Former US Interior Secretary Deb Haaland wins the Democratic nomination for New Mexico governor
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland has won the Democratic nomination for New Mexico governor, giving her a path to become the first Native American woman in the U.S. elected to the office.
Under President Joe Biden, Haaland championed public lands conservation and oversaw a first-of-its-kind federal investigation into the abuse of Native American children at government-run boarding schools. In 2018, the citizen of Laguna Pueblo made history as one of the first two Native American women elected to Congress.
Haaland said she’s honored to accept the nomination from a campaign event Tuesday night that included a prayer in a Native language and traditional hoop dancing.
“New Mexico, thank you for believing in what we can build together,” she posted on social media.
On the campaign trail, she focused on reducing costs for families while emphasizing her ancestral roots in the state and experience in the nation’s capital. She beat Sam Bregman, an Albuquerque-based district attorney who campaigned on a promise to curb violent crime.
While voters will decide primaries in three congressional seats, a U.S. Senate seat and a long list of statewide offices, the governor’s race is the main attraction. The winner of the November general election will succeed Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who reached her term limit.
New Mexico has trended left in recent years and Democrats have won every statewide elected office since 2017.
New Mexico is grappling with high rates of violent crime, chronically underperforming schools and cuts to federal programs that are key safety nets for residents.
Despite the state's persistent challenges, the primary election comes at a time of promise for the next governor. Surging oil prices caused by the Iran war have translated into an influx of tax revenue to state coffers. New Mexico is the nation’s second-largest oil-producing state behind Texas, and the industry’s revenue funds an array of progressive social programs that include universal childcare.
For the first time, the primary is open to voters who are independent. The state’s semi-open primary system, which was signed into law by Lujan Grisham last year, allows the roughly 23% of New Mexico voters who are not affiliated with a political party to request either a Democratic or Republican ballot.
While campaigning Tuesday, Haaland made her first stop at San Felipe Pueblo, a Native American community north of Albuquerque. She was greeted with hugs by women from the pueblo.
Meredith Ansera, a project coordinator with the pueblo, said she worked with Haaland during her tenure as a tribal administrator who helped oversee education and childcare programs. “She knows what our needs are and she’s been there,” Ansera said.
Haaland' campaign highlighted her opponent's wealth and cast him as out of touch with everyday New Mexicans. Bregman, the prosecutor for Bernalillo County, is also the father of Chicago Cubs All-Star Alex Bregman.
His campaign criticized Haaland after her name appeared in the Jeffrey Epstein files. She flew on a private jet chartered by one of Epstein's companies during her 2014 unsuccessful bid for lieutenant governor. That flight to a fundraising meeting in Washington, D.C., was paid for by Gary King, her running mate at the time. King's family had sold Epstein a ranch in New Mexico two decades earlier.
Haaland said she was unaware of Epstein’s role in arranging the flight and never met him.
Three candidates are running in the Republican primary, with the winner facing an uphill battle in November.
Gregg Hull was mayor of fast-growing Rio Rancho and has pointed to his leadership there as a blueprint for how he would govern, promising to attract large employers.
Republican Doug Turner, a PR professional, waved at passersby Tuesday and shook hands with those who came up to him near a polling site in Albuquerque. His campaign has focused on plans to lift the state’s public education system from the bottom of national rankings.
“This place is truly special. It’s worth fighting for,” he said of New Mexico, adding that it goes beyond party politics and that people just want to keep their children safe, have good jobs and not worry about where their next meal will come from.
Duke Rodriguez, former state Cabinet secretary under former Republican Gov. Gary Johnson turned cannabis CEO, has focused on stabilizing the state’s healthcare system, which faces financial troubles and a severe shortage of physicians.
While Hull and Turner have not aligned their campaigns with the MAGA movement, Rodriguez was recently served a cease-and-desist letter from a law firm representing President Donald Trump for “deceptive use” of Trump’s image in campaign materials.
“Have you voted yet?” Rodriguez asked shoppers Tuesday as they funneled into a store in northeast Albuquerque. With every affirmative answer he gave an enthusiastic thumbs-up and exclaimed, “Good job!” He said the election is about getting voters to turn out and exercise their rights, particularly new voters.
The winner of November's general election will inherit the oil windfall in the state budget that has led to competing ideas on how best to use it — from cutting one-time checks for taxpayers to funding tax credits that would mostly aid low-income residents to eliminating the state's income tax.
The state's reliance on fossil fuels to fund its programs also has proved politically sensitive for Democrats.
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