New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Thursday appointed Rex Wilson, a former healthcare administrator and longtime rancher, to assume a vacant state Senate seat ahead of the upcoming legislative session.
Wilson, a Republican, will represent Senate District 33, following the resignation of Alamogordo Republican Nicholas Paul last fall due to health issues. Wilson will serve the remainder of the term until the Nov. 3, 2026 general election.
Because Senate District 33 covers part of Chaves, Lincoln and Otero counties, all three commissions met to consider and submit nominees to the governor.
Wilson was one of three candidates county commissions put forward for the governor’s consideration. Chaves County’s commission nominated Wilson; Lincoln County commissioners nominated their commission chair, Mark Fischer; and Otero County picked current state Rep. John Block (R-Alamogordo).
Wilson told Source New Mexico on Thursday that he is eager to get to work, namely on healthcare and agricultural issues, though he did not have any plans as of Thursday to introduce legislation or co-sponsor any particular bills.
“I don’t come with a loaded agenda,” he said. “More than anything is, just get acquainted and build the right relationships in this session and make a difference.”
He also said he is eager to work with Republicans and Democrats in the majority, particularly on health care issues. “I’m a conservative, but also a realist,” he said.
Wilson was the Southern region healthcare administrator at Presbyterian Medical Service until 2024 and touts 18 years of healthcare experience, according to a cover letter he presented to county commissions. He is also a multigenerational rancher in Lincoln County who was the New Mexico Cattle Growers’ Association Cattleman of the Year in 2017.
He also founded Camp Sierra Blanca at Fort Stanton, a “nationally recognized alternative education model” that gives troubled young people a “second chance through non-traditional pathways,” he said in his cover letter.
Wilson’s arrival at the Senate maintains Republicans’ 16 seats in the chamber. Democrats currently hold 26 seats.
Sen. Bill Sharer, the Senate minority leader, said in a statement that Wilson’s “contributions in the Legislature will benefit every New Mexican and he will make a great addition to our New Mexico Senate Republican Caucus.”
The state Republican Party earlier this week criticized Lujan Grisham for not having filled the seat following Paul’s mid-October resignation. In a news release, the party noted the upcoming Jan. 12 deadline for capital outlay requests and said the delayed appointment created a disadvantage for whomever the governor chose “in their efforts to represent their constituents in southern New Mexico.”
Wilson told Source that he did not think the governor unnecessarily delayed his appointment.
“I do know they did their homework. I’ll just say that,” he said of the governor’s office. “I don’t think there was any strategy behind it other than just doing their homework.”
