Deb Haaland has won election as governor of New Mexico, defeating former Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull and making history as the first Native American woman to lead a U.S. state. The Associated Press declared Haaland the winner, capping a campaign built around affordability, education and economic opportunity in a state long shaped by its dependence on oil and gas revenue.
Haaland, a member of Laguna Pueblo and a former U.S. Interior secretary, had already broken barriers once before as the first Native American to serve in a presidential Cabinet. According to the Albuquerque Journal, she won the general election against Hull, a former three-term mayor of one of New Mexico's largest cities, after cruising through the Democratic primary with 72.3% of the vote against Sam Bregman. Her campaign built a $20 million war chest along the way, the paper reports.
She will succeed Michelle Lujan Grisham, the term-limited outgoing Democratic governor, as reported by The Seattle Times, which also notes Haaland is a former member of Congress. The Journal's reporting adds that Haaland and Hull never reached an agreement to hold a traditional general-election debate during the race.
A State Facing Deep Structural Challenges
New Mexico continues to struggle with childhood poverty, disappointing educational outcomes, public safety concerns and an economy heavily dependent on oil and gas revenues, according to the Albuquerque Journal. Haaland campaigned on helping working families, improving education, expanding economic opportunity and making the state more affordable, the same outlet reports, though the campaign has not detailed specific budgets or implementation timelines for those priorities.
On energy policy, Haaland told KUNM, “we will continue moving forward with our goal of net zero emissions by 2050. I would like to see us achieve that sooner.” The comment, made before the election, signals she intends to keep the state on its existing emissions timeline rather than abandon it.
Garcia Richard Steps In as Lieutenant Governor
Stephanie Garcia Richard will serve as Haaland's lieutenant governor, according to The 19th. Haaland is expected to be inaugurated in Santa Fe on January 1, the Albuquerque Journal reports, though that outlet frames the date as an expectation rather than a confirmed event.
Part of a Broader Wave of Native Candidates
The 19th's reporting places Haaland's win within a larger national trend: at least 355 Native candidates ran for local, state and federal office this cycle, with half of them women. In 2024, Native women represented 53 percent of all Native candidates who won their races, per the outlet's data. The 19th also notes that Peggy Flanagan could make her own history if she wins her Minnesota race, which would make her the first Native American woman ever elected to the U.S. Senate.
For now, the attention is on Santa Fe, where Haaland is set to take over a state government grappling with the same challenges that defined her campaign. Her inauguration will mark the formal start of what both the Albuquerque Journal and The 19th describe as a historic governorship for New Mexico and for Native representation in American politics.
