For Immediate Release:
January 26, 2026
Contact:
Mark Allison, Executive Director
505-239-0906
New Poll Shows 71% of New Mexico Voters Oppose Sell-Off Steve Pearce’s Nomination to Lead BLM
New Mexico Wild Action Fund Calls on Senators Heinrich and Luján to Oppose Pearce
Albuquerque, NM — A new survey from bipartisan polling firm RABA Research finds that 71% of New Mexico voters oppose public lands enemy Steve Pearce’s nomination to lead the Bureau of Land Management. Ahead of a hearing to confirm Pearce to the position, New Mexico Wild Action Fund is calling on Senators Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján to stand with their constituents and oppose Pearce’s nomination.
As a member of Congress representing New Mexico, Pearce sponsored legislation to allow federal public lands to be sold off to private interests — betraying the wishes and needs of his own constituents back at home. He has long opposed the designation of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument, fighting its establishment in 2014 and later urging a large reduction in its size. Pearce has also disparaged national parks and vowed to “reverse this trend of public ownership of lands.” The BLM oversees 245 million acres of America’s public lands, including around 13 million acres in New Mexico. As New Mexicans, we cannot let Pearce control the land our community relies on.
According to the poll, New Mexico voters care deeply about protecting the state’s public lands and do not support Pearce’s nomination to oversee BLM. Key takeaways include:
- 71% of New Mexico voters oppose Pearce’s nomination, including 59% of Republicans.
- 72% say Pearce’s oil and gas business ties are an inappropriate conflict.
- 84% are concerned about impacts to grazing, hunting, and fishing access.
- 60% would view New Mexico’s U.S. Senators more favorably if they voted against Pearce.
“Steve Pearce’s confirmation would be an unmitigated disaster for public lands,” said Mark Allison, Executive Director of the New Mexico Wild Action Fund. “For New Mexicans, public lands are inseparable from our history, our culture, our traditional uses, how we recreate, and our very identity. Not only does Pearce have blatant conflicts of interest, but his bias in favor of extractive industries would come at the direct expense of public access and of everyday Americans’ ability to hunt, fish, hike, camp, and mountain bike on what is, afterall, their public lands. His long-standing hostility to conservation would imperil our waters and wildlife habitat. Pearce’s history of attempts to sell off and privatize America’s birthright public lands should by itself disqualify him from leading our largest land management agency – full stop.”
In 2018, New Mexico voters defeated Pearce when he ran for governor, preventing him from selling off our public lands under the seal of the gubernatorial office. But by confirming Pearce, the U.S. Senate would allow him to strip us of the sacred landscapes, irreplaceable history, and economic engines of our communities. We urge Senators Heinrich and Luján to heed the calls of the 79% of New Mexico voters who want to keep public lands where they belong: in the hands of the American people.
Senators Heinrich and Luján were critical in the fight to defeat a Congressional attempt to sell off our public lands last year. Senators Heinrich and John Hickenlooper (D-CO) introduced an amendment, cosponsored by Senator Luján and other key voices, during budget negotiations that would have blocked the sale of public lands if passed. Now, Senator Heinrich will play a key role in Pearce’s confirmation battle as Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
In a memo summarizing the poll results, RABA Research concludes: “Public lands are a consensus issue in New Mexico, and Pearce’s record places him well outside the mainstream… In New Mexico, opposing Steve Pearce aligns Senators with a broad bipartisan majority and the clear will of voters.”
The survey was conducted by RABA Research from January 20-21, 2026, among 501 registered voters in New Mexico.
The full poll results are available for download here. A memo from RABA Research summarizing the findings is available here.
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About New Mexico Wild Action Fund
New Mexico Wild Action Fund is a statewide, independent, grassroots, nonprofit conservation organization dedicated to protecting New Mexico’s public lands, wilderness, waters, and wildlife.
About RABA Research
RABA stands for “Red America, Blue America.” RABA Research was founded in early 2016 by a bipartisan group of political professionals who have worked for candidates, issues, organizations, and corporations across the globe. RABA believes that polling methods and data are most impactful when presented accurately and fairly through an unbiased lens.
