Deb Haaland Runs for New Mexico Governor, Aiming to Make History

Deb Haaland, former US Interior Secretary and Laguna Pueblo member, is campaigning to become New Mexico's first Native American woman governor. In a Democratic primary against Sam Bregman, she leads by about 20 points. Haaland emphasizes clean energy, raising the minimum wage from $12, addressing substance abuse (she has been sober for 30 years), and protecting Chaco Canyon from drilling. Her memoir, A Voice Like Mine, is out in June. Haaland's daughter Somah, a theater teacher in Brooklyn, supports her campaign. Haaland's platform includes expanding radiation compensation for Navajo uranium exposure, improving public safety through root-cause solutions, and conserving water amid drought. She has traveled 1,000 miles across New Mexico, visiting Shiprock, Las Cruces, and the border at Santa Teresa. Haaland's campaign highlights her 35th-generation New Mexican heritage and her experience as a single mother.