Interior Secretary Haaland marries longtime partner

By Timothy Cama | 08/30/2021 01:54 PM EDT

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland married her partner Skip Sayre this weekend in a ceremony at a New Mexico tribal resort.

Deb Haaland and Skip Sayre

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and Skip Sayre at their wedding this weekend in New Mexico. Photo courtesy of the Interior Department

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland married her partner Skip Sayre this weekend in a ceremony at a New Mexico tribal resort.

Sayre is the chief of sales and marketing at the Laguna Development Corp., the gaming and hospitality arm of the Laguna Pueblo tribe, of which Haaland is a member. Interior spokesperson Tyler Cherry described Sayre as Haaland’s “longtime” partner.

The Saturday ceremony, at the Hyatt Tamaya Resort on the Santa Ana Pueblo, included traditional elements as a nod to Haaland’s ancestry, including buffalo dancers and a presentation by the Pueblo Sisters, according to The Paper, an Albuquerque, N.M.-based publication. Haaland is the first Native American head of a Cabinet department.

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Haaland, a former House representative for the Albuquerque-based 1st District, wore a dress designed and sewn by her sister, Cherry said.

The wedding’s guests included Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Rep. Sharice Davids (D-Kan.), both among Haaland’s top allies since she first came to Congress in 2019, The Paper reported. Haaland and Davids were the first Native American women in Congress.

Guests were required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and wear masks, Cherry said.