Former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland wins Democratic nomination in New Mexico governor’s race

Former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland has won the Democratic primary in New Mexico’s race for governor, NBC News projects.

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Haaland enters the general election to succeed term-limited Democrat Michelle Lujan Grisham as the front-runner in a state where no Republicans hold statewide office. If she is elected this fall, she would become the first Native American woman to serve as governor.

Haaland defeated Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman, the father of Chicago Cubs star third baseman Alex Bregman, for the Democratic nomination.

In November, she will face off against Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull, who won the state’s GOP gubernatorial primary Tuesday night, NBC News projected.

Haaland has emphasized the potentially history-making aspect of her campaign, highlighting her ancestral history and running several ads in the Diné language.

She was former President Joe Biden’s interior secretary for all of his four years in office. Previously, she was the first Native American woman elected to Congress, where she served one term representing the Albuquerque area. She also chaired the state Democratic Party.

“Deb is a fierce champion for New Mexico, who has secured millions of dollars in investment and thousands of good-paying jobs, while strengthening the state’s economy, and preserving natural resources for generations to come,” said Democratic Governors Association Chair and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear. “She knows the pain New Mexicans are feeling right now, which is why she will never stop fighting to bring down costs and create jobs, strengthen schools, expand affordable health care, and create safer communities.”

In an interview before her victory Tuesday, Haaland signaled she would lean into a general election message targeting President Donald Trump and his policies.

“We’re in a horrible era right now with our federal government, and people see that the policies that Donald Trump is inflicting on New Mexicans are having a very negative effect all over the state,” Haaland said.

“Everybody deserves to have health care, deserves to eat healthy food,” she added. “They need somebody who understands what it’s like, and they want somebody who knows how to find solutions to these issues.”

New Mexico is among the states with the highest enrollments in both Medicaid and federal food assistance benefits . Both programs faced massive cuts in the “One Big Beautiful Bill” Trump signed into law last year.

Meanwhile, Haaland has spoken glowingly of Biden, even as he continues to be viewed negatively after he dropped his re-election bid in 2024.

She said in an interview that he is “absolutely an asset” in her campaign and praised him as a “true partner” to New Mexico and Indigenous people across the U.S., and she has often discussed her accomplishments as interior secretary related to conservation and wind and solar projects in the American Southwest, though none of her ads mention Biden by name .