Haaland starts transition, plans cabinet interviews

Deb Haaland began her transition to the governor’s office on Wednesday in Albuquerque. She is preparing to take office in 57 days after winning Tuesday’s general election.

The new governor-elect said she will start interviewing potential cabinet members in the coming days. She launched a transition website on Wednesday to help prospective job seekers apply for positions.

Haaland spoke to reporters during a lunch stop at Barelas Coffee House in Albuquerque. She noted that the campaign team did not know they had won until the results came in late Tuesday night.

“We didn’t know we would win until last night when the results came in, and I’m not the type of person to put the cart before the horse,” she said. She added that she feels confident about finding the right people to fill the right positions to help move New Mexico forward.

One of the first appointments she plans to prioritize is a new secretary for the Children, Youth and Families Department. That post has seen frequent turnover during the past seven years under outgoing Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham. Haaland wants a qualified and experienced leader for the agency, which has struggled to reduce repeat child maltreatment rates.

Haaland’s running mate, Stephanie Garcia Richard, joined her at the news conference. Garcia Richard said she has already held preliminary conversations with leading Democratic lawmakers. They are strategizing around goals for the 60-day legislative session that starts in January. One specific area of focus is legislation to enact new guardrails on large-scale data center projects.

Haaland defeated Republican candidate Gregg Hull in Tuesday’s election. Unofficial results show she received nearly 57% of the votes cast. She won in the state’s three most populous counties: Bernalillo, Doña Ana, and Santa Fe. She also narrowly outpaced Hull in Sandoval County, which is Hull’s county of residence.

The state’s 33rd governor will be sworn in on New Year’s Day. She must submit a budget recommendation just days after taking office, as the legislative session begins on January 19. New federal funding changes to healthcare and food assistance programs will take effect at the same time. State health officials estimate that more than 90,000 residents could lose Medicaid coverage due to new work requirements.

Haaland and Garcia Richard indicated they will seek stopgap funding from the Legislature to help blunt the impact of the federal changes. Haaland said they will work hard to ensure New Mexicans can have affordable healthcare. She noted that when people lack coverage, they go to the emergency room, which raises costs for everyone.

Haaland said her past experience as U.S. Interior secretary prepared her for the role of state chief executive. She plans to work equally hard for New Mexicans who did not vote for her as those who did. “My job as governor is to ensure that I’m making the lives of every single New Mexican better,” she said.