"ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Deb Haaland will try to defend Democratic dominance in New Mexico in a race that could make her the first female Native American governor of any U.S. state as she faces off with Republican nominee Gregg Hull in November.
Haaland easily clinched the Democratic nomination Tuesday, putting the citizen of Laguna Pueblo on a path to yet another potential first. She was one of the first two Native women elected to Congress and was the first Native American to hold a Cabinet secretary position in the U.S. government.
She celebrated her win at a historic plaza in Albuquerque’s Old Town neighborhood, where supporters gathered among a mariachi band and traditional Native hoop dancers. The event began with a prayer in Tiwa, one of many Native languages spoken among tribes in the state.
Both Haaland and Hull, the former three-term mayor of one of New Mexico’s largest cities, recognize the challenge in leading a state that is grappling with high rates of violent crime, chronically underperforming in schools and facing cuts to federal safety net programs."
Susan Montoya Bryan and Savannah Peters report for the Associated Press June 3, 2026.
