Journal Poll: Haaland holds solid lead over Bregman in hotly-contested gubernatorial primary race - Dan Boyd, Albuquerque Journal
With early voting set to begin in just over a week, Deb Haaland is in a strong position to win the Democratic Party’s nomination in New Mexico’s open race for governor, a new Journal Poll found.
The Journal Poll found 52% of proven Democratic and independent voters surveyed said they planned to vote for Haaland, while 30% expressed support for her primary election foe Sam Bregman. The remaining voters were undecided.
Strong support among women, Anglos and self-reported liberal voters was key to Haaland’s lead in the poll, with highly-educated voters also backing Haaland by a more than 2-to-1 margin.
“It appears as if Deb Haaland’s progressive policies work to her advantage in a Democratic primary,” said Brian Sanderoff, the president of Albuquerque-based Research & Polling Inc., which conducted the poll.
“I think many Democrats are excited about the prospect of having the first Native American female governor in the nation,” Sanderoff added.
Haaland, the former U.S. interior secretary under President Joe Biden and a former congresswoman, launched her campaign for governor in February 2025 and has reported raising more than $11.1 million in her bid to succeed outgoing Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.
But she has not had an easy stroll to the Democratic Party’s nomination, as Bregman has criticized Haaland for not participating in more televised debates and for posting information on her campaign website about properties owned by Bregman, who is currently the Bernalillo County district attorney.
Bregman has tried to position himself as a more moderate alternative to Haaland in this year’s primary race, Sanderoff said, but has struggled to make inroads among more liberal voters.
While Bregman led Haaland among voters surveyed in New Mexico’s east side, which tends to be more conservative, he trailed well behind his Democratic opponent in the more highly-populated Albuquerque metro area, and in the traditional Democratic stronghold of north central New Mexico.
The combative showdown is playing out in New Mexico’s first-ever semi-open primary, under a law approved last year that allows independent voters to cast a ballot in either the Democratic or Republican primary without having to change their party affiliation.
Independent voters, or those who decline to affiliate with a political party, have seen their ranks swell in recent months and now make up roughly 26% of New Mexico’s total number of registered voters. But it’s unclear how many independent voters will cast ballots in the June 2 primary race, as their turnout has lagged behind Democrats and Republicans in recent election cycles.
For that reason, Democrats made up 88% of the Journal Poll’s sample size, with independents who said they planned to cast a ballot in the Democratic primary making up the remaining 12% of the sample.
“If more independents vote, the race will narrow,” Sanderoff said, referring to the gubernatorial primary race.
Gender, education level among key factors
While Haaland led in the Journal Poll among both male and female voters, her support was particularly strong among women, who preferred her over Bregman by a 2-to-1 margin.
If she wins election in November, Haaland would be the third consecutive woman to hold the state’s highest elected office, following Lujan Grisham and Republican ex-Gov. Susana Martinez. No woman had been elected governor in New Mexico before Martinez did so in 2010.
Meanwhile, the Journal Poll also found Anglo voters were much more likely to back Haaland than were Hispanic voters, who were more narrowly divided in their views.
There was also a notable difference among surveyed voters by education level, as 59% of voters with a college or graduate degree said they planned to vote for Haaland, compared to just 25% who expressed support for Bregman.
Bregman’s support levels were higher among voters without a college degree, though he still trailed behind Haaland among such voters.
When it came to voters’ political ideology, Haaland had a commanding lead among self-described progressive and liberal voters, with the support of 65% of such voters — compared to just 24% for Bregman.
Haaland has vowed to push back against President Donald Trump’s policies if elected governor, with her campaign’s first TV ad saying she would “stand up to the billionaires rigging the system against us.”
Bregman, who has touted his crime-fighting credentials in his TV ads, has fared better among self-described moderates and conservatives who plan to vote in the Democratic primary.
He’s also ratcheted up the attacks against Haaland in recent weeks, highlighting his opponent’s appearance in the Epstein files due to a private flight she took in 2014 while running on the Democratic gubernatorial ticket with Gary King.
