Democratic New Mexico nominee Haaland looks ahead to November race for governor

Less than a day after her decisive victory in New Mexico’s Democratic gubernatorial primary, Deb Haaland said her focus remains on winning the Nov. 3 election to replace fellow Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who is termed-out as the state’s top executive.

In a news conference following her Tuesday win with 72% of the vote in the race against Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman, the former U.S. Secretary of the Interior congratulated her Republican counterpart Gregg Hull, the former longtime mayor of Rio Rancho. Hull captured 47% of the vote in his three-way race. All results from Tuesday’s primary remain unofficial until canvassed.

Standing before a banner emblazoned with “Deb for Gov” in the backroom of Old Town staple Cocina Azul, Haaland committed to “focusing on the issues for New Mexicans” in the next stage of her campaign, and described Hull as “a very kind and respectful man” in her experience in U.S. Congress representing the state’s 1st Congressional District, which includes Rio Rancho.

“I hope it’s the most boring governor’s race in the county, quite frankly, where we are just focusing on the issues,” she said, adding that while there were no set plans yet, she would “happily” debate Hull. Haaland faced criticism during the primary for not debating her opponent more.

Nonetheless, since winning on Tuesday, both Haaland and Hull have begun staking out some of their differences. In his election night speech, Hull said he offers New Mexicans “energy policy that’s built on common sense” rather than “ideology.”

“New Mexico is an energy state,” he told the crowd gathered at Oasis Tuesday night. “Oil and gas has funded our schools, our roads and our communities for generations. I will never apologize for defending that industry or the workers and the families that it supports.”

Haaland responded Wednesday by saying oil and gas “has played a role for a long time and will continue to play a role” in the state’s economy. She, however, maintained that addressing the state’s climate crisis and water scarcity is paramount for her campaign.

“The climate and the environment are absolutely the most important issue, if we don’t have our Earth, we don’t have anything,” she said in response to a question from Source NM at Wednesday’s news conference. “I have a record of accomplishment as secretary of the Interior and as a member of the U.S Congress. I will continue to work hard to ensure that our beautiful landscapes, our land of enchantment, is protected for future generations.”

Haaland declined to answer if she would keep on any current members of Lujan Grisham’s cabinet, saying “I haven’t thought about any of that, namely because I haven’t won yet.”

She also said she plans to again travel to all 33 counties to discuss her platform.

“I believe strongly that if we can have healthier communities, healthcare costs go down,” she said, adding that she plans to build on universal childcare passed by the Legislature and enacted by Lujan Grisham earlier this year.

“Those are opportunities for us to build on our economy,” Haaland said.