Last week, former Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland announced that she would be running for governor of New Mexico for 2026. She kicked off her statewide tour of nineteen cities and small towns in New Mexico on Thursday, stopping in Las Cruces Sunday morning.
“Welcome the next governor of New Mexico, Deb Haaland!”
That was how Las Cruces Mayor Pro-Tem and District 4 city councilor Johana Bencomo introduced Deb Haaland to a crowd of over 300 at the Alameda House Sunday morning. Las Cruces was Haaland’s fourth city to visit on her current launch tour after recently announcing her candidacy for governor of New Mexico, and the first of four cities she was scheduled to visit on Sunday alone. During her ten-minute speech, Haaland acknowledged some of the challenges that New Mexico currently faces, such as paying for groceries and rent, concerns about safety, and climate change and how it affects drought and fires.
“The system isn’t working for us, and it hasn’t been,” Haaland told the crowd. “But together, we can change that. Together, we can create a stronger, safer, fairer, and more prosperous New Mexico, because I believe in us. And that’s why I’m running to be your next governor.”
Haaland also listed her accomplishments while in Congress, which included introducing several bills that were signed into law by the current President.
“Not many people know this, but several of my bills, when I served in Congress, were signed by President Trump,” she said as many in the crowd laughed. “Can you believe that? I know it really is surprising, especially considering the uncertainty he’s causing in our state right now. Governors will be the first line of defense against this Trump chaos.”
Haaland also said why she’s currently traveling across the state on her current launch tour.
“I’ll be traveling the state this month to hear from New Mexicans about your struggles, your ideas, and your hopes for the future,” she said. “New Mexicans are fierce. My journey from being a rez kid in my grandfather’s cornfield to leading a team of nearly 70,000 career employees as Secretary of the Department of Interior, I’m going to roll up my sleeves alongside all of you, and we’re gonna get some stuff done.”
After her speech, Haaland stayed and greeted several of her Las Cruces supporters. One of them, NMSU history professor Jamie Bronstein, explained why she was throwing her support behind Deb Haaland as the next governor.
“She is really New Mexico born and bred, and has been here and knows what the state needs, and she was an excellent Secretary of the Interior,” she said. “And so I think she’s got the energy and the presence to do what we need to do here.”
Dr. Bronstein listed higher education as one of the things the next governor needs to support most.
“I think the current gubernatorial administration has done a pretty good job supporting K-12 education, but in this time especially of a transitioning economy, we really need to make sure the state supports higher ed. So that’s one of my main concerns.”
Laurel Allendar is a retired director of human research for the Army research laboratory. She explained why she was at Sunday’s rally for Deb Halland in Las Cruces.
“Well, she’s got some Washington insight,” Allendar said. “I know she doesn’t call herself a Washington insider. I guess I want to lean forward, so this morning I’m supporting her, but I want to hear what she has to say.”
After her stop in Las Cruces, Haaland was off to make appearances that Sunday in Deming, Silver City, and Soccoro. Her New Mexico launch tour will wrap up in Ruidoso on March 2nd.
