By Jeanette DeDios, Daniel Montaño | KUNM

New Mexico – and the United States are one step closer to having the first female Native American governor as former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland beat out her Democratic opponent Sam Bregman with 72% of the vote Tuesday night in the primary election.

Old Town Plaza was filled with New Mexicans young and old in support of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Deb Haaland, dressed in a black and white dress with bright red cowboy boots.

Haaland told the crowd she would lower costs so that New Mexicans can have better access to health care, education, and safe communities.

“I’ve been through hard times. I’m a single mom, I’ve lived paycheck to paycheck, I survived off SNAP and WIC. I’m over 35 years sober,” she said. “These are the same struggles so many New Mexicans face today, but with the grit, creativity, and persistence that only New Mexicans know, I know a better New Mexico, as possible.”

Haaland is an enrolled member of the Laguna Pueblo tribe and served as the 54th U.S Secretary of Interior, making her one of the first two Native American women elected to Congress. She said she will put that experience into work.

“To combat Donald Trump’s cuts to Medicaid, fight against rising health care costs, and take a stand, so that ICE will not be allowed near schools, places of worship, or public community spaces,” said Haaland.

Kalika Tallou, who is Diné and Ute, works for the nonprofit New Mexico Community Capital and was in the crowd. She said she’s heard some reservations from other Indigenous people about Haaland but she said Haaland has a big voice in the grand scheme of things.

“I feel supportive of her and her work in Washington, DC, and internationally, and across Turtle Island, and wanting to uplift and support our Indigenous women with the challenges that they’re facing right now,” said Tallou.

Haaland will face Republican candidate Greg Hull on November 3rd.

“If I didn’t earn your vote this primary election, I want you to know I’m going to work every day to earn it now,” said Haaland.

Her opponent in the primary, Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman, earned almost 27.7% of the vote compared to Haaland’s 72.3%. During his concession speech, Bregman maintained optimism and confidence about New Mexico’s future and thanked his volunteers and staff for a well-run campaign.

“We didn’t even come close to the results we wanted. I know that” he said. “But here’s the thing, at the end of the day, don’t you lose hope, New Mexico. Don’t you lose hope. We are going to be a place that we can all be proud of, and our kids can stay, and I want you to know I’m here, and I’m going to continue to fight as your district attorney here in Bernalillo County, and we’re going to keep getting things done.”

After his speech, he told reporters he would not be supporting Haaland going forward, but that he would be calling to congratulate her later in the evening and that he wished her good luck. He also commented on what he hopes she does if she comes out on top in the general election.

“My advice is basically don’t use politics to jeopardize the safety of people and their families,” he said. “There’s a whole multitude of issues that we need to fix to live up to the potential of New Mexico, and we’re not doing a very good job of that right now, and we need to improve that.”

Bregman said now that the campaign is over, he’s looking forward to continuing his work as Bernalillo County district attorney, which he said he feels blessed to be able to do.

This story was originally published by KUNM