Deb Haaland Elected New Mexico Governor, Set to Be First Native American Woman to Lead a US State

Democrat Deb Haaland has been elected governor of New Mexico, defeating Republican Gregg Hull in the state's November 3 election, The Guardian reported. Once she takes office, she will be the first Native American woman to govern a US state.

Hull, whose full name is Greggory D. Hull, is a businessman and the longtime mayor of Rio Rancho, a city in New Mexico. Early in the count, DDHQ, a election-results projection service, called the race for Haaland, projecting she would win by almost 12 percentage points when 37 percent of votes had been counted. The Associated Press also declared her the winner, describing her as the first female, Native American governor in the country.

Haaland is a member of Laguna Pueblo. She served as interior secretary under President Joe Biden, becoming the first Indigenous cabinet secretary in the United States. In 2018, she and Sharice Davids became the first Native American women elected to Congress, and Haaland has since been described as a former congresswoman.

Her path to the general election ran through the Democratic primary. On June 2, 2026, she received 158,713 votes, or 72 percent, according to the New Mexico Secretary of State's official results, and she went on to win the Democratic nomination for governor.

Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin issued a statement congratulating Haaland on her victory.