Upset Brief · New Mexico U.S. Senate · Larry Marker (R) vs. Ben Ray Luján (D), incumbent
A long shot on the math: it takes a 9.2-point national wave.
<1%
odds today
5%
odds with the plan
117,934
net votes to find
37
days left; voting starts October 6
Where
- 01+15,314Bernalillo CountyStarting line Luján +29. 15,022 persuadable voters leaning Luján; 66,691 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022.
- 02+4,064Santa Fe CountyStarting line Luján +60. 3,937 persuadable voters leaning Luján; 14,317 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022.
- 03+3,899San Juan CountyStarting line Marker +22. 2,525 persuadable voters leaning Luján; 12,919 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022.
- 04+3,774Sandoval CountyStarting line Luján +14. 3,671 persuadable voters leaning Luján; 18,570 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022.
- 05+3,415Dona Ana CountyStarting line Luján +21. 3,270 persuadable voters leaning Luján; 27,828 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022.
- 06+2,209Eddy CountyStarting line Marker +46. 1,174 persuadable voters leaning Luján; 6,779 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022.
The top 12 counties carry 82% of the plan.
How
- P+45,000PersuadeTicket splitters and the 9 percent still undecided in the latest poll: 45,000 leaning Luján today.
- M+6,305MobilizeAt least 49,521 people who voted in 2024 but not in 2022, in counties where Marker's side wins at least 55 percent.
- C+1,001ConsolidateVoters who went third party in recent races, in the counties that lean Marker's way.
Plus a national shift of 9.2 points of margin (65,628 votes) that no campaign controls.
What has to be true
- Marker wins 50 percent of the ticket splitters and undecided voters now leaning Luján.
- In the precincts Marker's side carries in Lea County and San Juan County, 35 percent of the people who voted in 2024 but skipped 2022 come back and vote.
- The national environment moves about 9.2 points toward Marker's side between now and November 3.
- The starting line comes from published 2026 polls, including campaign or party sponsored polls where those are the only ones; if the true gap is different, so is the plan.
The numbers behind it
- 01Crossover regression2,156 precincts, R² 0.976, 368 crossover precincts identified
- 02Monte Carlo20,000 seeded simulated elections with a 5-point baseline error. 90% range of the final margin with the plan: -129,096 to -986 votes.
- 03Money, FEC candidate totals through June 30Marker $11,850 cash on hand; Luján $4,396,754.
- 04Call program for this list98,242 households, 294,727 dials, about 15,444 live conversations: an estimated $27,007 at published rates.
Independent analysis by The Political Group from official New Mexico Secretary of State precinct returns (2022 and 2024), FEC filings and published polls, as of September 26, 2026. Not affiliated with any candidate or party.