State lawmaker, Clovis farmer to challenge Leger Fernández

ROSWELL — A New Mexico Republican lawmaker and Clovis farmer announced Monday he intends to run for office to replace U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández, who represents part of Sandoval County.

Martin Zamora, elected to the Roundhouse in 2019, is running for a seat in New Mexico’s 3rd Congressional District, occupied by Leger Fernández since 2021, he announced in a news release.

“The people of this district deserve better than radical progressive policies that hurt our farmers, our oil and gas workers, and our border communities,” Zamora said in the release. “This is going to be a fight, and we’re working hard to build up the resources needed to win.”

Zamora’s announcement comes a little more than a month after the latest Federal Election Commission filings, which he cited in the release, claiming he raised over $10,000 more than Leger Fernández between July 1 and Sept. 30. However, the congresswoman has $550,648 cash on hand compared to $225,676 for Zamora, who said in the release that his summer fundraising haul demonstrates “growing Republican enthusiasm for flipping the seat in 2026.”

The economy, energy, border security and agriculture are his top campaign issues, Zamora said.