Democrat Deb Haaland Wins New Mexico Governor’s Race

Former Biden-era Interior Secretary Deb Haaland was elected Governor of New Mexico on Tuesday, defeating Republican Gregg Hull in the southwestern state. Haaland, who previously represented the state in Congress, will succeed Democrat Michelle Lujan Grisham as the state’s chief executive. The race was called by the Associated Press (AP) as Haaland led with over 56 percent of the vote. Haaland spent much of her campaign touting that she would be the first Native American woman governor of a state, embracing leftist identity politics while pledging to raise the state’s minimum wage and implement Green New Deal energy policies. Like many Democrats, Haaland parroted affordability talking points, but her campaign mostly talked about more government spending and banning data centers. Follow Matt Mercer on X: @mattmercer.