Haaland’s campaign has dismissed the insinuations as a “false attack,” insisting she did not know the plane was chartered by Epstein and had no relationship with the disgraced financier, who died in 2019.
Whoever wins the Democratic primary race will face off against the victor of a three-way Republican primary in the November general election. Former Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima is also running as an independent, and other unaffiliated or minor party candidates could file to run this summer.
Methodology
The Journal Poll was conducted from April 17 to April 24. It is based on a statewide random sample of 470 registered Democrats who cast ballots in the 2020, 2022, and/or 2024 Democratic Primary elections, and a sample of Democrats who registered to vote since January 2025, who said they are very likely to vote in the upcoming election.
The poll also included 64 independent (or unaffiliated) voters with proven voter history, who said they are very likely to vote in the upcoming Democratic Primary election.
The total sample is 534, with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.2 percentage points. The margin of error grows for subsamples.
The sample was stratified by race/ethnicity and county and weighted by education level, based on traditional voting patterns to ensure a more representative sample.
All interviews were conducted by live, professional interviewers, based in Albuquerque, with multiple callbacks to those who did not initially answer the phone.
Both cellphone numbers (96%) and landlines (4%) of likely Primary election voters were used.
New Mexico environment officials mandate more legacy nuclear waste at WIPP - Danielle Prokop, Source New Mexico
New Mexico environment officials on Thursday issued new requirements for the federal government’s operation of the nation’s only nuclear waste disposal site as part of longstanding efforts to address legacy waste.
State officials, the federal government and contractors operating the lab and the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant agreed to settlement terms in 2023 to dispose of more legacy waste in lieu of new defense waste and additional oversight terms.
Environment Secretary James Kenney said last week the federal government has walked back those agreements in the intervening years. He said the latest budget from the Trump administration cut DOE’s total cleanup budget by 5%. Further, statements from WIPP that construction for areas to hold more legacy waste would be pushed back to 2032 circumvented the agreement, Kenney said.
“Simply because their budget is changing at a federal level does not excuse them from their obligation to meet the terms of our settlement agreement,” Kenney told Source NM.
He noted that WIPP disposal of waste from Idaho National Laboratory outstripped New Mexico at a rate of five to one in the last two years.
The revised permit issued Thursday, requires a clear definition of legacy waste. It also mandates that WIPP dedicate 55% of disposal volume to LANL legacy waste through 2031, raising that to 75% of total disposal volume in 2032. Additionally, it requires all waste at a LANL nuclear and chemical waste landfill to be shipped to WIPP by July 1, 2028. Finally, the permit increases reporting requirements.
The new permit allows state officials to put the focus back on legacy waste cleanup and strengthen transparency, Kenney said.
The DOE will “carefully evaluate” the state’s proposed changes, said Valerie Gohlke, the communications manager for the agency’s Carlsbad Field Office, in a statement to Source NM.
Anti-nuclear watchdogs told Source NM the proposed regulations represent a significant shift in state regulator’s posture towards the federal nuclear program — and in their view — a welcome one.
“It’s pointing to an increasingly adversarial relationship between NMED and DOE, all of which I view as good,” said Nuclear Watch New Mexico Executive Director Jay Coghlan. “It means NMED is putting New Mexicans ahead of the nuclear weapons industry.”
Greg Mello, the executive director of nuclear nonproliferation nonprofit Los Alamos Study Group, noted that the Trump administration nearly doubled the budget for plutonium pit production program in the past year at LANL.“The Trump administration wants to make more nuclear weapons over cleaning up the mess from the old ones,” Mello said. “NMED rightly insists that there be a provision for cleaning up the mess that LANL and DOE made.”
NMED is accepting public comment on the draft revised permit until June 8, and said in a news release that the process is expected to conclude in the fall.
