Democrat's Deb Haaland becomes first female Native American governor in US

Democrat Deb Haaland won New Mexico’s gubernatorial election on Tuesday, becoming the first Native American woman elected governor of a US state. Haaland, a member of Laguna Pueblo, previously represented New Mexico in Congress and served as US interior secretary under President Joe Biden.

The Associated Press called the race for Haaland with an estimated 41 per cent of the vote counted. Unofficial figures from the New Mexico secretary of state’s office showed her with 57 per cent of the vote at 8:49pm against Republican Gregg Hull, the former mayor of Rio Rancho.

Haaland watched the results with supporters, fellow candidates and state Democratic Party officials at the Route 66 Casino Hotel in Albuquerque after polls closed at 7pm. She ran alongside New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands Stephanie Garcia Richard, while Hull’s running mate was Republican state Senator David Gallegos.

Haaland defeated Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman in the June Democratic primary and significantly outraised Hull in the general election. Her campaign finance filings routinely ran to thousands of pages because of the number of donors and at times caused the secretary of state’s website to crash.

The general election campaign was largely cordial, although Hull criticised Haaland for withdrawing from a televised debate. Haaland said the date preferred by broadcaster KOB-TV conflicted with a commitment she had already made to meet farmers in southern New Mexico.

Haaland campaigned on lowering living costs, creating a public health insurance option and overhauling the state’s child welfare agency. In September, she pledged to sign an executive order upon taking office that would pause new large-scale data centre projects statewide until lawmakers passed legislation regulating them.

She is set to succeed Democratic Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, who was first elected in 2018 and could not run again because of term limits. Haaland previously succeeded Lujan Grisham as the representative for New Mexico’s 1st Congressional District, becoming one of the first two Native American women elected to Congress. She later became the first Native American to serve as a US Cabinet secretary.

Taking the stage to chants of her name, Haaland thanked Hull for running a “respectful” campaign. She said projected Democratic wins in New Mexico and elsewhere showed voters were tired of the Trump administration’s policies. Drawing on her experience in Congress during Donald Trump’s first term, she pledged to oppose cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program as governor.

“I’ve stood up to Donald Trump before and I’m ready to do it again,” she said. Haaland also spoke about the significance of celebrating on Laguna Pueblo land along Route 66. She recalled carrying water from a community spigot and helping irrigate her grandfather’s cornfield. “And just off this road, my grandmother was taken away to boarding school … yet we are still here,” she said.

As interior secretary, Haaland oversaw the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative, which sought to address the lasting harm those schools caused to Indigenous families and communities.

She told supporters that her experience as a single working mother helped her understand the financial pressures facing New Mexicans. She spoke about working on her sobriety, raising a child in poverty and registering voters on dirt roads and in dust storms before entering Congress.

“Right now, New Mexicans are working hard, doing everything they’re supposed to, and yet we still struggle to get ahead,” she said. “I believe that no matter where you come from, how much money you have, or what challenges you’ve faced, every New Mexican deserves the chance to thrive.”

Speaking to reporters after her victory speech, Haaland said she was encouraged by Democrats’ projected gains in Congress and hoped to work closely with Democrat Gina Hinojosa, the projected winner of the Texas governor’s race.