In an exit interview with HuffPost, the interior secretary celebrated progress in protecting public lands and righting past wrongs against Native Americans.

Former U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland "preparing" to run for governor of New Mexico, spokesperson confirmed

Former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland is gearing up to run to be New Mexico’s next governor. Just over a week after wrapping up her term working for former President Joe Biden, Haaland is assembling a team for a 2026 gubernatorial campaign, a person close to her said.

This story was originally published by Grist and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.

In the final days before she departs, Deb Haaland has found time to reflect on her journey from the back roads of New Mexico to a sprawling office in the Stewart Udall Department of the Interior Building in Washington,

Deb Haaland set out four years ago on a historic journey as the first Native American to serve as U.S. Interior secretary.

As President Biden's term ends, his administration's focus on diversity is highlighted by historic appointments, including the first Native American Cabinet official and the first female Treasury Secretary.

(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File) President Joe Biden hands Interior Secretary Deb Haaland a pen after signing a proclamation to establish the Chuckwalla National Monument and the Sáttítla Highlands National Monument during an event in the East Room of ...

Haaland, a citizen of Laguna Pueblo and the nation’s first Native American cabinet secretary under President Joe Biden, could be the first Native American woman to serve as governor of any state

Gary Peters of Michigan said he’ll retire at the end of his term and forgo a 2026 re-election campaign. The decision creates a competitive open-seat contest in one of the nation’s most competitive battleground states.

Haaland has hired Scott Forrester as her campaign manger and is assembling a team of veteran political operatives with New Mexican and national experience, according to two people familiar with the matter.