Native Vote 2026
Deb Haaland’s decisive victory in New Mexico’s Democratic gubernatorial primary this week was a political milestone. For many Native people, it was also something more personal — the latest chapter in a story that began long before she entered politics.
Beginning in July 2022, Haaland (Laguna Pueblo) and Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Bryan Newland (Bay Mills Indian Community) led the Interior Department’s Road to Healing tour, a nationwide series of listening sessions held in response to the department’s investigation into the federal Indian boarding school system.
Native News Online attended every Road to Healing listening session across the country.
Reporting on those sessions was among the most grueling assignments I have undertaken as a journalist. Time and again, survivors or their descendants recounted horrific stories of physical, emotional, and, in many cases, sexual abuse they experienced as children in Indian boarding schools.
Many of those who testified were elders, separated from their boarding school experiences by decades. Yet they told their stories with such vivid detail and raw emotion that it often felt as though the trauma had occurred only weeks earlier. The memories remain seared into their minds and hearts, untouched by the passage of time.
No matter where the listening sessions were held—from Oklahoma to Alaska, from Michigan to Arizona—the stories carried strikingly similar themes of loss, punishment, loneliness and abuse. Different places. Different schools. The same painful history.
But one testimony has stayed with me more than any other.
It was not because of what the speaker said about her own boarding school experience. It was because of what she said about Haaland.
During a Jan. 22, 2023 Road to Healing session on the Navajo Nation in Arizona, a Navajo woman stood to share her story. Before recounting the pain she had carried for so many years, she spoke directly about what it meant to finally have someone in the federal government who was willing to listen.
The woman said she had driven more than five hours from Utah to attend the listening session. She recalled weeping when President-elect Joe Biden selected Haaland to serve as secretary of the Interior. Through tears, she explained that she had never believed a Native woman could rise to such a powerful position within the federal government. For months, she said, she had prayed to the Creator for the opportunity to meet Haaland.
“Today is the day I get to meet Deb Haaland!” the Navajo woman proclaimed to the crowd of several hundred people.
When I think about Haaland, I think of what she represents to Native people. The Navajo woman’s desire to meet Haaland and the fulfillment of her wish personified for me Haaland’s significance to Indian Country. Her words were a reminder that Haaland’s appointment represented more than a historic political milestone. For many Native people, it was proof that the highest levels of government could finally include someone who understood their history, their communities, and their lived experiences.
On Tuesday evening, soon after the polls closed in New Mexico, the Associated Press called the Democratic gubernatorial primary winner: Deb Haaland.
She defeated Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman, winning 72% of the vote to Bregman’s 28%. The margin reflected a broad base of support across the state and an early consolidation of Democratic voters behind Haaland’s historic candidacy. Historic because If elected, she will become the first Native American woman to ever be elected governor of a state.
With more than 217,000 ballots cast statewide, Haaland’s win by over 40 percentage points underscored both her political strength and the momentum she carried into the general election as the Democratic nominee for governor.
The decisive victory speaks to the strong campaign Haaland ran since announcing her candidacy in February 2025 – less than a month after leaving her post as secretary of the Interior. She amassed over $11 million in campaign contributions from over 314,000 donors, according to the Deb for New Mexico campaign. Soon after announcing her candidacy, she hit the road and visited all 33 counties in the state.
In the general election, Haaland faces the Republican nominee, Greg Hull, the former mayor of Rio Rancho.
A tenacious campaigner, without a doubt, Haaland will continue to work hard until Election Day, Nov. 3, 2026.
Her primary victory speaks to her ability to appeal to a broad coalition of voters. While her candidacy carries historic significance for Native people, her support extends well beyond Indian Country.
Part of that appeal stems from her personal story. Before entering Congress, Haaland was a single mother who worked her way through law school, at one point selling homemade salsa from the back of her car. Her story resonates with voters who understand the challenges of making ends meet and building a better future for their families.
Tuesday’s election results demonstrate that her appeal extends far beyond Native communities in New Mexico.
Yet we are still so proud of this Native woman.Thayék gde nwéndëmen – We are all related.
