‘Strength of matriarchs’: New Mexico’s Deb Haaland poised to be first female Native American governor
Summary
Deb Haaland, a member of Laguna Pueblo and former U.S. interior secretary, is running for governor of New Mexico against Republican Gregg Hull. Polls cited by the article show Haaland with a comfortable lead ahead of the November 3 election; if elected, she would be the first Native American woman to serve as a U.S. governor.Key Facts
- Haaland was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2018.
- President Joe Biden appointed Haaland to lead the Interior Department in 2021, making her the first Native American to head a cabinet agency.
- As interior secretary, Haaland oversaw the creation of a missing and murdered persons unit within the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
- Haaland has campaigned on expanding social programs, improving rural health care, and protecting natural resources and sacred lands.
- Her campaign has also pledged to investigate the legacy of Native American boarding schools in New Mexico and prioritize cases involving missing and murdered Indigenous people.
- Her Republican opponent, Gregg Hull, is a businessman and the longtime mayor of Rio Rancho.
- The article says Indigenous people make up more than 12% of New Mexico's population.
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