Chaves County Commissioner Michael Perry first GOP candidate in land commissioner race
But the Chaves County commissioner and former state Department of Game and Fish official says he's hopeful his conservation-rich background can lead to a GOP breakthrough in next year's land commissioner race.
"My hope is that people will put politics aside and look at resumes," said Perry, who recently announced his campaign for the 2026 contest.
As the first Republican in the contest, Perry joins a race that currently features three Democratic candidates — state legislator Matthew McQueen, former Biden appointee Jonas Moya and ex-Democratic Party official Juan Sanchez.
The race does not feature an incumbent since current Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard is barred under the state Constitution from seeking a third consecutive term. Garcia Richard announced in March her plans to run for lieutenant governor in 2026.
Perry, who currently owns a private consulting firm focused on habitat restoration, worked for more than 20 years with the Game and Fish Department as a game warden and, in later years, as a top administrator overseeing the agency's operations in southern New Mexico.
He then worked for former Land Commissioner Aubrey Dunn, a Republican-turned-Libertarian, as an assistant commissioner.
In that role, Perry said he worked with sportsmen's groups on access issues, including easements and right-of-way leases for certain hard-to-reach state trust lands.
He said those experiences make his resume unmatched among the candidates in the land commissioner race.
"I feel like I'm a good fit based on my biological background and my on the ground experience," Perry said.
He also said that, if elected, he would ensure companies who lease state trust land for oil drilling or other commercial activities clean up their waste, while also saying he would oppose selling public lands.
The idea of selling federal public lands to build more affordable housing drew criticism and protests in New Mexico, before eventually being removed from a massive budget bill signed this month by President Donald Trump.
"I'm not an advocate of selling lands," Perry said. "I'm for us making money, but it's got to be done in a way that can last forever."
The State Land Office oversees more than 9 million acres of state trust land, plus 13 million subsurface acres, for the benefit of New Mexico public schools, hospitals and other beneficiaries.
The annual earnings recorded by the office jumped from roughly $1.1 billion during the 2019 budget year to nearly $2.6 billion in the 2024 fiscal year, with more than 90% of that amount coming from oil and natural gas royalties.
In running for land commissioner next year, Perry will have to forego a reelection bid to the Chaves County Commission. That's because state law bars candidates from running for two separate elected offices in the same election cycle.
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