New Mexico Senate Floor Wrap for February 17, 2026 

Will complete his current term representing Senate District 25; Caucus to elect new Majority Floor Leader ahead of the 2027 Legislative Session

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: June 16, 2026
Contact: Chris Nordstrum
Email: Chris.Nordstrum@nmlegis.gov
Phone: 505-986-4819

(Santa Fe, NM) — Senate Majority Floor Leader Peter Wirth (D-Santa Fe) announced today that he will not run for the position of Senate Majority Floor Leader prior to the start of the 2027 Legislative Session, and will not seek a sixth term in the state Senate in 2028. Wirth will complete his current Senate term in full, continuing to represent his Santa Fe constituents and serve alongside his colleagues through 2028.

These decisions reflect a conviction Senator Wirth has held throughout his tenure in public life: that the measure of good leadership is not how long one holds a position, but what one builds, and having the wisdom and confidence to know when the moment calls for renewal.

“I have always believed that strong institutions outlast any individual leader, and that one of the most important things a leader can do is prepare the ground for what comes next,” said Senator Wirth. “The New Mexico Senate Democratic Caucus has never been stronger. This is the right moment to make way for a new Majority Leader, not because the work is done, but because the work must continue, and continue well.”

The Senate Democratic Caucus will elect a new Leader before the start of the 2027 Legislative Session. Senator Wirth looks forward to supporting that transition and working alongside his colleagues through the remaining two years of his final four-year Senate term.

In Wirth’s ten years as Majority Floor Leader, New Mexico has seen a generation-defining record of progress. These achievements are the direct result of the close partnerships the Senate has had with the New Mexico House of Representatives and from an eight-year collaborative relationship with Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham and Lieutenant Governor Howie Morales. Highlights include:

Water and the Environment. Wirth and the Senate Democrats championed some of the most consequential water legislation in the state’s modern history, including Senate Bill 21 from the 2025 session which created a New Mexico program to regulate water quality, and Senate Bill 1 from the 2023 session which created the Regional Water Resiliency Act. These landmark measures improve New Mexico’s long-term water security and help position the state to face an era of increasing drought and climate pressure with pragmatism and foresight.

Behavioral Health. The passage of Senate Bill 3 in 2025, sponsored by Wirth and Senate Minority leader Bill Sharer, is a transformational investment in New Mexico’s behavioral health infrastructure, expanding access to mental health services and substance use treatment for communities that had gone underserved for decades.

Fiscal Stewardship and Tax Policy. Under Wirth’s leadership, Democrats built a fiscally responsible foundation for sustained public investment, advanced permanent fund reforms, created multiple trust funds, and enacted meaningful tax relief for working New Mexicans and families across the income spectrum.  Wirth also led the fight to close corporate tax loopholes that helped level the playing field for New Mexico small businesses.

Education. The Senate supported sustained, historic investments in public education during this period, driving consistent increases in per-pupil spending and expanding early childhood programs that will pay dividends for New Mexico children and families for generations.

Health Care Access. In 2021, Wirth was one of the sponsors of Senate Bill 10 which repealed New Mexico’s 1969 statute criminalizing abortion. He worked with House leadership to pass House Bill 7 in 2023, which protected access to reproductive and gender affirming health care.

In addition, with Senator Wirth’s guidance, Democrats: successfully navigated through COVID; helped to ensure the safety of everyone in the Roundhouse by implementing a weapons ban at the Capitol; improved the electoral process with campaign finance reforms and advances in voter accessibility, and in 2021 established new election districts for the state’s congressional, legislative and public education commission. These highlights reflect just a fraction of a long list of public service achievements met during the course of Senator Wirth’s ten years in leadership.

Senator Wirth frames his tenure’s accomplishments as the product of unified Democratic governance, not the work of any single leader or chamber.

“None of this happened because of me alone. It happened because of us: the caucus, our colleagues in the House, and a Governor in Michelle Lujan Grisham who came into office with a vision for this state and the determination to see it through,” continued Senator Wirth. “What we built together during the Lujan Grisham administration is something New Mexico can be genuinely proud of. I am grateful to have played a part in it, and I am proud of every member of this team.”

The legislative-executive partnership forged over this period has been a defining feature of New Mexico’s recent era of progress.

Senator Wirth will continue to represent Senate District 25 for the next two years and serve his constituents in Santa Fe with the same dedication that has defined his nearly two decades in the chamber. He intends to be a fully engaged legislator through the conclusion of his term in 2028, and he looks forward to the opportunity to work alongside his colleagues, not just as a legislative partner, but as someone focused on ensuring they have every resource and advantage heading into the future.

Among the priorities Senator Wirth cites for the remainder of his term: continuing to advance water security and environmental legislation, sustaining the state’s fiscal discipline and long-term investment in public health and education, tax reform, defending our human rights, and supporting the leadership transition that will position the caucus for strength and continuity heading into the 2027 session and beyond. Maintaining the decorum of the chamber is also something Senator Wirth cares deeply about.

Wirth has been in the New Mexico State Senate since 2009. Before being elected to the Senate, he served in the New Mexico House of Representatives from 2004 through 2008. He has held the position of Senate Majority Floor Leader since November 2016, making him the second-longest serving majority leader behind his predecessor, former Senator Michael Sanchez.

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