On September 9, 2026, Democratic Candidate For Governor Deb Haaland submitted the following guest column at the request of www.PeteDinelli.com for purposes of an endorsement. No compensation was paid by Deb Haaland nor her campaign to www.PeteDinelli.com for publication of her column.
“My Plans for New Mexico”
By Deb Haaland
New Mexico has some of its toughest challenges ahead of us. Data centers are on the horizon, private equity looks to buy up our state’s housing and health clinics, and everyday New Mexicans struggle to put food on the table for their families. I’m ready to bring my personal and professional experience, and my record of delivering to the governor’s office.
Throughout my career, I have gotten things done, because I work hard and have genuine compassion for New Mexicans, and I have a plan.
Over the course of my campaign, I released a four pillar plan that includes solutions for tackling some of the toughest challenges that New Mexicans face: education, affordability, public safety, and healthcare. These pillars reflect the real voices of New Mexicans, are informed by my experience as a single mom who lived on the brink, and informed by experts.
I’m highlighting a few of my policy plans here, the rest can be found at debhaaland.com/debsplans.
New Mexico continues to fall behind on education and we must set our kids up for success. If a child can read sooner, they can learn other subjects, unlock their entire educational journey, and have the confidence they need. If we strengthen the foundational educational skills of our children, they will learn to master other subjects. My education plan boosts early literacy so kids can read by the third grade by supporting teachers, increasing reading coaches, and ensuring that schools are equipped with the right staff so students don’t fall behind.
I am also eager to open career pathways starting in middle school. Not every kid wants to go to college and we should have opportunities for every child. My plan provides options for those who want to go into the trades, tech, and other industries that require hands-on experience. This sets students up with a plan for success and provides them with a better understanding of opportunities right here in New Mexico.
Affordability is the issue most New Mexicans talk to me about. I will lower costs, while putting more money in people’s pockets. One way we can do that is by making better use of the resources already available to New Mexicans. We will launch an affordability navigator that will help people find these resources. Imagine the single mother who is struggling to put food on the table being able to quickly launch the navigator to discover programs, tax credits, or other support she is eligible for. This solution may seem simple, but access like this would have made the world of a difference when I was raising my child.
Front of mind for voters is public safety. My plan not only supports giving law enforcement the tools they need, it also sets up a statewide Office of Community Safety. Law enforcement should focus on getting illegal drugs and violent criminals off of our streets, but often they must respond to calls that would be better handled by behavioral health professionals. The Office of Community Safety would put the right resources in the right places, and free up law enforcement to focus on crime. This is an effective, realistic approach to public safety that New Mexico needs.
Addressing behavioral health is crucial, from a public safety and a public health perspective. Ensuring that New Mexicans get the care they need creates healthier and safer communities. As governor, I’ll work toward universal healthcare for all New Mexicans. We deserve affordable coverage options that benefit all of us. A public health insurance option will also help make it easier to recruit and retain healthcare professionals.
If New Mexicans have healthcare coverage, they can access care not only when they are sick or injured, but to stay well. Healthier communities will mean that healthcare costs can go down. Without access to affordable healthcare options, people over use the emergency room which ends up costing all of us more.
New Mexicans deserve to have a bright future through investments to our education, healthcare, public safety, and through policies that will put more money in their pockets. Donald Trump has made life so much more expensive than it ever needs to be. I know what it’s like to struggle, and I’m ready to stand strong for our state and deliver as governor.
Thank you for your consideration and I ask for your vote!
DEB HAALAND
DEB HAALAND BIOGRAPHY
Deb Haaland, age 65, is a member of the Laguna Pueblo, is a 35th-generation New Mexican. After graduating from Highland High School in Albuquerque, she went on to attend the University of New Mexico and graduated with English and law degrees. Haaland became a tribal administrator at San Felipe Pueblo and a member of the Laguna Development Corporation Board of Directors. Halland chaired the state’s Democratic Party. In 2018, Haaland made history as one of the first Native American women elected to the United States Congress to represent New Mexico’s 1st Congressional District in 2018. In 2020, President Joe Biden appointed Deb Haaland to be the Secretary of Interior launching her into the national spotlight as the first Native American Cabinet Secretary in our nation’s history.
On June 2, New Mexico history was made in the Democratic Primary for Governor when Deb Haaland became the first Native American woman to be nominated for Governor of New Mexico. Deb Haaland secured 72.3% (156,861 votes) of the votes to Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman’s 27.7% (60,189) cast around New Mexico. Haaland won every single county in the state by varying percentages. In Santa Fe County she won with 80% of the Democratic vote. In Bernalillo County Haaland won with 69%. In Dona Ana County, she won with 79%. In conservative Chavez County, she won with 73%.
DINELLI ANALYSIS AND COMMENTARY
Deb Haaland was one of the most successful state Democratic Party chairs in State history. Under her leadership, Democrats regained control of the New Mexico House of Representatives, and she pulled the party out of debt. She ran against a strong field of Democrats to win election to the United States Congress to represent the Albuquerque area and she served with honor.
As a Congresswoman, Deb Haaland got things done. She worked to help small businesses stay open by advocating and securing COVID loans for them. She worked to ensure safe military housing at Kirtland, Cannon and Holloman Air Force Bases. She worked to get built a new Tohajilee school and the NewSpace Nexus. She did all this in congress until President Joe Biden appointed her to be Secretary of Interior, where she delivered energy transmission lines that brought in new revenue to New Mexico, the Eastern New Mexico rural water project, a new bridge on the Mescalero Apache Nation and expanded protections for water.
