Gregg Hull alone at New Mexico debate after Deb Haaland withdrew

New Mexico Republican gubernatorial nominee Gregg Hull appeared alone at the only scheduled general election debate on October 8, after Democratic nominee Deb Haaland withdrew from the event due to a scheduling conflict, KOB-TV reported. The broadcast featured two podiums, an American flag backdrop, and opening and closing remarks, but played out as a one-on-one interview without a second candidate for rebuttals.

An Empty Podium on the KOB-TV Stage

The broadcast at KOB-TV marked the sole agreed-upon general election debate before the November 3 election in New Mexico’s open race for governor, Dan Boyd and Matthew Reisen reported for the Albuquerque Journal via KUNM. Hull criticized the format at the close of the broadcast. “It should’ve been a debate,” Hull said, according to KOB-TV. “I think it’s important to address the issues in front of a camera where the most amount of people in New Mexico can see what you have to say.”

Brian Sanderoff, president of the Albuquerque-based firm Research and Polling Inc., called the situation highly unusual. Sanderoff noted that the broadcast gave Hull an opportunity to deliver his message without pushback from an opponent facing an empty podium.

Haaland Withdraws from KOB-TV Debate over Scheduling

KOB-TV announced in September that it would host a debate between Hull and Haaland, who served as the U.S. Department of the Interior secretary under the Biden administration. Haaland campaign staffers stated they had not agreed to the October 8 date and that KOB-TV rejected alternative dates they proposed.

Haaland stated that she withdrew from the debate to honor a prior commitment. She spent Thursday meeting with farmers, ranchers, and the agricultural industry in southern New Mexico. “I offered a total of eight dates to my opponent and KOB, and my opponent rejected every single offer,” Haaland said in a statement.

Ahead of the June primary election, Haaland participated in one debate against Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman on New Mexico PBS. Bregman characterized that event as an improper debate because advocacy groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico, the Center for Biological Diversity, and Indivisible Albuquerque, provided many of the questions.

Hull Proposes Four-Step Plan to Phase Out Income Tax

During the KOB-TV conversation, journalists questioned Hull on his strategy to address affordability in New Mexico during his first 100 days in office. Hull pointed to his recently announced four-step plan to phase out the state’s personal income tax. Under the proposal, taxable income thresholds would gradually decrease until no state resident pays personal income tax. For a single filer making a $40,000 salary, the first step would reduce income tax from $1,471 to $671. For a married couple filing jointly with a $200,000 income, it would lower taxes from $8,989 to $7,250.

“While we can’t control pricing of certain items, we can try to put as much money back in the pockets of our citizens as possible,” Hull said.

In February, Haaland released an affordability agenda that proposed raising the state minimum wage, launching a multilingual tax credit calculator, and establishing long-term savings accounts for newborns in the state.

Candidates Seek Reform of Children Youth and Families Department

Candidates from both parties have focused on reforming the state’s Children, Youth and Families Department this election cycle. In April, the New Mexico Department of Justice published a critical investigative report into the agency and filed multiple lawsuits. The legal action followed reports that agency staffers drove a foster teen to the U.S.-Mexico border and told him to cross alone into Ciudad Juárez to reunite with his estranged mother.

On public safety, Hull stated that New Mexico suffers from a revolving-door justice system, describing police officers and sheriff’s deputies who report arresting suspects only to see them released the same night. He stated he would work with the Legislature to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot to hold violent criminals in jail after arrest. Haaland has previously emphasized alternative response models dispatching behavioral health professionals to 911 mental health calls, full funding for the public defender’s office, and a task force for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons cases.

Data Center Regulations

The conversation with Hull focused on issues surrounding affordability, New Mexico’s troubled child welfare department, public safety and data centers.

Voters head to the polls on November 3 to decide the gubernatorial race.