On Tuesday, Nov. 11, the University of New Mexico College Democrats hosted former U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, who conversed with students about her history and current gubernatorial campaign.
In addition to being the first Native American Cabinet secretary in the nation’s history, Haaland is an alum of UNM, having completed both her undergraduate and law degrees at UNM. She shared with students some of her personal history, as well as information about her current gubernatorial run.
Haaland started by sharing that she first ran for lieutenant governor in 2014, a year in which Democrats lost decisively, with Republican Susana Martinez winning the governorship. Haaland then ran for state Democratic party chair, she said.
“Even when times are hard, you can muster courage and organizing skills to make sure that we are messaging and getting folks to the polls, and that’s what it’s really all about. I traveled to every single underrepresented community in this state,” Haaland said. “We went to all the red counties, and I went to every single tribal community, to register voters and get them out to vote. Sometimes I knocked on doors so much that my knuckles would get bruised.”
Students asked Haaland for her thoughts and plans on the issues concerning them, including affordable healthcare and housing, clean industry and energy jobs and more careers within the film industry.
Haaland discussed how she would respond to an attempt by President Trump to send the National Guard to New Mexico.
“I would never ever allow anyone in the federal government to use any state resources to have all the horrible, inhumane immigration policies that they are doing right now,” Haaland said.
Trump has ordered the deployment of the national guard in Chicago, Illinois and Los Angeles, California, without governor approval, and has also deployed guardsmen in Washington, D.C. and Memphis, Tennessee, according to NPR.
“I want to make sure that our attorney general has more funding so you can hire more lawyers and so they can sue Trump every single day, because fighting in the courts is something that we continuously have to do. Whatever tool is in the toolbox that we have, that’s what I would do. But I want to say over my dead body, would he use any state resources to treat people the way he’s treating them,” Haaland said.
Haaland also proposed her vision for the relationship between the state and universities.
“I would say that the universities in New Mexico would have a seat at the table,” Haaland said. “It’s all about making education available to more and more people.”
UNM College Democrats’ President Breahna Roark said she was pleased with the event and its turnout.
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“I was really happy with the way it turned out,” Roark said. “I think having Deb here today was really good. We’re not officially endorsing or anything yet. It’s still really early in the race, but we’re just happy to give people the opportunity to hear both sides and hear Deb’s story because it gives them perspective and it helps them make their mind up and who to vote for.”
The UNM College Democrats would like to host District Attorney of Bernalillo County Sam Bregman, Roark said, who is running against Haaland in the Democratic Gubernatorial Primary.
After the talk, Haaland said she was happy for the chance to engage with college voters, particularly at UNM.
“I always want to come to UNM; it’s my alma mater,” Haaland said. “I’m very appreciative of the College Dems and I just thought it helped them to get to know me a little bit better and I want them to stay involved, so however I can help them stay involved, then I will do that.”
She elaborated further about the role of young voters, and the role of voting in young peoples’ lives.
“I’m not doing this for my own self. I want people to have opportunities. I want children to have opportunities, to have a quality, public education so that they can grow up and stay here in New Mexico. I grew up in an era where you had to be involved in your community,” Haaland said. “I made my homemade signs and went to the rallies and made the phone calls that I was supposed to, so I just like to see young people who are involved, because it’s their future.”
Addison Fulton is the culture editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on X @dailylobo
