AP declares Democrat Deb Haaland as first female, Native American governor in US

Deb Haaland, a former U.S. interior secretary who previously represented New Mexico in Congress, made history Tuesday night as the first Native American woman in the nation to be elected governor.

The Associated Press declared Haaland the winner in the race with an estimated 41% of the vote counted.

Haaland, a member of Laguna Pueblo, watched results come in at the Route 66 Casino Hotel in Albuquerque along with supporters, fellow candidates and Democratic Party of New Mexico officials after polls closed at 7 p.m. Unofficial results from the New Mexico Secretary of State’s office reported she had earned 57% of the vote by 8:49 p.m. in her contest against Republican Gregg Hull, the former mayor of Rio Rancho.

Haaland soundly defeated her primary opponent, Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman, in the June primary election and handily outfundraised Hull. Her campaign finance reports often contained so many donors that the documents, which were routinely thousands of pages, at times crashed the New Mexico Secretary of State’s website.

While Haaland and Hull ran a relatively cordial contest, Hull criticized her for backing out of a televised debate before Election Day. Haaland at the time said that KOB-TV’s preferred date conflicted with a prior obligation she made to meet with farmers in southern New Mexico.

Haaland, who served in President Joe Biden’s cabinet, on the campaign trail often vowed to be a staunch opponent of President Donald Trump. She campaigned on boosting affordability, creating a public option healthcare plan and overhauling the state’s troubled child welfare agency.

In September, she pledged to sign an executive order immediately upon taking office that would enact a statewide moratorium on new large-scale data center projects until the Legislature can pass a bill that places guardrails on the developments.

Haaland is set to replace Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who is term-limited after first winning election to the seat in 2018. Haaland previously succeeded Lujan Grisham when she was elected to U.S. Congress to represent New Mexico’s 1st Congressional District, and became one of the first of two Native American women elected to that political body.

This is a developing story and will be updated regularly.