OPINIONS: Preservation of Public Lands on the 2026 Ballot

While the national storyline coming out of the 2026 midterms is a broad Democratic wave, local elections across the Mountain West and Southwest showed that, for candidates of both parties, public lands were on the ballot.

From Wyoming to Montana to New Mexico to Arizona, Democrats and Republicans ran on their support for public lands, both in contested primaries and in general elections. Wyoming’s Republican governor-elect made opposing public land sales a signature of his campaign, beating a Trump-endorsed rival in the primary along the way. In Montana’s open, closely contested House seat, both the Republican and Democratic candidates made protecting public lands a central argument. In Arizona, a swing-district Republican congressman sponsored the bipartisan bill that created the nation’s newest national park, legislation that President Donald Trump signed into law two weeks before Election Day.

Meanwhile, public lands decisions over the last two years created a litmus test for candidates; For example, Utah Senator Mike Lee’s failed attempt to sell off millions of acres of public land in 2025 forced candidates at all levels to say whether they would support or oppose efforts to sell public lands. Public lands issues showed up in campaigns across the region, like Congress stripping protections to prevent mining near Minnesota’s Boundary Waters, deep cuts to the staff who manage national parks and forests and fight wildfires, and the first approval of an AI data center on national public land in Nevada.

This was a wave election, and no single issue decided it. But the pattern was consistent: in the West, candidates embraced pro-public lands positions, and rejected efforts to privatize or sell them to the highest bidder. Even in the context of other important issues like affordability, health care, and education, 85 percent of voters across Mountain West states see issues involving public lands, waters, and wildlife as a motivating factor in supporting an elected official.

The Center for Western Priorities will release its full Winning the West post-election analysis later this year.

New Mexico
Governor — Deb Haaland (D)
Former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland became the first Native American woman elected governor of a U.S. state, after closing her campaign with a pledge to keep “standing up to the Trump administration’s attacks on our public lands.” She warned that repealing the 2001 Roadless Rule would open more than 1.5 million acres of New Mexico’s national forests to development. Her Republican opponent, Gregg Hull, argued that forest management decisions should be “driven by the people who live closest to the land.”

2nd District, U.S. House — Gabe Vasquez (D)
Vasquez won re-election by about 18 points in a bellwether swing district President Trump carried in 2024. He co-founded the bipartisan Public Lands Caucus in 2025 and ran a TV ad pledging, “I won’t let anyone from any party sell [public lands] off at any price.” His Republican challenger, Greg Cunningham, also told the Albuquerque Journal, “New Mexico’s public lands aren’t for sale.”

Land Commissioner — Juan de Jesus Sanchez III (D)
Sanchez, a rancher and former Army Corps natural resources specialist, won the open land commissioner race with about 60 percent of the vote. Sanchez made public lands the core of his campaign, saying “With what’s happening at the federal level with the current administration in Washington, D.C., public lands really seem to be under attack. I would love to be elected to this position so I can be a champion for our public lands here in New Mexico.” After receiving Sen. Martin Heinrich’s endorsement, Sanchez said, “we certainly agree that we cannot let Donald Trump and his allies sell off our public lands and resources to the highest bidder.” His Republican opponent, Michael Perry, also opposed land sales, saying in a radio debate, “We really need to keep public lands in public hands.”

Nevada
Governor — Aaron Ford (D)
Ford unseated Republican Governor Joe Lombardo in a race where data centers on public land became one of the defining fights. In June, the Bureau of Land Management approved the first AI data center on federal public land, an 88.5-acre project near Boulder City. Boulder City’s council voted unanimously to appeal the approval, and a judge’s ruling has since stalled construction. Amid growing public backlash against data centers, Lombardo signed an executive order in September to require data centers seeking tax abatements to sign a “community support commitment” intended to ensure that regular and emergency water and power costs are borne solely by the data centers and not by ratepayers. Ford pledged to oppose data centers on public lands, arguing that affordable housing should be the priority. Ford attacked Lombardo’s order, saying in a statement, “Lombardo’s executive order is not a reflection of what Nevada communities are asking for.” Nevada Representative Dina Titus also pressed Lombardo to halt state tax breaks for data centers on federal land.

Arizona
6th District, U.S. House — JoAnna Mendoza (D)
Mendoza unseated Republican Representative Juan Ciscomani in a race fought mostly over health care and costs. Ciscomani made public lands a central part of his re-election pitch. He sponsored the bipartisan Chiricahua National Park Act, which President Trump signed into law on October 20. The law made Chiricahua Arizona’s fourth national park and the nation’s 64th. Ciscomani called the new park “a defining moment for our state.” He also co-sponsored the bipartisan Public Lands Integrity Act, which would block sales of federal public lands through budget reconciliation. His closing TV ad highlighted “working to preserve public lands like Sabino Canyon and the Chiricahuas.” Mendoza called Ciscomani’s public lands bonafides into question, highlighting his votes to rescind public land protections through the Congressional Review Act.

Governor — Katie Hobbs (D)
Hobbs won re-election over Republican Andy Biggs in a race in which water and the Colorado River were central issues. Hobbs’ ads declared, “Arizona’s water is for Arizonans.” Amid federal cuts to Arizona’s Colorado River supply, water became voters’ top concern for the first time in the five-year history of the Center for the Future of Arizona’s survey. While not the primary focus of her campaign, Hobbs has long been a supporter of public lands. She came out forcefully against Mike Lee’s attempt to sell off national public lands in 2025, posting to X: “I strongly oppose auctioning off Arizona’s public lands to the highest bidder. This land grab will prevent us and our children from experiencing the beauty of Arizona.” And, in February 2026, on the anniversary of Grand Canyon National Park, she posted: “I’m committed to protecting our public lands so future Arizonans can experience the beauty and history of the Grand Canyon.”