DA Bregman Faces Rebuke for Using School Footage in Governor Ad

Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman drew sharp criticism Wednesday over a campaign ad for his 2026 gubernatorial bid that included footage recorded at an Albuquerque Public Schools assembly, with a state lawmaker formally questioning whether students' appearances in the ad violated consent requirements.

State Sen. Heather Berghmans (D-Albuquerque) sent an email to APS Superintendent Gabriella Blakey at 1 a.m. Wednesday questioning the "political use" of footage from what she described as a school-sponsored event that clearly depicted students and staff being used in a political campaign advertisement for Bregman's governor's race.

Berghmans argued that public schools should not serve as stages for political campaigns and that "students must never be featured — either directly or indirectly — in campaign materials without explicit, informed consent." She also wrote that "using a government-affiliated appearance to produce separate campaign content raises serious ethical and legal issues."

Jessica Martinez, the district's policy analyst and government liaison, responded to Berghmans on Wednesday afternoon, writing that Bregman's presentations were approved by the district and aligned with district policies and procedures at the time of their authorization.

Joanie Griffin, a spokesperson for Bregman's campaign, issued a statement saying the school was aware of the filming, no public funds were used, and student identities were strictly protected through blurring. Griffin framed Bregman's school visits as an effort to "educate students on the life-and-death reality of gun violence and safety."

Griffin also pivoted to the campaign's ongoing dispute with opponent Deb Haaland over televised debates. Haaland, the former U.S. Secretary of the Interior, had declined a series of debate invitations from Bregman, and Griffin said: "If the Haaland campaign wants to accuse us of something, why won't she bring it to the debate stage instead of using surrogates?"

The footage controversy adds another layer of friction to what has become an increasingly contentious Democratic primary. The race recently flared over plagiarism allegations after Bregman released a 189-page policy platform, with the Haaland campaign pointing out that several sections appeared to use identical or nearly identical language from state agency reports and legislative staff work, including portions dealing with tribal issues. Bregman's campaign denied the accusations and blamed opponents for "manufacturing bogus and petty charges."

Bregman and Haaland are competing for the Democratic nomination in the June 2, 2026, primary, with former Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima also in the race. New Mexico's governor seat is an open contest, with Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham term-limited. The school footage dispute now gives Bregman's opponents a pointed line of attack: that the top prosecutor in Bernalillo County used a government-adjacent platform to generate political content at students' expense.