GOP Civil War Heads to Court: Lawsuit Being Filed Monday to Remove New Mexico Republican Party Chair Amy Barela

ALAMOGORDO, NM — A weeks-long internal power struggle within the Republican Party of New Mexico is escalating into a full legal battle, as Albuquerque attorney and State Central Committee member Robert Aragon is filing suit Monday to seek to formally remove State Chairwoman Amy Barela from her post.

2nd Life Media Alamogordo Town News and NewMexicoConservativeNews.com has been tracking this controversy since it erupted in mid-March, when Barela — an Otero County Commissioner — filed for re-election at 9:06 a.m. on March 10, only for Jonathan T. Emery, a retired Otero County Sheriff's deputy and IT expert for the Tularosa Basin Regional Dispatch Authority, to file just two minutes late rper 2nd Life Media Alamogordo prior reporting, instantly triggering a contested Republican primary for the June 2, 2026 election. That two-minute gap has been at the center of the dispute ever since.

The party's Uniform State Rule 1-4-4 is unambiguous: if a state officer "files as a candidate for public office and there is another Republican who has filed for the same office, the state officer shall immediately vacate the party office." The rule contains no exceptions for incumbents, filing order, or timing. 2nd Life Media Alamogordo prior reporting.

Aragon and 246 other State Central Committee members voted on April 18 to declare Barela's seat vacant on those grounds. When Barela refused to step down, Aragon decided he must move to the courts. He is working without charge and filed in state District Court in Albuquerque, where Republican Party headquarters is located, seeking a declaratory judgment that the chairperson's position is vacant.

"She has created this dysfunction. It's an Amy Barela-created crisis," Aragon said.

A Controversy That Has Grown Since March

As Alamogordo Town News and NewMexicoConservativeNews.com reported in late March, the Republican Party of Sierra County became one of the latest county organizations to publicly call for Barela to immediately resign her statewide post, framing the demand as a matter of restoring unity ahead of the 2026 elections. The push began in earnest on March 17, when Bernalillo County Republican leaders — the state's largest county organization — issued their own formal call for her resignation, with First Vice Chair Mark Murton declaring the case "cut and dry." 2nd Life Media Alamogordo

Barela and her supporters have pushed back hard. The Republican Party of New Mexico announced it had commissioned a third-party review of the state party's rules, conducted by a Dallas-based firm, which found that the two minutes between Barela and her challenger filing to run matter. Source New Mexico The report argued that Barela, having filed before a challenger existed, was therefore "fully compliant" with the rule. State Senator James Townsend and other Barela supporters on the RPNM Executive Board continued to back her position, labeling county-level calls for resignation as "illegitimate" attempts to usurp the chairmanship. 2nd Life Media Alamogordo

Critics within the state Republican Party were unmoved. Opponents also pointed to a video posted on the official RPNM state platform featuring a U.S. Senate write-in candidate speaking in Otero County while wearing an Amy Barela campaign hat, which detractors said constituted a blatant use of party resources to promote Barela's candidacy— a violation of complementary party rules prohibiting endorsements in contested primaries.

A Path to Settlement?

Despite the lawsuit, a negotiated resolution remains possible. Aragon said Barela reached out to propose a meeting, and the two are set to sit down Thursday morning in Socorro. Aragon indicated he would be open to a compromise: if Barela endorsed Emery for the county seat and pledged not to serve in the position even if she won, he would be willing to let her remain as state party chair. "That would be a basis for peace and reconciliation," he said.

Whether the broader Central Committee would accept such a deal is another question. The withdrawal deadline for primary candidates has already passed, meaning Barela's name will appear on the June 2 ballot regardless. Any settlement would require her to effectively surrender the county race.

Three Republicans have also announced their candidacy to replace Barela as state party chair should the court rule in Aragon's favor: Aragon himself, KKOB radio host Brandon Vogt, and John Brenna, a retired law enforcement officer who chairs the Valencia County Republican Party.

Bigger Stakes for New Mexico Republicans

The timing of the infighting could not be worse for a party already struggling statewide. Republicans have not won a statewide election in New Mexico since 2016, and Democrats control the state Legislature and all five federal seats per the Santa Fe New Mexican Making matters worse, Republicans under Barela fielded no candidates for the U.S. Senate, state auditor, or state treasurer per Santa Fe New Mexican reporting in this election cycle, leaving the party to hope that late write-in candidates can qualify for the general election.

Meanwhile, the party's best near-term opportunity — flipping New Mexico's most competitive congressional district, where Greg Cunningham is challenging Democratic Rep. Gabe Vasquez of Las Cruces — risks being overshadowed by the internal turmoil. 

Democrats have taunted Barela online thanking her for the division and handing points to Democratic Rep. Gabe Vasquez in his quest for re-election. One individual posted in a social media post that "Amy Barela is the best gift the Democrats could recieve this election cycle."

For Otero County residents, the drama hits particularly close to home. The race at the center of this statewide controversy is for a local commission seat — and the outcome of both the lawsuit and the June primary will shape not just state party leadership, but representation right here in southeastern New Mexico.

Alamogordo Town News and NewMexicoConservativeNews.com will continue to follow this story as the court proceedings and if Thursday's meeting in Socorro develops. Anthony Lucero from KALHRadio.org streaming Alamogordo Town News edition has reached out to both Amy Barela and Robert Aragon for comment. If they comment we will update our readers and listeners.

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