# Deb Haaland Former U.S. Secretary of the Interior under Biden (2021–2025) and the first Native American Cabinet secretary in U.S. history, now a **2026 candidate for Governor of New Mexico**. A member of the Laguna Pueblo, Haaland previously served as U.S. Representative for New Mexico's 1st district (2019–2021) and was one of the first two Native American women elected to Congress. As Interior Secretary she oversaw major public lands and tribal policy initiatives. She enters the open-seat New Mexico gubernatorial race as the heavy favorite in the D primary against Sam Bregman, with strong institutional and cultural support in a D+4 state. ## Related - [[2026 Governor Races Hub]] · [[2026 Midterms Hub]]