Deb Haaland’s positions on her four pillar plan of Education, Affordability, Public Safety, and Healthcare mentioned in her guest article merit further scrutiny, elaboration and analysis:
EDUCATION
Deb Haaland believes that no matter their background, every child in New Mexico deserves a fair shot, the chance to dream big, the ability to reach their full potential. She believes that starts with education. By working together with students, parents, teachers, businesses and unions, she says we can find new solutions. Those solutions include teaching kids to read earlier by detecting literacy problems sooner, bolstering universal childcare, boosting reading and bilingual instruction, and expanding summer reading programs and after-school programming. Haaland wants to expand career pathways starting in middle school through high school and provide hands-on career experience. Haaland wants to Create an Every Child Outdoor Initiative that incorporates outdoor learning into K-12 curriculums and provides implementation resources. Haaland wants to adopt and expand statewide Community School Models that provide wrap-around services like counseling, school based health care, dental, family support, and community engagement at schools so parents and caregivers have convenient services while they’re working and caring for their families.
AFFORADABILITY
Deb Haaland understands New Mexicans need better wages and lower bills, affordable rent, and a stronger economy. She understands New Mexico has the potential to lead in technology, energy, film, and our outdoor economy. Deb Haaland is committed to economic development to create jobs and deliver on making New Mexico more affordable. Deb Haaland wants to give New Mexicans a raise by increasing the minimum wage and increasing the child tax credit. She wants to ban landlords from using AI-algorithms that artificially inflate rents, also called rent fixing. Deb Haaland wants to aggressively build more housing, focusing on reducing unnecessary barriers and expediting permitting processes and expand down payment assistance programs for first time home buyers and assistance programs for workers in critical sectors such as education, healthcare, public safety, and social work. Deb Haaland advocates establishing funding sources that invest in new and unique business opportunities in New Mexico and allow the state to recruit and invest in New Mexico based operations. Haaland wants to invest in more renewable energy to create jobs, lower energy costs, and make New Mexico the energy capital of the country.
PUBLIC SAFETY
Deb Haaland believes New Mexicans should feel safe and a lot of work needs to be done to preventing and fighting crime. Haaland says she will work to keep violent criminals and illegal drugs off our streets and ensure law enforcement has the tools they need to fight crime, while addressing the root causes of crime. Haaland will invest in mental health, substance abuse and rehabilitation programs to get people the help they need. Deb Haaland is committed to providing law enforcement with the tools and technology to arrest violent offenders, track and detain drug traffickers, and get guns out of the hands of those who should not have them. Deb Haaland wants to expand access to substance use and addiction with treatment and recovery rather than just incarceration. Haaland says she will make moves toward community policing models that supplement traditional police work and will create an Office of Community Safety staffed with social workers and counselors.
HEALTH CARE
Deb Haaland believes our healthcare is under attack. President Trump is gutting Medicaid and healthcare premiums are skyrocketing across the country. Cuts to Medicaid could mean longer drives, rural hospital closures, longer waiting times to see a doctor, and more medical debt for everyone. New Mexico was forced to stepped up to subsidize premiums, leading to record enrollment in New Mexico’s Affordable Care Act marketplace. New Mexico has a historic doctor shortage. Deb Halland will fight to protect access to healthcare, address the shortage of healthcare providers, and ensure the state is always fighting for the health of our communities. To address New Mexico’s heath care needs, Haaland proposes the following:
- Address the doctor shortage by joining interstate medical compacts, expanding residency programs to rural areas, and bolstering student loan repayment and housing incentives.
- Increase mobile health clinics to reach New Mexicans in rural areas and protect rural hospitals.
- Ban medical debt from being included on credit reports.
- Protect access for those who use the state’s health insurance marketplace by expanding New Mexico’s Health Care Affordability Fund.
- Use budget surpluses to fill Medicaid gaps and hire more guides to help people keep and access their benefits.
- Launch a full throttle operation to deliver mental health and homelessness assistance to New Mexicans in need.
DINELLI ENDORSEMENT
There is way too much at stake for New Mexicans this year in the Governor’s race. Fully funded universal child daycare, preservation of paid college tuition for New Mexico students, support for organized labor, economic growth that supports working families, public safety that is comprehensive as opposed to punitive, comprehensive reform of the Children Youth and Families Department and unflinching willingness to defend New Mexico against a President who harbors a grudge against it because he has been rejected by New Mexico voters all three times he has run for President. Trump has even gone out of his way to offend and to taunt New Mexico by ignoring its rich history and it its cultures and suggesting that its name be changed to “New America”.
These are critical issues that must be tackled by our next Governor. Deb Haaland’s commitment to the issues and New Mexico’s future makes her the most compelling and the most qualified candidate for Governor. She understands the people of New Mexico, its rich culture and the struggles of all New Mexicans. Her campaign has not been about attacking her opponents. She has focused in a positive manner on our future. She will make a great governor for all New Mexicans!
Please vote Deb Haaland for Governor on November 3!
New Mexico’s early voting dates is from October 6 to October 31, 2026 (county clerk offices October 6–16; expanded locations October 17–31; hours vary by location)
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POSTSCRIPT
The link to read Deb Haaland’s platform and positions on the four major issues of Education, Affordability, Public Safety and Healthcare is here:
https://debhaaland.com/debsplan/
Haaland’s campaign website is here: https://debhaaland.com/
The link to review an extensive profile article on Deb Haaland is here: