Vogue: Can Deb Haaland Make History in New Mexico?

June 22, 2026

Albuquerque, N.M. – In case you missed it, Deb Haaland, the democratic nominee running to be the next governor of New Mexico, was featured in Vogue.

The story covered Haaland on the campaign trail as she traveled close to 1,000 miles across the state, meeting with voters and sharing her vision for New Mexico.

The gym at Eva B. Stokely Elementary, in the town of Shiprock, New Mexico, site of today’s Northern Navajo Agency Council meeting, has the points of the compass marked on each of its four walls. That makes it easy to see, early on this crisp, blue-sky morning, that Deb Haaland has arrived from the east. She’s accompanied by three workers from her gubernatorial campaign and a few trays of pastries—gifts to add to a long table of food. Attendees roaming the gym recognize President Biden’s former interior secretary, though she tends to make no assumptions. “Hi,” she says, brightly and forcefully. “I’m Deb Haaland.”

[…]

It’s day two of four long days on the campaign trail, and, all told, Haaland will travel about 1,000 miles on this swing, through the northeastern mountains that Georgia O’Keeffe painted as geologic dreamscapes; past Santa Fe, where spas dot the Sangre de Cristo foothills; and south on I-25 alongside salt flats where the first atomic weapon was exploded—and where new military devices continue to be tested today. She’ll hear about farmers worried about water and energy companies ready to drill, and she’ll visit the border with Mexico—borders, in 2026 America, being our most contentious sites.

[…]

Haaland speaks of her plan to help children read earlier, to give teachers the tools they need, bringing home her campaign themes. “Right now, people can’t afford anything,” Haaland says, “and people have to wait six months to see a doctor.”

[…]

“What a horrible batch of headlines that we have to wake up to every morning…. Governors are the first line of defense against the worst policies coming out of this administration. I want to make sure that people can afford to live. That we can lower costs, that we can move our state’s clean energy transition forward. That we can get to 100 percent clean energy. That we can ensure that those utility costs go down as we do that. I want to make sure that we raise the minimum wage—$12 is too low.”

[…]

Haaland tacks toward safety as care. “People don’t feel safe in their neighborhoods,” she says. Heads nod. “We need to make sure that law enforcement has the tools they need…. And we need to address the root causes of crime. Substance abuse disorder, I think, is one of those root causes. We need more rehab centers. We need more of our behavioral health dollars to ensure that people can find the help they need when they need it.”

[…]

It’s her experience as head of Interior that she returns to, a department of 70,000 employees before being decimated in the Trump era. She ran to work in DC to train for the Boston Marathon with her security detail in tow. Running has become a big part of her life. In a piece for The Boston Globe in 2021, she drew a line from the city’s race to her history: “Traditional foot races in our Pueblo villages honor those who were strong and fast,” she wrote. “I run because my ancestors gave me this ability.”

[…]

Haaland frames representation in terms of generational thinking. “If it’s not good for our kids, then it shouldn’t happen in our state,” she says. “I think that’s a good way for us to look at things because we’re responsible for future generations. It’s what my ancestors did for me.”