The Race for New Mexico Governor: Deb Haaland and Sam Bregman on The Forum

Published January 21, 2026 at 4:00 PM MST

internet forum concept with key on computer keyboard

In just over five months, New Mexicans will head to the polls for the state’s primary election, setting the stage for one of the most consequential races on the November ballot: the contest to elect the next governor to succeed incumbent Michelle Lujan Grisham.

On this program, the two leading Democratic candidates—former congresswoman and U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland and Bernalillo County District Attorney Samuel Bregman—join Forum hosts Jim Falk and Peter Smith in separate interviews. To allow listeners to compare their views, the same questions were posed to each candidate whenever possible.

The Bregman interview was recorded via Zoom on January 15, and the Haaland interview, also conducted via Zoom, was recorded on January 16. The order in which the interviews aired was determined by a coin toss.
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Host:           Jim Falk
Co-host:      Peter Smith
Guests:        Deb Haaland, Democratic Party Candidate for NM Governor
                   Samuel Bregman, Democratic Party Candidate for NM Governor

Show Notes:

Haaland campaign website
Bregman campaign website