Sam Bregman gets Jicarilla Apache endorsement in governor's race

Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman announced his second tribal endorsement Monday, the latest from the Jicarilla Apache Nation.

With the first Native American Interior Secretary Deb Haaland in the race for New Mexico governor, tribal endorsements have come under closer scrutiny. Haaland has secured three and the campaign is expecting another tribal endorsement soon.

Sandia Pueblo endorsed Bregman in July.

Bregman said he was honored to receive the Jicarilla Apache Nation endorsement.

“You demonstrated a clear and actionable plan to tackle critical challenges, including crime, substance abuse, and economic development within our communities,” reads the endorsement letter, signed by Jicarilla Apache Nation President Adrian Notsinneh and other Jicarilla Apache leaders.

The election for governor will be next year, but fundraising totals for Haaland and Bregman have already surpassed the million dollar mark, according to Journal reporting. The two Democratic candidates are ahead of the pack in raising campaign funds, as is Republican candidate, Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull, according to candidate finance reports.

In late-May, Haaland’s campaign announced close to $3.7 million in donations, while Bregman’s campaign announced he had raised more than $1 million. Both campaigns declined to share updated fundraising numbers until the October campaign finance reporting deadline. Hull had raised approximately $200,000 by early April, according to campaign finance reports.

Despite Haaland’s fundraising lead, her campaign released a social media ad asking for donations because grassroots fundraising “has taken a bigger hit this summer than we anticipated” and the campaign has had to scale back and lower projections. Campaigning for governor can come with a high price-tag. Sitting Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham spent roughly $13 million on her last campaign.

Haaland is a Laguna Pueblo member. She has been endorsed by the Jemez, Santo Domingo and Picuris pueblos, as well as by former Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez and by advocacy groups NM Native Vote, Native Organizers Alliance and Advance Native Political Leadership.

The former one-term member of Congress representing New Mexico’s 1st District is proud of her work for the tribal community, said campaign spokeswoman Hannah Menchhoff, “including advancing Native-owned businesses initiatives, addressing violent crime against Native Americans, and overseeing millions of dollars of investment in water, roads, fire protection and bridge infrastructure projects.”