Miss Indian World pageant winners mark the end of a decades-long tradition - By Savannah Peters, Associated Press
Codi High Elk was a shy teenager most comfortable caring for horses on her family's ranch on the Cheyenne River Reservation when she threw away an application to compete in a new pageant for Indigenous women — an application her brother fished out of the trash, sending her on a path to becoming the first Miss Indian World.
That was in 1984, when High Elk remembers letting her six older siblings do most of the talking and wanting no part in a competition that required public speaking. But the event that transformed her from shy teen to an ambassador for her people has come to an end.
"From the day I got my crown, my life changed," said High Elk, who credits her time as Miss Indian World with giving her the confidence to pursue two degrees and a career expanding credit access for Lakota people. "I want that same opportunity for my granddaughters."
The pageant has been a headlining event at Gathering of Nations, a massive and at times controversial event that bills itself as the largest powwow in North America, for more than four decades. The competition shaped the lives of young women from across the U.S. and Canada eager to share cultural knowledge and compete for the prestigious title and iconic, intricately beaded crown.
But this year will be the last for the powwow, with the final Miss Indian World named in 2025. Organizers have said the time has come for the events to end, but gave no other details.
The pageant's rotating collection of beaded crowns are set to be retired when the two-day gathering culminates Saturday. In time they may be offered to a museum for display, said Melonie Matthews, daughter of the Gathering of Nations founder.
Stiff competition
Dania Wahwasuck, of the Prairie Band Potawatomi and Pyramid Lake Paiute tribes, won her title before a roaring crowd last year. Her pastel-colored crown and sash featuring a star quilt motif and another set that sparkles with rhinestones and shades of pink will be among those retired Saturday.
The pageant invited Indigenous women, aged 18 to 25, to compete. Contestants had to be single, with no children and pledge to maintain specific moral standards.
Contestants described an intense five-day process with interviews, public speaking and a highly anticipated traditional talent showcase.
Tori McConnell, who won the title in 2023, sought advice from Karuk and Yurok elders while developing her performance. She showcased traditional basketry, explaining first in Karuk and then in English how she weaved using materials gathered from her ancestral homelands in northwest California.
"To have our art recognized on that level was so validating," McConnell said. "Not just for me but for my community."
A cultural ambassador
The Miss Indian World crown has traveled around the world, from a Māori Haka competition in New Zealand to the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima, Japan and the Oceti Sakowin camp at the height of protests at Standing Rock against an oil pipeline.
In the summer of 1984, High Elk recalls scouring a Paris grocery store for ingredients to make fry bread and Lakota tripe soup for the university students who had invited her there.
"You become an ambassador not just for your own culture but for all Indigenous peoples," said Shayai Lucero, who was crowned Miss Indian World in 1997.
Lucero, who comes from Acoma and Laguna pueblos in New Mexico, did not grow up in a powwow culture. But at the 1997 Stanford University Powwow, she was embraced by a community of pueblo people who had been in the Bay Area for decades due to a federal program that sought to relocate Native Americans off reservations and into cities.
"All these people showed up who knew my family, knew our language and traditions," said Lucero. "Suddenly, I felt at home."
During their tenure, winners have advocated for causes ranging from Indigenous language revitalization to domestic violence prevention.
Cheyenne Kippenberger, Miss Indian World 2019, focused on mental health as COVID-19 forced ceremonies, cultural events and community gatherings to shut down. As the only two-year titleholder, she hosted online events and encouraged Native people to get vaccinated.
"I remember thinking, everybody's feeling really lonely and confined. We need to find a way to connect people," said Kippenberger, a citizen of the Seminole Nation of Florida.
The end of an era
There are no plans for the Miss Indian World pageant to continue, the organization said. The title is trademarked by the Gathering of Nations, Ltd., the nonprofit that operates the powwow and pageant.
Over the years, Gathering of Nations has been criticized and called overly commercial. Founder Derek Mathews, who at times has claimed distant Cherokee ancestry but is not a tribal citizen, has made few public comments in response.
