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Deb Haaland鈥檚 bid to make history is hurtling toward November, while Republican Gregg Hull is hoping to break a decade-long dry spell in statewide races.

Haaland, who would become the first Native American woman elected governor if she wins in November, easily rebuffed a primary challenge from Sam Bregman to win the Democratic Party nomination in New Mexico鈥檚 open race.

The race's outcome was called only 30 minutes after polls closed Tuesday, with Haaland receiving more than 70% of the votes cast around New Mexico. She will run on an all-female ticket in this fall's general election with Maggie Toulouse Oliver, who won the Democratic Party's nomination for lieutenant governor. 

Roughly 300 supporters packed sa国际传媒官网网页入口's Old Town Plaza for Haaland's election night party, and attendees watched a Native American hoop dance while waiting for Haaland to deliver her victory speech.

During her remarks, Haaland cited her past struggles with alcoholism and reliance on government assistance programs, saying, "Like so many New Mexicans 鈥� I鈥檝e been through hard times."

She also vowed to overhaul New Mexico's beleaguered child welfare system and stand up to President Donald Trump if elected governor.

"New Mexicans want a leader who will stand up for working people and who is ready to take on Donald Trump," Haaland said.

On the Republican side, Hull, the former three-term mayor of Rio Rancho, claimed victory over business owner Doug Turner and cannabis entrepreneur Duke Rodriguez in a three-way race for the GOP nomination.

Hull spent Election Day making stops at five different polling locations in the sa国际传媒官网网页入口 metro area and said he felt confident about his chances.

He declared victory shortly after 10 p.m. on Tuesday evening, after waiting for several hours while votes were counted.

"We ran a campaign that focused on the issues, a campaign that focused on who we were and not a campaign that attacked or tore people down," Hull told a loud and enthusiastic group of more than 200 supporters at the Oasis Event Center in Northwest sa国际传媒官网网页入口.

He also said New Mexicans would have a clear choice in the November general election, citing the difference between his views and Haaland's.

"I respect that she has served in various positions over her career, but New Mexico families are hurting, and policies of the last eight years under one-party control of this state have failed the state," Hull said.

The first Republican candidate to enter the race for governor in April 2025, Hull vowed to improve New Mexico's business climate if elected.

However, he lagged behind his two GOP rivals in campaign fundraising and enters the general election cycle at a massive money disadvantage to Haaland, who reported last week having nearly $2 million in unspent campaign funds.

Independent and minor party candidates could also join the race this summer. One of those candidates is expected to be former Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima, who announced in February he planned to run as an independent 鈥� not as a Democrat.

What's at stake

New Mexico鈥檚 next governor will take office amid an anticipated surge in state revenue collections due to rising oil prices from the war with Iran.

However, previous state leaders have struggled to reverse chronic poverty, low public school rankings and high violent crime rates.

The state鈥檚 current governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham, is barred under the state Constitution from seeking a third consecutive term in office. She will step down at the end of the year.

During this year's primary election cycle, Haaland faced criticism from declining invitations from several network TV stations to debate Bregman, the Bernalillo County district attorney who sought to portray himself as a more moderate option to Democratic voters worried about crime-related issues.

Bregman recently said he would not support Haaland if she wins the Democratic Party nomination, saying Haaland made an 鈥渆pic failure of judgment鈥� by allowing information to be posted to her campaign website about several properties owned by Bregman鈥檚 family.

He acknowledged defeat in a statement after polls closed Tuesday, and said he planned to call Haaland to congratulate her.

"While tonight's results were not what we hoped for, I am deeply grateful to every New Mexican who supported our campaign," Bregman said.

But he stopped short of saying who he planned to vote for in November, saying in an interview, "We'll see how that all comes down 鈥� we'll figure that out." 

For her part, Haaland did not mention Bregman by name during her victory speech, or during a brief question-and-answer session with reporters.

Historical context

Control of New Mexico's Governor鈥檚 Office has flipped back and forth between Democrats and Republicans over the last 40-plus years.

The last time a governor was elected to replace an outgoing governor of the same political party was in 1982, when Toney Anaya was elected to succeed fellow Democrat Bruce King.

However, no Republican has won a statewide race in New Mexico since former Supreme Court justice Judith Nakamura did so in 2016.

Democrats currently hold all statewide offices and a majority in both legislative chambers.

While all 70 state House seats are up for election this year, it鈥檚 all but certain the state鈥檚 next governor will take office next January with Democrats still controlling the Legislature.

Journal staff writers Gregory R.C. Hasman, Kylie Garcia and Elizabeth Secor contributed to this report.

Dan Boyd covers state government and politics for the Journal in Santa Fe. Follow him on X at @DanBoydNM or reach him via email at dboyd@abqjournal.com.