Deb Haaland stakes out early financial lead in NM's governor race

SANTA FE — New Mexico’s 2026 primary election is still more than a year out, but the race to amass a hefty campaign war chest is already underway.

Democrat Deb Haaland reported Monday having raked in nearly $2.9 million in contributions since announcing her campaign for governor in February.

The fundraising haul includes a $215,000 transfer from her former congressional account and gives Haaland a formidable early advantage over other candidates, including fellow Democrat Sam Bregman who entered the race last week.

Bregman reported Monday having about $76,000 in his campaign account, after transferring nearly $90,000 in campaign cash from his successful bid last year to remain Bernalillo County district attorney.

But Bregman did not report any new campaign contributions, since the date of his official campaign launch on the Las Vegas plaza — last Thursday — fell just after the end of the mandatory reporting period.

“We weren’t legally allowed to start fundraising until the campaign committee was established, which happened last week,” Bregman’s campaign press secretary Joanie Griffin said Monday.

“Since the announcement on Thursday, the support has been overwhelming,” Griffin added. “We look forward to sharing our results soon and to a very competitive race for governor.”

With more than a year to go until the 2026 primary election, Haaland and Bregman are the only two candidates for governor who have officially announced campaigns. No Republicans have entered the race yet, though Rio Rancho Mayor Greg Hull has acknowledged he’s considering running.

Haaland, who launched her campaign after stepping down in January as U.S. interior secretary, recently thanked supporters for their donations.

“Every New Mexican deserves the opportunity to thrive, but for decades the system has held us back and slowed us down,” Haaland said in a statement. “I’ve never been afraid of hard work, and I’m ready to bring the change we need and tackle our challenges head-on as governor.”

The Haaland campaign said it raised more than $686,000 in the first 24 hours after she announced her candidacy, but also said the average online contribution it had received was for less than $40.

Among the contributors to Haaland's campaign were former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who made a $5,500 contribution, and U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids of Kansas, who gave $1,000.

She also received donations from some Native American tribes and tribal leaders from around the nation, including $11,000 from both the Cherokee Nation and the Mashantucket Pequot tribal nation in Connecticut.

While the Haaland campaign took in nearly $2.9 million contributions, it also reported spending nearly $1.2 million on advertising and other expenses.

That left the campaign account of the former interior secretary, who is seeking to become the first Native American woman elected governor in U.S. history, with an account balance of slightly more than $1.7 million.

New Mexico will have a new governor in 2027, since Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is constitutionally barred from seeking a third consecutive term in office.

Based on recent trends, the race is expected to be an expensive one.

The 2022 race between Lujan Grisham and Republican Mark Ronchetti was one of the most expensive in state history — with Lujan Grisham spending roughly $13 million and Ronchetti spending more than $9 million on his campaign. Those figures do not include hefty spending on the race by outside groups.

The reports filed Monday with Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver’s office mark the first mandatory disclosures for the 2026 election cycle and cover money raised and spent from Jan. 1 through April 7.

The next reporting deadline is in mid-October.

Candidates for other statewide races also filed campaign reports Monday, including Attorney General Raúl Torrez who reported getting nearly $293,000 for his reelection campaign.

Among those contribution to Torrez’s reelection campaign were former House Speaker Brian Egolf of Santa Fe, numerous attorneys and law firms and the New York-based gambling company FanDuel.