Deb Haaland, the former congresswoman and interior secretary, might have expected a cakewalk after she declared her candidacy for the open governorship of New Mexico. A political celebrity in her Democratic state, she would make history as the first Native American woman elected governor.
But Sam Bregman, district attorney of New Mexico’s most populous county and father of Chicago Cubs all-star Alex Bregman, decided instead to give her a race as a tough-on-crime Democrat trying to clean up a violent state.
Ahead of the Democratic primary on June 2, New Mexicans find themselves with an unexpected choice.
“I don’t think we should have coronations in a democracy,” the elder Mr. Bregman said in an interview.
Stylistically, he and Ms. Haaland could not be more different. Ms. Haaland, a soft-spoken progressive, has emphasized her ancestral roots in the state and the parts of her personal story that mirror the struggles of everyday residents, like battling addiction, stretching to afford rent and raising a child as a single mother. She favors Indigenous-made turquoise and silver accessories, while Mr. Bregman sports a trademark black cowboy hat.
The two are squaring off at a crucial moment for their state, which stands to suffer more than perhaps any other under President Trump’s deep cuts to the federal safety net. New Mexico has among the highest share of residents who rely on food stamps and Medicaid. And the state already faces serious challenges, ranking near the bottom of the nation in education and near the top in violent crime rates.
