KC Counts talks with Deb Haaland, Democratic candidate for governor, about her campaign. Here is a transcript of their conversation:
KC Counts:
Let me start by just asking you to talk a little bit about how your background has prepared you to serve as governor of New Mexico.
Deb Haaland:
Thank you so much for the question. And, you know, I think often about going down to the corn field with my grandfather when I was a kid and helping him to hoe weeds and irrigate and pick worms off of ears of corn and understanding the, you know, the value of ourprecious natural resources that my grandfather instilled in me. And things like that still resonate with me today. Of course, I'm a graduate of UNM and UNM School of Law. And I was the congresswoman for New Mexico's first district. But I'm also a single mom who had to navigate healthcare and had to apply for food stamps. And so I feel like I completely understand what it's like for a lot of New Mexicans right now during this time of horrible cuts and chaos and cruelty, quite frankly, coming out of the White House, right? People are fearful right now for all of the cuts they're going to have to endure and how much more money they'll have to pay for insurance and things like that. So I feel like I'm, you know, I'm just kind of an average everyday New Mexican who's had to navigate all these things before. And so I'm, and also, I think about my child, having to, me cleaning at her preschool so that I could get a cut on tuition. And, now families can go to early childhood education because the state cared about that, and our governor and legislators worked to get that passed. So I'm grateful that we have some things; we just need to make sure that we can help people from New Mexico navigate the issues that are happening right now.
KC Counts:
Issues is kind of the next question. And so, you certainly touched on some of those. So I'd like for you to identify what you think are the top issues facing this state in terms of what will be your first priorities.
Deb Haaland:
Sure. So it's not necessarily what I think are the top issues. Because I've done two statewide tours and spoken to thousands of New Mexicans since I launched my campaign, and the issues that have resonated with them that they have told me about, affordability is #1. Everywhere I go, people are talking about how expensive things are. It's hard for people to make ends meet, right? Healthcare, that's a top issue for every New Mexican, whether you're a doctor, a patient, or just an everyday New Mexican. Healthcare is an issue, especially in the face of all the folks who are going to get kicked off of Medicaid and have to recertify every six months. It's just a lot for people to really wrap their arms around. Public safety - we have a terrible illegal drug crisis in New Mexico. And we've been with law enforcement officers who have said that fentanyl is the worst drug they've ever had to deal with, right? These are really terrible times for that, and believing that the illegal drugs are exacerbating a lot of the crimes that happen across the state; but helping to get our violent criminals off our streets, making sure law enforcement has the tools they need to make that happen, and just help people to feel safer and better about their neighborhoods. And then education, of course, always education. I'm so grateful for the early childhood education that was passed, as I mentioned earlier. I think that will really make a difference for our children going forward. And quite frankly, we are all here for our kids, right? We're all here for our kids, for future generations. We need to make sure that our kids have a quality public education so they can find opportunities right here in New Mexico when they're grown.
KC Counts:
Now let's talk about some of the solutions to some of the issues you mentioned, tools for law enforcement. You can kind of go back to those and talk about some strategies you would employ to successfully approach and deal with those issues.
Deb Haaland:
Absolutely. So for law enforcement, of course, technology is always important. And so making sure they have those kinds of tools, technological tools to do their job better. Also, We've heard a lot about recruitment and retention. We need to make sure that we have a pool of candidates that law enforcement agencies can hire from. We also have heard a great deal about pay parity. some of the smaller communities, counties, cities across New Mexico, lose some of their officers to other agencies that can pay more. And so how do we make sure that across the board, that we have law enforcement officers who can serve even the smallest communities in New Mexico? Because public safety is important. And so I feel like we can probably find some solutions to some of those things, and that's what we'll do.
KC Counts:
Any solutions on some of the other issues that you mentioned?
Deb Haaland:
Sure. Well, affordability. I constantly say New Mexicans need a raise, and they do. New Mexicans need a raise. There's a few industries that I think we can make sure that New Mexico is, you know, embracing here. Sustainable industries, the film industry, for example, a lot of folks have told me that it needs to be modernized, that, and I know since the strike, there hasn't been a lot happening with the film industry here in New Mexico, but that's one industry that can be sustainable and can employ people. And so I'd like to see that move forward. And I mean, we need to do the best job we possibly can to help small businesses to cut some red tape and to be able to bring their ideas to the forefront and have the help to make sure they can start their small businesses. The small businesses are the lifeblood of New Mexico. And so whatever we can do to ensure that small businesses have the support from the state that they need, then absolutely.
KC Counts:
A couple of follow-up questions. On education, you mentioned high hopes for the early childhood education and care department. What do you see in terms of a realistic timeline and what are the differences that you expect that department will make?
