Deb Haaland, the former secretary of the Interior Department under President Joe Biden, is getting ready for a run to become New Mexico’s next governor.
Haaland led the Department of the Interior during all four years of the Biden administration after previously being elected to Congress to represent New Mexico’s 1st Congressional District in 2018.
Now that she’s vacated her Cabinet position, Haaland is wasting no time preparing for the next phase of her political career with a 2026 gubernatorial bid to become her home state’s next chief executive.
“Deb Haaland is of and for New Mexico. She’s a proven leader; she’s created New Mexico jobs, brings people together, and is getting ready to run to be New Mexico’s next governor,” a spokesperson for Haaland told the Hill.
The news comes after the field of possible challengers for the Democratic gubernatorial primary has narrowed. Last week, Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) told Semafor he would not be running in the race after being viewed as a possible candidate in New Mexico’s gubernatorial election.
Heinrich also refused to endorse a candidate at this stage in the race. No Republicans have yet announced plans to challenge Haaland during the general election.
New Mexico has been a reliable Democratic state in presidential contests, but its government is up for grabs. Over the past three decades, two Republicans and two Democrats have sat in the governor’s mansion.
Overall, the GOP is the minority party in New Mexico, with Democrats currently controlling the governor’s office and both legislative chambers.
During her tenure at the Interior Department, Haaland often faced criticism from both sides of the aisle.
Decisions such as her move in September 2023 to cancel all seven oil and gas leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska sparked anger from Republicans, who argued her actions drove up energy prices.
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Yet, left-wing environmentalists were also provoked over some of Haaland’s policies, particularly after she gave the green light to the Alaskan Willow oil drilling project, which she had opposed during her time in Congress.
Should Haaland win the gubernatorial election, she will replace Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM), who was elected in 2018.
