Griego withdraws from Valencia County sheriff race, narrowing crowded primary

Joe Griego’s withdrawal tightens the Valencia County sheriff race and leaves voters with a smaller field to decide who will oversee the county’s biggest law-enforcement office, one that manages 50 sworn deputies, eight court security officers and five civilian support staff members.

Griego said he stepped away for personal and professional reasons, not from a lack of support. He recently left the Belen Police Department after taking a detective job with the Isleta Police Department, and said the move changed his retirement timing enough that a campaign no longer fit his plans. He also said he wants to be available for his mother, who is in poor health.

His exit matters because Griego brought more than 37 years in law enforcement to the race. That kind of experience gave him name recognition in a contest that had already drawn unusual attention, with six candidates competing for sheriff in a March 14 filing report before the March 10 filing deadline passed and the March 17 write-in deadline expired.

With Griego gone, Republicans Joe Rowland, Preston Smith and Kevin Vega remain in the race, while Democrats Alan Montano and Gabriel Trujillo are still on the ballot for their party’s nomination. Republican Party chairman John Brenna said the field narrowing may help voters focus on the candidates still running. The sheriff’s race is set for the June 2 primary.

The office at stake is responsible for more than patrol cars and arrests. Valencia County describes the sheriff’s office mission as serving and protecting life and property, which puts the next sheriff in charge of day-to-day public safety leadership, detention issues and coordination with other agencies across the county. For voters in Los Lunas, Belen and the surrounding county, that means the race will shape how the office responds to crime, manages staffing and handles the pressure points that come with jail and court security duties.

The contest also carries a party wrinkle. A report on April 9 said Gabriel Trujillo changed his voter registration to Republican in February even though he filed as a Democrat, adding another layer of tension to a race already crowded with familiar local names. Griego said he may run again someday, but for now he is leaving the campaign trail behind while the remaining candidates move toward the primary.