Deb Haaland:
Sure. So understanding that the research has shown that it will take 12 years from the time we implemented early childhood education to really see the fruits of that labor come to fruition. What I hope to see is that children can read sooner. That's the most important thing. I think that children need to read. The sooner the better. Because when a child can read, that opens up their whole educational world for them. So I look forward to us really embracing the early childhood education that we have, helping families to understand how important it is, helping. I know that parents sometimes are spread really thin. Some parents work two and three jobs just to keep a roof over their family's heads. I was fortunate. My mom stayed home with us until I was 14 when she went to work for the BIA. So she made sure that we did our homework and that we could read. We always had books in the house. And so I just, you know, we need to make sure that our children can read. And that's the most important thing. And in fact, in my campaign, we are having, currently having a book drive right now to collect books to donate so that we can spread the reading love around.
KC Counts:
And when we talk about care, early care in those early years for children, we can't help but address issues at CYFD. Where do you see the problems there and what solutions do you plan to employ?
Deb Haaland:
Yes, well, we understand that the current leadership is, you know, more collaborative, that they are working hard to remedy some of the issues there. But certainly, I just want to say that whatever we can do to turn CYFD around to make sure that we're serving our children in the best way possible. That's what I want to do. I want to mention that behavioral health is always an issue and I know that we are still, you know, working to build that up, that sector up our behavioral health system after it was devastated. several years back. And so I think that making sure that these children have the health care they need, they have the behavioral health care that they need, these are all things that I think will help our kids, just to feel better and to be better.
KC Counts:
Okay. Now, I'd like to ask a follow-up on your ideas concerning crime. And you mentioned that law enforcement is telling you that fentanyl is a different animal and that it can be behind a lot of the issues that we're seeing. So we talk a lot about giving law enforcement the tools they need. What do you see in terms of prevention and treatment for drug addiction?
Deb Haaland:
Exactly, yes. The root causes of crime we talk about, right? I know a little bit about addiction. We don't have enough rehab centers in New Mexico. I think if people want to or decide to get sober, they need to have a place to go. It's a public health issue. Substance abuse disorder is a public health issue, and we need to address that in a big way. And so, yes, rehab centers, people need a place to go where they can find sobriety, where they can maintain sobriety. I'll tell you, we went to, we visited the Veterans Integration Center, and they have a really wonderful program there that helps people, but it's a long long-term program. When people join the center, they follow them for months afterward just to make sure that they are getting the support and the help that they need. And in some cases, people have to relearn things, right? Relearn how to manage a house, relearn how to take care of themselves, washing their clothes, and, you know, navigating job interviews and so on and so forth. So I feel like if we, you know, we just, people need help and support 30 days or 21 days or whatever, it's not nearly enough. So we're going to have to put a lot of thought into how we can help people to live sober and better lives.
KC Counts:
What else do you think is important for people to know about your campaign?
Deb Haaland:
Well, we're a very strong grassroots campaign. I have 10,000 volunteers who have signed up on my campaign website. Our average donation is $23. I have over 100 endorsements from elected officials across New Mexico. And we're working just super hard. You know, I started my political career as an organizer. I've registered lots and lots of voters all over New Mexico and some of the most underrepresented communities. I've gone back to make sure those people vote. I feel like, I want to make sure that I'm meeting voters where they are. We've done 2 statewide tours already and visited every county in New Mexico. And so I look forward to doing 3, 4, and five statewide tours and making sure that we are accessible to the voters of New Mexico. I think that we kind of need to get back to our roots that way, right? Meeting voters where they are, letting them see us in person, answering questions, just helping them to know that we care about the state, about the things that they're experiencing. And so we'll just continue on that trajectory.
KC Counts:
I will ask if there's a place where people can go to follow along or contact you and let you know what issues that they're facing.
Deb Haaland:
Absolutely. And people write us all the time. We've got lots of letters. We've got lots of messages. They can go to debhaaland.com, D-E-B-H-A-A-L-A-N-D.com. They can go to our social media pages and Deb, I think it's Deb Haaland NM, but all those social media pages are on the website. So we are happy to have them follow along. We have lots of things posted on our website, places we've been. statements we've made, press releases pertaining to issues across New Mexico. So we welcome them to join us and sign up to volunteer too.
KC Counts:
Democratic candidate for governor of New Mexico, Deb Haaland, thank you so much for stopping by the KRWG studios to speak with us.
Deb Haaland:
So happy to be here. Thanks.
KRWG Public Media is reaching out to all candidates for governor and will continue to conduct and post interviews as they happen.
