Haaland Visits Shiprock Flea Market, Discusses Education Ahead of Primary

Deb Haaland made her third campaign stop in Shiprock on Saturday, working the Navajo Nation's flea market to press her case on education, health care, and economic investment ahead of the Democratic primary for governor.

"I'm so happy to be back at Shiprock. I've been here lots of times," she told the crowd as she opened her remarks. The visits have a history behind them: Haaland has previously used the Shiprock Flea Market as a voter registration site, a detail a local speaker drew on to frame her standing in the community. "This is San Juan County. This is Navajo Nation. She doesn't need an introduction. We know the work that she's done for us," he said.

Haaland arrives in the region with momentum from the state party's preprimary convention, where she captured 74% of delegate votes against Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman, who received the remaining 26%. She also carries the endorsement of the New Mexico Voices for Children Action Fund. Her education plan, unveiled in January, centers on literacy, infrastructure, universal child care, and after-school programming, along with higher pay for educators and support staff.

On literacy, she was direct about where she thinks the system breaks down: in its relationship with teachers. "If you are a teacher and you're working every day with your classroom full of children, you will know specifically which children need more help," she said. "You can do all kinds of tests and spend money on reading tests and bringing people in, but I feel that we really need to make sure that we're trusting the teachers and the teachers aides and the education professionals that are in the classroom."

She also pointed to a more basic deficit: books themselves. "There are not enough children's books right to go around. There are some households that just don't have books to read, and so that's another thing," she said.

Haaland tied the quality of public schools to the state's ability to attract and retain professionals. "When we are asking doctors to come to our state to serve. ... They want to bring their families to a place that's safe," she said. "Likewise, doctors want to bring their families to a place where our education is very strong." She also referenced the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law by President Donald Trump, saying it would cut Medicaid at a time when nearly half of New Mexico's population is eligible for the program. Though Haaland spoke broadly about health care, crime, clean energy, and education at the event, she did not lay out a specific implementation plan when speaking with reporters afterward.

Rep. Michelle Paulene Abeyta of House District 69, a former member of the Navajo Nation School Board of Education, introduced Haaland to the audience and described the personal influence behind her own entry into politics. "When I was in undergrad, Deb was running for office. I was so inspired. I was a young student with two little kids, my husband and I both taking classes at the University of New Mexico, and I said, 'Deb, how can I help you? How can I get involved?' She said, 'You can run for office. Why not you? We need people like you in office,'" Abeyta recalled. She also raised the infrastructure struggles facing To'Hajiilee Community School, which sits in a flood zone and has sustained repeated losses to its facilities.

Haaland's personal ties to the region ran through her remarks as well. She recalled spending summers with an aunt who worked at Northern Navajo Medical Center and returning to the area multiple times for chapter house meetings. At the flea market itself, she was characteristically direct about her reasons for being there. "I believe wholeheartedly in the local economy and supporting my local economy," she said. "This is a perfect place to spend some money, to meet people and to enjoy the amazing fry bread."

The primary election will pit Haaland against Bregman as New Mexico Democrats choose their nominee for governor.