{"id":49082,"date":"2026-05-18T11:25:06","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T18:25:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/?p=49082"},"modified":"2026-05-18T11:25:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T18:25:09","slug":"rounding-out-the-governors-races-with-haaland-bregman-and-hull","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/rounding-out-the-governors-races-with-haaland-bregman-and-hull\/","title":{"rendered":"Rounding out\u00a0the\u00a0Governor\u2019s\u00a0Races with\u00a0Haaland,\u00a0Bregman and\u00a0Hull\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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We\u2019re\u00a0wrapping up\u00a0our coverage of the primary races for governor this week just in time for early voting to expand tomorrow. As of this morning about 27,300 New Mexicans have cast a primary ballot.\u00a0That number\u00a0should\u00a0grow considerably as\u00a0more\u00a0locations open\u00a0in\u00a0the lead-up\u00a0Election Day on\u00a0June 2. So,\u00a0we\u2019re\u00a0glad to\u00a0give\u00a0you the chance to meet\u00a0all\u00a0the primary candidates for governor\u00a0before those floodgates open.\u00a0\u00a0
If\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0voting in the Democratic primary,\u00a0we\u2019ve\u00a0got both your\u00a0candidates on\u00a0this week.\u00a0While you may have seen\u00a0former\u00a0U.S.\u00a0Interior\u00a0secretary Deb Haaland and Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman\u00a0debate on NMPBS<\/a>\u00a0last week, that was a production of Dukes Up,\u00a0a\u00a0charitable\u00a0group\u00a0that \u201cuses unorthodox methods to engage New Mexicans in community activism,” not New Mexico in Focus. So, this week,\u00a0we got to give them our usual treatment\u00a0\u2014\u00a0thoughtful,\u00a0critical,\u00a0in-depth interviews\u00a0that provide\u00a0context\u00a0and, ideally,\u00a0a public\u00a0service.\u00a0
I\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0ask Haaland and Bregman the exact same questions, but\u00a0I\u00a0did try to\u00a0hit on\u00a0many\u00a0of the\u00a0same\u00a0topics\u00a0to help you parse their positions and where they differ.\u00a0We\u00a0talked\u00a0data centers, private equity,\u00a0the state\u00a0Children,\u00a0Youth and Families\u00a0Department\u00a0and education. We also\u00a0discussed\u00a0what are\u00a0arguably each\u00a0of the candidates\u2019 signature issues:\u00a0public safety for\u00a0the DA\u00a0and natural resources preservation for\u00a0the former head of the Interior.\u00a0I asked\u00a0Haaland why a voter who considers\u00a0crime\u00a0their\u00a0top issue should support her\u00a0over\u00a0Bregman. And I\u00a0queried him\u00a0about\u00a0public lands protection\u00a0\u2014 a centerpiece of Haaland\u2019s campaign.\u00a0If\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0voting in this\u00a0race,\u00a0my\u00a0hope is that these back-to-back interviews will be\u00a0a\u00a0good\u00a0resource\u00a0in deciding which candidate resonates most with your values and vision\u00a0for\u00a0the state\u2019s future.\u00a0\u00a0If\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0voting in the Republican primary,\u00a0we\u2019ve\u00a0got a big interview for you, too. After some scheduling issues led to just two of the three\u00a0GOP candidates for governor\u00a0appearing\u00a0on\u00a0last week\u2019s show,\u00a0we\u2019re\u00a0pleased to bring you\u00a0former Rio Rancho\u00a0mayor Gregg Hull this week.\u00a0And, if after you watch, you want to remind yourself about what Doug Turner and Duke Rodriguez had to say on the\u00a0issues,\u00a0you can\u00a0rewatch\u00a0last week\u2019s show\u00a0on\u00a0YouTube<\/a>\u00a0or the PBS app.\u00a0\u00a0
Striving for\u00a0fair\u00a0treatment and equal time, we\u00a0planned out\u00a010 questions for each of the three\u00a0candidates this week, not including follow-ups.\u00a0Split evenly, we had 18 minutes of airtime to give\u00a0each of\u00a0them.\u00a0With\u00a0all\u00a0three interviews\u00a0clocking in between 21\u00a0and\u00a023 minutes,\u00a0we\u00a0trimmed\u00a0them\u00a0down, giving priority to the most robust and informative answers.\u00a0\u00a0
You\u2019ll\u00a0also\u00a0see factchecks pop up on every\u00a0one of these interviews, including last\u00a0week\u2019s. While\u00a0NMiF Politics Correspondent\u00a0Gwyneth Doland and I did\u00a0our best to catch\u00a0any errors\u00a0in\u00a0the moment,\u00a0that\u2019s\u00a0a tall order when candidates are throwing around statistics\u00a0and rankings.\u00a0So, our\u00a0team\u00a0combed through every interview\u00a0for\u00a0each claim\u00a0and\u00a0verified\u00a0them\u00a0one by one\u00a0with the strongest sources\u00a0available.\u00a0So, if\u00a0a fact\u00a0check\u00a0doesn\u2019t\u00a0appear on the screen, you can be\u00a0confident\u00a0that\u00a0what the\u00a0candidate is citing is\u00a0accurate.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I hope\u00a0the results of\u00a0our\u00a0efforts\u00a0booking the candidates, writing questions, conducting the interviews,\u00a0and carefully\u00a0cutting for time and factchecking\u00a0prove to be helpful\u00a0to you as you make your\u00a0choice\u00a0in such a consequential primary election.\u00a0See you tonight!\u00a0\u00a0
-Nash Jones, Host<\/p>\n\n\n\n