Native Vote 2026
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A Laguna Pueblo woman is the frontrunner to be New Mexico’s next governor.
Deb Haaland was declared the winner of the state’s semi-open Democratic primary shortly after polls closed Tuesday night.
She faced off with Sam Bregman, the Bernalillo County District Attorney (the Albuquerque area).
With 50% of the vote counted, the Associated Press reported Haaland had 72.5% of the vote and Bregman with 27.5%.
Haaland will be the Democratic Party nominee in a state dominated at every level by Democrats and is expected to be heavily favored in the general election.
Shortly after the race was called, Haaland campaign staff, major donors, surrogates, and their families walked from a building on the west side of Albuquerque’s Old Town Plaza to the historic plaza core, where the Haaland campaign had set up a stage and reserved the entire plaza for its victory celebration.
Haaland is expected to speak to supporters later this evening.
“We are now witnessing history in the making,” New Mexico state Rep. Derrick Lente said to supporters immediately after Haaland was declared the winner.
Denise Wilie also joined the celebration of Haaland’s victory. Wilie said she worked on get-out-the-vote efforts with the Native American Voters Alliance in McKinley County.
“It just is so exhilarating to even think about, a woman and a Pueblo woman,” she said. “Indigenous all the way, is how I feel. I’m like, yes, let’s get more of our voices.”
