After a brief speech in front of a packed Alameda House, Kasey and Marshall Schroeder were eager to talk with Deb Haaland.
Haaland’s stop in Las Cruces as part of a statewide gubernatorial launch party was brief, as was her speech. But for the Schroeder’s, it resonated.
“I think she really just has the New Mexico experience, Kasey Schroeder said, adding, “She wants health care for all, she wants to solve the crime problem... there’s something for everyone.”
That was the essence of Haaland’s message—that she cares about bread-and-butter issues like the cost of food, housing, community safety, and access to healthcare because she's lived the life of the everyday New Mexican.
"I'm running to change the game for New Mexicans because we can't keep doing the same thing and expect different results, and it's why I challenge the system in every position I serve,” Haaland, who would be the first Native American women to become a governor in U.S. history, told a crowd of over 300 people Sunday morning.
The speech was stop number four in a 19-town tour following Haaland’s announcement she’d run for governor. Current Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is termed out, meaning she cannot seek reelection in 2026.
That leaves the field for democrats in New Mexico wide open. No Republicans have announced as of this article’s publication.
Early start followed by early endorsements
While the election is not until November 2026, with the Democratic primary in June 2026, the former Secretary of the Interior is wasting no time getting her name in the news and talking with New Mexicans.
She’s also garnered endorsements from most federal delegates, including Rep. Gabe Vasquez, Rep. Melanie Stansbury, Rep. Teresa Leger-Fernandez and Sen. Ben Ray Lujan. Only Sen. Martin Heinrich has not endorsed Haaland. He was rumored to be running against Haaland before he declared he would remain in Congress.
Haaland also garnered the endorsement of a local politico, City Councilor Johana Bencomo, who gave opening remarks for Haaland’s speech.
“I want a governor who feels our pain,” Bencomo, an outspoken progressive and anti-poverty advocate, said, adding that Haaland’s 2018 stint as Albuquerque congressperson was a personal source of inspiration.
After a stint as chair of the state Democratic party, Haaland was elected to Congress in 2018 by defeating Republican Janice Arnold-Jones by 23 points. Lujan Grisham, who was running for governor, left the seat.
In 2020, then-President Joe Biden appointed her as U.S. Secretary of the Interior. She remained in that position for four years.
Haaland’s message
But in her 15-minute speech on Sunday, Haaland outlined her life before politics as an ordinary New Mexican. She described her time as a teenager working at an Albuquerque bakery and selling homemade salsa to make ends meet. She also spoke about being a single mother and brought up her struggles with alcohol.
“I've struggled, like so many New Mexicans. I know what it's like to work hard and still barely scrape by, and of course, things should not be this hard. It's expensive to be poor,” Haaland said.
However, the former interior Secretary avoided specific policy promises in the speech.
"I'm running to make sure every new Mexican feels safe in their neighborhood. I'm running to lower costs and make sure we all have a share in our state's success. I'm running so our kids can enjoy learning and have opportunities right here in New Mexico when they're grown. I'm running to protect our state's beautiful landscapes and sacred spaces," she said.
To the crowd's amusement, Haaland also took a few shots at President Donald Trump. She joked that, in his first term, Trump “lowered himself” by signing into law bills Haaland helped pass.
She said that as governor, she’d work to insulate New Mexico from Trump’s Oval Office.
“Governors will be the first line of defense against this Trump chaos. In the midst of the cruelty and chaos our entire country faces, we must look ahead and decide who do we want to be. How do we want to fight for the place we call home? It's long past time that we take real action, so we don't have to struggle to get by,” she said.
Indeed, Gov. Haaland would likely face a steep and aggressive Trump administration, who has used its first weeks in office to create fear of mass deportations of immigrants in the U.S. and attempted to seize congressional spending powers, while threatening to slash Medicaid – a program that about 784,300 New Mexicans utilize, according to the KFF.
Increased and improved access to healthcare – especially for LGBTQ people – was another of the Schroeders’ hopes for a Haaland gubernatorial term.
“I am really excited to know that there's someone out there that's going to be protecting our trans kids,” Kasey Schroeder said. “And knowing that she, and excuse my language, gives a fuck, because those kids are worth it.”
For Marshall Schroeder, a local psychologist who works with LGBTQ youth, his expectations for Haaland revolve around practitioners and specialists.
“The biggest thing that I really hope that she can work on is the retention of specialists, of medical specialists, because we are having such a mass exodus of medical specialists leaving the area,” Schroeder said.
Healthcare will likely be a big issue in the upcoming campaign, as will public safety, something Haaland also touched on but did not discuss in depth.
“It will mean making sure law enforcement has what they need, keeping criminals off our streets, but also addressing the root causes of crime,” she said in one of her few remarks on public safety.
Doña Ana County a likely win for Haaland
It’s unclear when or if Haaland will return to this region, as it is unlikely to be the deciding factor in 2026.
In 2018, Lujan Grisham carried the county by more than 20 points and about 18,000 votes. It was a similar story in 2022, when Lujan Grisham won the county by 16 points and about 11,000 votes.
But at least for now, Haaland’s next stop on her launch tour included Deming, Silver City and Socorro before she heads elsewhere in the state.
