Deb Haaland plans to endorse a fellow Democrats to join her on the party’s November ticket seeking the offices of governor and lieutenant governor, but she’ll spend a few days interviewing prospective candidates first.
About 300 members of the state Democratic Party’s State Central Committee will officially choose a candidate to fill the vacancy left when Secretary of Stage Maggie Toulouse Oliver, who had won the primary nomination for lieutenant governor, announced that she would “step back” to focus on health issues. In New Mexico, candidates for governor and lieutenant governor run separately in the party’s primary in June but are elected together on a joint party ticket in the general election in November.
In a letter to SCC members, Haaland asked for time to interview prospective candidates. “[I] carry a responsibility to ensure we have the best candidate, who will help accomplish our shared vision to lower costs for families, increase access to healthcare, improve education, and make communities safer,” she wrote.
The state party has not yet called for that SCC election and instead is waiting on Haaland to make an endorsement. While members are free to choose any candidate, Haaland’s endorsement would be highly influential. “State Central Committee members may be interested to know who Deb thinks could most effectively help run the state and be the best complement to our party’s statewide ticket,” said Daniel Garcia, communications director for DPNM.