Former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland launches New Mexico governor campaign

Former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland is running for governor of New Mexico, looking to be the first Native American woman to be elected governor of a state. 

Haaland launched her campaign Tuesday morning in an online video after hinting at an announcement for the last few days. In it, she leans heavily on her biography, opening the video saying she learned after a childhood of moving around, having to raise her child as a single mother, and working towards “35 years of sobriety” that “nothing comes easy,” but that “here in New Mexico, struggle makes you fierce.”

“When I became New Mexico’s member of Congress and then the leader of the U.S. Department of Interior, I seized the opportunity to make change,” she says.

“But 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.”

“New Mexico is rich in tradition and spirit, rich in natural resources, so why can’t our families pay our bills? Crime, poverty, homelessness, addiction. They will keep pulling us down if we do the same things and expect a different result,” she adds.

Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham isn’t running for re-election, as state law bars governors from seeking a third consecutive term, making Haaland the frontrunner on the Democratic side. Sen. Martin Heinrich, another prominent New Mexico Democrat, announced last month he would stay in the Senate instead of considering a gubernatorial run. 

And while the state does have some recent history of electing Republicans statewide — Republican Gov. Susana Martinez served the two terms before Lujan Grisham and President Donald Trump’s campaign sought to make a push there amid his improved status with Latino voters — Democrats have had the upper hand recently. Former Vice President Kamala Harris won almost 52% of the vote there last fall even amid a tough election nationally for the party, and Lujan Grisham won her 2022 re-election with virtually the same share of the vote.

A Laguna Pueblo member, Haaland became the first Native American Cabinet official in American history when then-President Joe Biden tapped her to lead the Interior Department, making her the second-highest ranking person of Native American ancestry in the history of American government. (Charles Curtis, who served as Herbert Hoover’s vice president, was a member of the Kaw tribe.)

Haaland had just won re-election to her second term in the House when Biden nominated her. She previously chaired the New Mexico Democratic Party.

No Republican has announced their intention to seek the governorship yet. But a handful of prominent politicians, including Republicans who recently lost high-profile races there like Senate hopeful Nella Domenici or former Rep. Yvette Herrell, could jump in.

Haaland is the first Biden Cabinet alum to jump back into elective politics, though several others could be involved in campaigns in the near future. Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is considering running for Senate in Michigan and could also be a future presidential contender after running in 2020. Others who could be in the mix for different offices include former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, a former California attorney general who has played coy when asked about a potential 2026 run for governor there.