Former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland will face New Mexico voters Tuesday in her quest to become the state’s next governor, one of several key races as a half-dozen states hold primary contests this week.
Voters will also decide the general election slate in gubernatorial contests in California, Iowa and South Dakota, as well as pick nominees in federal races in Montana and New Jersey.
Haaland, who served under President Joe Biden, is seeking the Democratic nomination in this year’s contest. Her main opponent in the race is Sam Bregman, the district attorney of Bernalillo County, which is New Mexico’s most populous county and home to Albuquerque.
Haaland has been polling far ahead of Bregman in most polls. An Albuquerque Journal survey last month had her at 52 percent to Bregman’s 30 percent, while Emerson College’s polling had the race at 40 percent to 24 percent, respectively. Still, a number of voters remained undecided making the outcome of the race less than certain.
