<div class="css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn" data-testid="companionColumn-0"><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-ac37hb evys1bk0">Michael Perry, a retired game warden who is the Republican candidate for New Mexico’s powerful land commissioner post, pitches himself “not as a Republican or Democrat,” but a “New Mexico state land commissioner” obsessed with “collaboration, accountability and responsible land management.”</p><p class="css-ac37hb evys1bk0">His Democratic rivals see something entirely different: an existential threat.</p><p class="css-ac37hb evys1bk0">That’s because <a class="css-yywogo" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/25/climate/hunters-and-veterans-are-fighting-trumps-pick-to-oversee-public-lands.html" title="">President Trump has nominated</a> another New Mexico Republican, Steve Pearce, to lead the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, sometimes referred to as the nation’s largest landlord. And with two New Mexico Republicans potentially at the helm of both agencies, dramatic changes could come to a state known as the Land of Enchantment for its breathtaking landscapes and cultural riches.</p><p class="css-ac37hb evys1bk0">Even with Mr. Pearce’s <a class="css-yywogo" href="https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/steve-pearces-nomination-to-lead-bureau-of-land-management-advances-amid-confusion/article_201b6854-d0ca-4782-b0a6-fb7d1b612338.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="">confirmation still pending</a>, the B.L.M. on Monday <a class="css-yywogo" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/11/climate/public-land-rule-repeal.html" title="">rescinded a Biden-era rule</a> allowing public lands to be leased for conservation purposes. That aligns with Mr. Trump’s goal of championing public lands for oil and gas drilling, coal mining, logging and livestock grazing.</p><p class="css-ac37hb evys1bk0">“I don’t think that anyone would have to pressure Perry to fall in line with the Trump agenda,” said Matthew McQueen, a state representative from suburban Santa Fe and one of three Democrats competing in the June 2 primary. “That greatly increases the threat to our public lands, both state and federal.”</p></div><aside aria-label="companion column" class="css-ew4tgv"></aside></div><div data-testid="Dropzone-1"></div><div class="css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn" data-testid="companionColumn-1"><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-ac37hb evys1bk0">Mr. Perry, a Chaves County commissioner, dismisses those objections as partisan noise. Unopposed in the primary, he vows allegiance to the agency’s twin mandates: leasing land to help finance public schools and hospitals — which raised a near-record $2.6 billion last year, mostly from oil and gas companies — and taking care of the land for future generations.</p></div><aside aria-label="companion column" class="css-ew4tgv"></aside></div><div data-testid="ImageBlock-3"><div data-testid="imageblock-wrapper"><figure aria-label="media" class="img-sz-large css-hxpw2c e1g7ppur0" role="group"><div class="css-1xdhyk6 erfvjey0" data-testid="photoviewer-children-figure"><span class="kyt-mdd4r">Image</span><picture><source media="(max-width: 599px) and (min-device-pixel-ratio: 3),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 3dppx),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 288dpi)" srcset="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/05/16/multimedia/16nat-NM-Lands-perry-whzm/16nat-NM-Lands-perry-whzm-mobileMasterAt3x.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale&amp;width=1800"/><source media="(max-width: 599px) and (min-device-pixel-ratio: 2),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 2dppx),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 192dpi)" srcset="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/05/16/multimedia/16nat-NM-Lands-perry-whzm/16nat-NM-Lands-perry-whzm-mobileMasterAt3x.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale&amp;width=1200"/><source media="(max-width: 599px) and (min-device-pixel-ratio: 1),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 1dppx),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 96dpi)" srcset="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/05/16/multimedia/16nat-NM-Lands-perry-whzm/16nat-NM-Lands-perry-whzm-mobileMasterAt3x.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale&amp;width=600"/><img alt="Michael Perry sits on a couch leaning forward with his hands clasped in front of him. In the background, are guns displayed on a wall and an animal pelt." class="css-r3fift" decoding="async" height="400" sizes="((min-width: 600px) and (max-width: 1004px)) 84vw, (min-width: 1005px) 80vw, 100vw" src="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/05/16/multimedia/16nat-NM-Lands-perry-whzm/16nat-NM-Lands-perry-whzm-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale" srcset="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/05/16/multimedia/16nat-NM-Lands-perry-whzm/16nat-NM-Lands-perry-whzm-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp 600w,https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/05/16/multimedia/16nat-NM-Lands-perry-whzm/16nat-NM-Lands-perry-whzm-jumbo.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp 1024w,https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/05/16/multimedia/16nat-NM-Lands-perry-whzm/16nat-NM-Lands-perry-whzm-superJumbo.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp 2048w" uri="nyt://image/fcc51202-d9db-5dfa-b460-bf26437c4f3c" width="600"/></picture></div><figcaption class="css-1g9ic6e ewdxa0s0" data-testid="photoviewer-children-caption"><span class="css-jevhma e13ogyst0">Michael Perry, a retired game warden, at his home in Roswell, N.M.</span></figcaption></figure></div></div><div data-testid="Optimistic-4"><div class="css-kbghgg"><div class="css-121kum4"><div class="css-171d1bw"></div><div class="css-asuuk5"><noscript><div class="css-7axq9l" data-testid="optimistic-truncator-noscript"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="css-1b5b8u1" data-tpl="i" height="24" viewbox="0 0 24 24" width="24"><path clip-rule="evenodd" d="M2.5 12a9.5 9.5 0 1 1 19 0 9.5 9.5 0 0 1-19 0Zm8.5 1.75v-7.5h2v7.5h-2Zm0 2v2h2v-2h-2Z" fill="currentColor" fill-rule="evenodd"></path></svg><div class="css-6yo1no" data-testid="optimistic-truncator-noscript-message"><p class="css-3kpklk" data-tpl="t">We are having trouble retrieving the article content.</p><p class="css-3kpklk" data-tpl="t">Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.</p></div></div></noscript><div class="css-1dv1kvn" id="optimistic-truncator-a11y" tabindex="-1"><hr/><p>Thank you for your patience while we verify access. 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