Haaland has sights set on New Mexico’s governor’s office

SANTA FE, N.M. – Deb Haaland continues to aim high, break barriers and seek to make history. Last month Haaland wrapped up her appointment as the U.S. Secretary of the Interior under the Biden Harris administration, now she is seeking the democratic nomination for the governor of New Mexico. A citizen of the Pueblo of Laguna tribe, Haaland made history as the first Native American to serve as a cabinet secretary. If Haaland is successful in securing the Democratic nomination, she will be on her way to becoming the United States’ first Native American woman to serve as a governor of a state.

New Mexico has 23 federally recognized tribes, including a portion of the country’s largest Native American tribe, the Diné Nation. It’s current governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham will term out of office in 2026. Haaland previously served as a U.S. Representative from District One.

Haaland helped establish the first Secretary’s Tribal Advisory Committee that oversaw communications and relations with tribal leaders to develop infrastructure, co-stewardship and climate adaptation. Haaland also oversaw the development of the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative, which released two reports detailing the abuse experienced by the Native American children that were extracted from their families and forced to attend during the Indian Boarding School Era.

In one of her final public engagements at the 2024 White House Tribal Nations Summit, Haaland remarked that although she believes a lot of progress was made over the past four years for Native Americans, there is still more work to be done.

“When I was a young kid – moving from city to city and coast to coast with my family for my dad’s military career – our people were demanding something simple: a seat at the table; a voice in the decisions that affected us; our self-determination,” Haaland said. “And because our people spoke up, stayed engaged, and remained unwilling to accept the status quo, we are here and finishing up a monumental administration where Indian Tribes had a true seat at the table. Everything that we accomplished was real and tangible. A transition was inevitable and even though some of the future seems uncertain at this point – one thing is certain: we’re not going anywhere! But it’s on each of us to stay here, to stay engaged, to refuse to let anyone threaten the enduring progress we have worked so hard to accomplish. Like our ancestors who made previously unimaginable feats possible, we must never back down.”

Thus far Halaand is the only candidate who has announced their bid for New Mexico’s governor race, which is set for Nov. 3, 2026.