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.“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.
New Mexico has trended left in recent years and Democrats have won every statewide elected office since 2017. The winner of the November general election will succeed Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who reached her term limit.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.
