Aubrey Lyle Dunn Jr. (born 1955 or 1956) is an American politician and banker from the state of

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ke ...

. He served as New Mexico commissioner of public lands from 2015 to 2019, and was a candidate for the

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

in the 2018 election. Elected as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, Dunn switched parties to Libertarian in January 2018, making him the first Libertarian holder of a statewide elected office in the United States.

Early life and education

Dunn was born in Alamogordo, New Mexico, the son of politician Aubrey Dunn Sr. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in animal science from Colorado State University.

Career

Dunn worked for 25 years in the banking industry including 10 years as CEO and president of First Federal Bank of New Mexico. In 2008, he was an unsuccessful candidate for Congress in . He lost in the Republican primary to Edward R. Tinsley, who went on to lose the general election to Harry Teague. Dunn was elected as New Mexico commissioner of public lands in the 2014 election as the Republican nominee. In January 2018, he left the Republican Party and switched his voter registration to Libertarian. Dunn announced his candidacy as a Libertarian for U.S. Senate in early-2018. He withdrew from the race in July, stating that he was leaving the race because he needed to concentrate his time and effort on his duties as land commissioner. He was replaced on the ballot by former New Mexico governor

Gary Johnson Gary Earl Johnson (born January 1, 1953) is an American businessman, author, and politician. He served as the 29th governor of New Mexico from 1995 to 2003 as a member of the Republican Party. He was the Libertarian Party nominee for Presid ...

. In 2021, Dunn announced his candidacy for the

2021 New Mexico's 1st congressional district special election A special election was held on June 1, 2021, to fill the vacancy in New Mexico's 1st congressional district created by Representative Deb Haaland's resignation from the United States House of Representatives to become the Secretary of the Inte ...

, running as an independent. He faced State Representative

Melanie Stansbury Melanie Ann Stansbury (born January 31, 1979) is an American politician and scientist serving as the U.S. representative from New Mexico's 1st congressional district since 2021. The district includes most of Albuquerque, along with most of its ...

and State Senator Mark Moores in the June 1 election. Dunn received less than 3% of the total vote.

Personal life

Dunn Jr. is the son of late New Mexico state senator Aubrey Dunn Sr., who served in the legislature from 1965 until 1980 as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

. His wife, Robin Dunn, ran for

Lieutenant Governor of New Mexico The lieutenant governor of New Mexico ( es, Lista de Vicegobernadores de Nuevo México) is an elected official in the state of New Mexico that ranks just below the governor of New Mexico. The lieutenant governor is the first person in the order of ...

as a Libertarian with Bob Walsh. His son, A. Blair Dunn, ran for Attorney General as a Libertarian.

Electoral history

Notes

References

External links

Campaign website
, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Dunn, Aubrey Jr. 1950s births 21st-century American politicians Candidates in the 2008 United States elections Candidates in the 2018 United States Senate elections Candidates in the 2021 United States elections Colorado State University alumni Living people New Mexico Commissioners of Public Lands New Mexico Independents New Mexico Libertarians New Mexico Republicans People from Alamogordo, New Mexico Libertarian Party (United States) officeholders