Deb Haaland announces run for New Mexico governor

Former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland officially launched her campaign for governor of New Mexico Tuesday morning.

Why it matters: If elected, Haaland would be the first Native American woman to serve as governor in U.S. history.

Haaland, who served in the Biden administration, was the first Native American to lead a Cabinet agency.
She has been taking steps for some time to consolidate support in the state and assemble a team of political operatives to work on her campaign, Axios previously reported.

Driving the news: Haaland announced her campaign in a video message Tuesday morning.

"The problems we face now are bigger than ever, and we must be fierce to solve them. That's why I am running for governor of the great state of New Mexico," she said.
Haaland highlighted the issues of "crime, poverty, homelessness, addiction" in the state as ones she would seek to address.

State of play: The race for the governorship remains fairly open.

Current Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is term-limited and can't run again.
Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), who could have been a potential rival for the seat, announced last month that he would stay in the Senate.
No Republicans announced their candidacies yet, per NBC News.

Go deeper: Scoop: Haaland eyes N.M. governor's race