The New Mexico Rules

Both parties will hold primaries in New Mexico in 2008, but at opposite ends of the calendar. Democrats will host a party-run event on Feb. 5, while Republicans will employ the state-run primary on June 3. State Democrats call their event a caucus, although it more closely resembles a "firehall primary", with shorter polling hours and fewer voting sites than would accompany a state-run primary. Still, a similar event drew roughly 100,000 voters in 2004. the balloting is scheduled early enough that it could give candidate Governor Bill Richardson a boost.

Only registered voters in a party may vote in its primary. As of September 2007, there were 1,077,275 registered voters in New Mexico—532,743 Democrats, 354,666 Republicans, and 189,866 independent or other voters.