned Oil and Gas Wells" (Oct. 2, 2026): https://www.bennet.senate.gov/2026/10/02/bennet-ansari-padilla-hickenlooper-schiff-lujan-introduce-legislation-to-protect-public-lands-and-taxpayers-from-orphaned-oil-and-gas-wells/ ; Ben Ray Luján campaign, Making New Mexico More Affordable: https://benraylujan.com/issue/making-new-mexico-more-affordable/ ; Ben Ray Luján campaign, Delivering for New Mexicans: https://benraylujan.com/issue/delivering-for-new-mexicans/ ; Ben Ray Luján campaign, Keeping New Mexicans Safe: https://benraylujan.com/issue/keeping-new-mexicans-safe/ ; Larry Marker campaign, New Mexico Energy Independence: https://larrymarker.com/new-mexico-energy-independence/ ; Larry Marker campaign, Secure New Mexico Borders: https://larrymarker.com/secure-new-mexico-borders/ ; Larry Marker campaign, Meet Larry "Lead" Marker: https://larrymarker.com/meet-larry-led-marker/ ; Larry Marker campaign, Legal Matters: https://larrymarker.com/legal-matters/ ; Ben Ray Luján campaign: https://benraylujan.com/ ; Larry Marker campaign: https://larrymarker.com/
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