Melonie Matthews, who is Santa Clara Pueblo on her mother's side, said the organization did not consider transferring the Miss Indian World trademark to any other group.
"The Miss Indian World pageant goes hand in hand with the powwow. It was never a stand-alone event," she said in an emailed statement.
Several former titleholders, however, have been exploring the creation of a new national pageant for Indigenous women.
"A lot of us were saying 'Miss Indian World is bigger than one powwow,'" Lucero said. "We don't need the powwow to continue her legacy."
Many tribal nations and powwows crown royalty. But young women who dream of representing their communities on a national, Native-focused pageant stage won't have that avenue. Five years ago, Miss Native American USA crowned its last winner. The Miss Indian Nations and Miss Indian America titles also are defunct.
Many past Miss Indian World titleholders who went on to become lawyers, teachers, entrepreneurs, language and culture bearers and sisters to one another say the crown empowered them as leaders.
"It's a bittersweet feeling," said Kippenberger, who now heads a tribal consulting firm. "But I feel full confidence and optimism that something positive will fill in the gap."
Firefighters battle wind and flames in over 2,600-acre Gila National Forest fire - Gregory R.C. Hasman, Albuquerque Journal
The week may be starting out windy and dry, but by Friday parts of New Mexico could receive precipitation that will assist firefighting efforts across the state.
On Sunday, wind gusts as high as 63 mph were reported at Sierra Blanca Regional Airport, near Ruidoso, said Matt DeMaria, National Weather Service of Albuquerque meteorologist. In Albuquerque, gusts reached 49 mph, which prompted the city to issue a health alert due to blowing dust.
Aside from bringing dust, the wind — along with low humidity — caused the NWS to issue red flag warnings, making it challenging for firefighters battling flames that prompted evacuations in parts of the Gila National Forest and northern New Mexico.
About 15 miles east of Glenwood, DeMaria said firefighters are dealing with about 40 mph gusts as they tackle the 2,673-acre Hummingbird Fire. The fire, which began on April 20, was caused by lightning and is 0% contained, as of Sunday, according to an incident management team news release. The incident caused the Willow Creek community to evacuate on Saturday.
“Red Flag conditions contributed to (Saturday’s) fire growth where firefighters spent the day working with multiple aircraft throughout the operational shift,” the release states.
On Sunday, crews planned to secure fire spots and provide structure protection. As of Sunday afternoon, the evacuations remain in place, according to the incident management team.
About 300 miles northeast in Española, multiple structures burned and people had to evacuate after a brush fire reportedly started on Friday night in a bosque north of Santa Clara Casino.
As of about 5:45 p.m. Sunday, the 44-acre Riverside Fire was 60% contained and evacuations had been lifted but not before four structures were destroyed: a single-wide trailer, a recreational vehicle and two sheds, according to a Sunday afternoon Bureau of Indian Affairs — Northern Pueblos Agency news release.
"Damage assessments are ongoing,” the release states.
While the incident remains under investigation, Española Fire Chief John Wickersham said in a social media post: “We can confirm that the fire was not caused by individuals experiencing homelessness.”
Roughly 100 miles southeast of the city, near Sapello, the Tusas Fire burned 233 acres and prompted evacuations. As of Sunday, the fire was 79% contained. Road closures and evacuations have been lifted.
“The public should proceed with caution, as firefighting operations continue on N.M. 266 and the surrounding area,” New Mexico Forestry Division spokesperson George Ducker said in a news release.
The cause is under investigation, he said.
Help could be on the way for firefighters as parts of New Mexico are expected to get moisture on Thursday and Friday, including the Gila National Forest, which is good news, DeMaria said.
He added that some of the precipitation could be snow, especially in parts of northern New Mexico. Even Red River and Angel Fire could see some white stuff.
“If the system trends a bit colder, then maybe they get mostly snow and they could get several inches,” DeMaria said. “(But) if it’s a little warmer, then it’s going to be all rain. Right now, I would expect it to not be a significant event for those locations, mostly just for people that are living a little bit higher up.”