Deb Haaland elected New Mexico governor, breaking Indigenous barrier

Deb Haaland has been elected governor of New Mexico, defeating Republican Gregg Hull. She will become the first Native American woman to govern a US state, extending a career that has repeatedly broken political barriers and marking a milestone for Indigenous representation.

A member of Laguna Pueblo, Haaland, 65, previously served as Joe Biden’s interior secretary and was one of the first Native American women elected to Congress in 2018. Native Americans make up 12% of New Mexico’s population, and 358 Indigenous candidates ran for office across the US this election cycle. Native Americans gained voting rights in New Mexico in 1948; in 2023, the state became the only one to enact an updated Native American Voting Rights Act.