ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Deb Haaland is officially throwing her hat in the ring, launching her campaign to be the next governor of New Mexico. Haaland is the first big name to launch their gubernatorial campaign for 2026 when current Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham reaches her term limit.
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“The problems we face now are bigger than ever and we must be fierce to solve them. That’s why I am running for governor of the great state of New Mexico,” said Haaland in her campaign video that went live online on Tuesday morning.
She told KRQE News 13 that she is ready to roll up her sleeves and get to work. “I’m a 35th generation New Mexican, I feel so proud of our state and I know that there’s work to do though,” said Haaland. “I just feel with the leadership that I have, that I can lead New Mexico in a positive direction that we can together, all of us together, create a brighter future.”
On her new campaign website, Haaland, an enrolled member of the Laguna Pueblo, highlighted her time as a single mother working to make ends meet, being a small business owner, and her “resilience” to achieve more than three decades of sobriety.
Haaland was elected as a congresswoman for New Mexico in 2018. President Joe Biden then appointed her as Interior Secretary. She was confirmed to the role in 2021, making her the first Native American to hold a cabinet secretary position in the federal government. With a couple of years in an elected role before being appointed to a new one, KRQE News 13 asked Haaland how she would defend her record to critics who may say more experience is needed.
“During my short time there I got five bills passed. I managed to get five bills passed, bipartisan bills, they were all signed by President Trump,” said Haaland.
She also pointed to her time in the Interior Department, leading 70,000 federal employees and championing clean energy including building transmission lines like Sunzia in Corona, New Mexico.
Haaland said moving clean energy forward will help the environment, bring jobs, and can co-exist with New Mexico’s biggest revenue driver: oil and gas.
“They make us believe that it’s one or the other. I think that we can do both at the same time. I think we can move clean energy forward, we can make utilities cheaper for everyday New Mexicans, we can clean up our environment, we can use our natural resources like wind and solar to power a lot of homes here in New Mexico,” said Haaland. “That creates a lot of jobs. There’s a lot of jobs in the clean energy sector and so I’m anxious to keep moving that forward here in New Mexico.”
She listed her top priorities as jobs, health, housing, education and safety. With Democratic leadership in the past few years in New Mexico and the state struggling with crime and education, KRQE News 13 asked Haaland how her administration would do things differently.
“I feel very confident by listening to New Mexicans and listening to their ideas and everyone working together to find the solutions, that we can find the solutions, right? I know people want quick fixes all the time, sometimes that’s not possible,” she said.
Haaland is about to set off on a statewide tour to talk with New Mexicans about the struggles they’re facing and possible remedies. She noted different communities might face different issues and require unique solutions. “I’m anxious to have these conversations. I want to hear from everyday New Mexicans and with respect to the crime piece, I’d like to talk with law enforcement officers to see how they’re feeling,” she said. “I just feel so connected here and I would be really proud and honored to lead our state and represent New Mexico, all of New Mexico.
Haaland was the first Native American to hold a cabinet secretary position in the federal government. If elected, Haaland would be New Mexico’s first Native American governor.
In a statement, the Republican Party of New Mexico is already responding to Haaland’s bid for governor calling her a “Washington insider” with a liberal voting record:
We’re tired of being last in everything good. Another Democrat in the Governor’s Mansion spells disaster: more jobs gone, crime on the rise, endless failures, and New Mexicans left in the dust—again. A Republican governor is the change our state needs, someone who will finally put New Mexicans first. Electing a Republican governor means moving our state forward and not staying stuck in last place.
RPNM Chair Amy Barela