New Mexico's Deb Haaland on making history as first Native American woman elected governor

Deb Haaland, who served as interior secretary under President Biden, won New Mexico's governorship and will be the first Native American woman to lead any U.S. state. She spoke with PBS NewsHour's Geoff Bennett after an election night that also produced other firsts, including Chris Pappas as the first openly gay man elected to the Senate and Keisha Lance Bottoms as Georgia's first Black woman governor.

Asked how she would turn symbolism into results, Haaland pointed to her management of 70,000 employees and an $18 billion annual budget at Interior. She said New Mexico faces federal Medicaid cuts that could remove 89,000 people from coverage, along with lost SNAP benefits, which she blamed on the Trump bill. She also cited higher costs tied to tariffs and the war in Iran. Her plan includes expanding the child tax credit and the working families tax credit, and advancing clean energy to reduce utility bills.

Haaland said the state's Democratic governor is term-limited, and that voters chose to continue programs like universal childcare. She promised transparency and early input from stakeholders, and called this her first successful statewide campaign.

Summarized by PolitiKool from PBS NewsHour’s reporting. Read the full story at PBS NewsHour →