The New Mexico Forward Party supports independent-minded candidates who are interested in making a difference in their communities while upholding democratic principles.
A Forward Party candidate in the Farmington area will be different from a candidate in the UNM area. What binds our supporters, our members, and our candidates is the ability to bridge party divides, listen to constituents, and commit to the following:
- * Govern according to Forward principles and values.
- * Put community interests above party platform or ideology.
- * Work across party lines to collaborate on solutions.
If these principles describe your political beliefs, we want to talk with you about running for an elected New Mexico office in 2026.
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Michael Vigil.Forward PartyNew Mexico State AuditorMichael Vigil retired as a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the State of New Mexico and a Level II Licensed Business Manager. Michael has worked in public school finance since 1990. His previous work experience includes over 16 years in the Albuquerque Public School District in the positions of Director of Internal Audit, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Business Officer, Associate Superintendent; and lastly, Superintendent for Business. He was the Executive Director and the Chief Operations Officer of the New Mexico Coalition for Charter Schools for approximately 2 years. Michael has previously worked in a local CPA firm and the financial industries arena in various capacities. He has been licensed as a Certified Public Accountant since 1983. Michael graduated from the Anderson School of Management at the University of New Mexico. There has not been a CPA in the State Auditor position for over 25 years with most inhabitants of the office being lawyers using it as a stepping stone for higher office. Michael will not run for higher office. It is a compelling story for Forward to explain that competence and non-partisanship in this important state-wide office is critical for the financial stability of the State of New Mexico. NM has the second largest sovereign wealth fund in the nation at $73 billion of net assets with multiple layers of government all spending large amounts of money with marginal outcomes for this poor state. Michael has a good story to tell that a professional CPA is needed to root out waste, fraud and abuse while working with the legislature to monitor performance outcomes for an array of program. |
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Dennis Dinge.Forward PartyNew Mexico Public Education Commission (District 3)Dennis Dinge is a physicist and former Physics and Astronomy professor whose career spans industry, national laboratories, and academia, including research in supercomputing, astronomy, computational fluid dynamics, and related fields. He holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering, an M.S. in Physics from Clemson University, and a Ph.D. in Astrophysics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dennis is currently semi-retired and is running for the Public Education Commission (PEC), a ten-member statewide body that authorizes and oversees state-chartered schools in New Mexico. Dennis and his wife—a former APS high school science teacher who now teaches water education to students throughout the Albuquerque area through in-class presentations and field trips—are longtime advocates for strong public education. Two of their children attended Cottonwood Classical Charter School, and they plan to send their youngest to a charter school beginning in middle school. Dennis wants to spend his newly acquired free time giving back to the community by serving on the PEC, with a focus on ensuring charter schools strengthen New Mexico’s overall education system. His guiding principles include: (1) charter schools should not take funding from other types of public schools; (2) charter schools should provide both quality and meaningful curricular choice; (3) charter schools should benefit public schools and taxpayers by serving as laboratories for improving quality and efficiency; and (4) access to charter schools should not depend on a student’s access to transportation. Dennis has been involved in politics throughout his adult life, including local leadership roles in the Democratic Party and a 2017 run for Congress. He and his wife were foster parents for eight years and have actively advocated for reforms to New Mexico’s foster care system. Dennis also serves as the New Mexico Forward Party Secretary. |
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Harry Montoya.Forward PartyMagistrate Judge (Santa Fe County)Harry Montoya is running for Santa Fe County Magistrate Judge because he believes justice should be fair, accessible, respectful, and rooted in the values of our community—and that every person who enters Magistrate Court deserves to be treated fairly. Born and raised in Santa Fe County, Harry is a graduate of Pojoaque High School and earned a B.A. from Westmar College and an M.A. from New Mexico State University. He has a long record of public service, including appointment to the Pojoaque School Board in 1994 (and re-election for two additional four-year terms) and election as President of the New Mexico School Board Association. He later served as a Santa Fe County Commissioner (elected in 2002; re-elected in 2006) and represented New Mexico on the National Association of Counties Board of Directors for six years, including four years as Chair of its Labor, Employment & Economic Development Committee. Professionally, Harry is internationally recognized for his work in substance abuse prevention and has traveled with the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Commerce in an official diplomatic capacity to Argentina and Mexico. He is also an active community volunteer and civic leader, and he and his wife, Doris, live in the Nambe Valley. |
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Bob Perls.Forward PartyUnited States Senate (New Mexico)Bob is a serial tech entrepreneur in the medical technology, telehealth and renewable energy fields. He is a former New Mexico State Representative and former U.S. Diplomat with the Department of State as well as the current Honorary German Consul in New Mexico. The non-profit he founded and led was instrumental in passing the semi-open primaries bill in 2025 by the NM legislature after a 10 year volunteer effort. Recently he co-founded a local economic alliance to attract German companies to New Mexico and bring German applied engineering expertise to the national labs and start-up ecosystem. He founded the Forward Party in New Mexico late 2024. He has lived in New Mexico since age five and attended Albuquerque Public Schools. He has a B.A. from Pomona College and an M.S. in healthcare management from the University of Maryland. He races off-road bicycles, is married with four children and five grandchildren. Bob has extensive campaign experience including running for and winning two terms in the state house as well as unsuccessful runs for Congress and the Public Regulation Commission (he came in second in a four way race and lost to then unknown Ben Ray Lujan in 2004), all as a Democrat. He has been a registered independent voter for about 10 years. Even with a one-on-one race unseating an incumbent U.S. Senator is a difficult task, but one that gives Bob an opportunity to talk about Forward values and vision throughout this one-party Democrat state. The incumbent is a rubber stamp for the Democratic leadership in the Senate with few accomplishments to his name. New Mexicans want an option and the Republican MAGA brand does not resonate in this majority-minority state. With the right financial support this is a winnable race if the Republican write-in fails to make the ballot. |
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We are Recruiting Candidates for 2026!. The New Mexico Forward Party is actively recruiting candidates who want to challenge the dysfunctional two-party system. Our candidates are independent thinkers with new ideas on how to improve life for all New Mexicans. We do not have litmus-test issues that candidates must support. Instead, we have shared values and a commitment to democracy reform, including support for:
Although Forward candidates may not support every one of these initiatives, these approaches are key to building a system that listens to all voters and responds to their needs. Our state organization upholds the Forward Party's national-level principles while setting our state-level party priorities and policy proposals, and endorsing candidates who share our vision. If you're ready to run for office in 2026, we want to talk with you! Reach out to us at: [email protected] |
