Deb Haaland at the Holocaust Museum via RepDebHaaland Twitter Page

Deb Haaland ‘Preparing’ to Run for New Mexico Governor

January 29, 2025 | Source: Oklahoma Voice | by Austin Fisher and Julia Goldberg

Former U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland is “preparing” to run for governor of New Mexico in 2026, a campaign spokesperson confirmed to Source NM on Tuesday.

If elected, Haaland would be the first Native American person to head the state government in its 113-year history. President Joe Biden in December 2020 tapped Haaland to become the first Native American ever to be a cabinet secretary. She previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives for the state’s 1st Congressional District.

“Deb Haaland is of and for New Mexico,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “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. She and her team will be focused on listening and solutions that fit the needs of our communities.”

Haaland, 64, is a member of Laguna Pueblo, one of the 23 tribes located in what is now called New Mexico, which became a state millenia after Pueblo, Navajo, Apache and Ute peoples started living here. During her time in the Interior, she played a role in elevating Indian Country onto the national stage in U.S. politics, including commissioning the federal government’s first-ever accounting for its role in operating boarding schools to forcibly assimilate Indigenous children.