Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman announces run for Governor in 2026

Sam Bregman's campaign to become governor of New Mexico will focus on crime, education, economic development and health care.

Bregman, who has been the Bernalillo County District Attorney since 2023, announced his candidacy on April 10, 2025 for governor in 2026.

"New Mexico is first in crime and 50th in education and it should be reversed," Bregman told the Sun-News. "I want to make an economy that is prosperous for the people who live here. For health care, it can take six months for a child, grandparent or parent to wait to see a doctor. Education is a huge issue when we have the highest absentee and truancy rate. No kid is going to learn when they are not in the classroom."

Bregman, a Democrat, will face Deb Haaland, a Democrat and former Interior Secretary and New Mexico congresswoman, in a primary. Former Las Cruces mayor Ken Miyagishima, is also considering entering the race as a Democrat.

"Deb Haaland is a fine person, but we have different life experiences," Bregman said.

Bregman has been an Albuquerque city councilor and chair of the Crime Analysis and Policy Partnership for the Governor before he was appointed by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham as District Attorney of Bernalillo County in January 2023. The University of New Mexico Law School graduate was then elected to the same position in 2024.

In his two years as district attorney, homicide prosecutions have increased by 76.5%, according to a news release announcing Bregman's candidacy. He established a zero-tolerance policy for guns in schools and has implemented new technology to deal with the backlog of sexual assault cases office.

Bregman pushed for changes to the juvenile crime code, which did not make it out of the House during the legislative session.

"Kids see guns now as trophies and you combine guns and social media, I think it's toxic," Bregman said. "The radical left of my party refused to have a robust discussion about juvenile crime. There are far too many people who have been victims in juvenile crime."

Bregman cited the current administration in Washington as divisive and said he would protect New Mexico from President Donald Trump's threats to cut Medicare and Social Security.

"New Mexico is under attack by Elon Musk, his puppet Donald Trump and the Republicans in Washington," Bregman said in a news release. "They’re attacking our public schools, our health care, veterans, workers – all of us. I’m running to take on the chaos in Washington and protect the people of New Mexico."