Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman has been keeping count of the number of days that have passed since he challenged former U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland to a series of debates in the Democratic primary for governor.
Bregman is going to have to keep counting until the June 2 primary because his challenge is set to go unanswered.
Hannah Menchhoff, a spokesperson for Haaland’s campaign, said Haaland plans to participate only in a forum hosted in May by the nonprofit Dukes Up and New Mexico PBS.
"Deb has been traveling all over the state and if voters want to hear from her, there are plenty of opportunities to hear from her directly," she said.
The Bregman campaign, which learned Friday Haaland had "officially declined" KRQE-TV's request for a primary debate, is turning up the heat on Haaland's refusal to meet on the debate stage.
"In my line of work, when you're confident in your case, you welcome trial," Bregman, whose campaign set up a standalone website with a ticking clock showing how long his debate challenge has gone unanswered, down the second, wrote Friday on Facebook.
"It's been 161 days since I called for debates. This morning, I learned my opponent declined multiple debates. You don't get to run from questions and then ask to run this state," he wrote.
In a video clip, Bregman said chambers of commerce "from all over the state have been sending out things — we agree to every one of them ... but they're frustrated because they hear nothing back."
Bregman said Haaland told an audience at a recent Democratic event that a debate was scheduled at the end of May, presumably the PBS forum.
"The primary is June 2," he said. "Early voting starts May 1. This is crazy."
Bregman's campaign alluded Haaland is dodging questions over recent reports linking her to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. According to multiple reports, Haaland flew on a private jet chartered by the convicted sex offender for former gubernatorial candidate Gary King when Haaland was running for lieutenant governor with him in 2014.
"New Mexicans aren’t asking for talking points," the Bregman campaign said in a statement. "They’re asking for answers about public safety, about accountability, and about how we make sure predators like Epstein never find protection or proximity to power in our state. If you want to lead New Mexico, you don’t avoid the biggest stage in the state. You show up. You debate. You put your record and your ideas side by side and let voters decide."
Haaland's campaign has said Haaland "never had any interaction with [Epstein] and the way in which the plane was chartered was never communicated to her."
Bregman's campaign also referenced a recent poll commissioned by Bregman's campaign that reportedly shows Haaland's "support slipping below a majority threshold" following revelations she flew on a jet chartered by Epstein, as well as the resurfacing of reports the 2014 King/Haaland campaign campaign contributions from companies associated with Epstein, which they later returned.
Bregman's campaign released partial results of the poll, conducted by the Democratic firm Change Research, showing Haaland with 46% support and Bregman with 25%, the closest poll yet that has been publicly released in the race. It showed Bregman with a 43-39 lead among the 52% of voters who had seen Bregman's latest ad promising to prosecute immigration officers who break the law; the polling memo the campaign released calls Haaland "a weak frontrunner and getting weaker."
Haaland supporters have described the poll, which they said was conducted over SurveyMonkey, as a push poll.
Among the questions: "How familiar are you with the recent story that Deb Haaland flew on Jeffrey Epstein's private jet when she was running for Lieutenant Governor in 2014?"
"Deb has a commanding lead in the race to be New Mexico’s next Governor," Menchoff said in a statement. "That’s because New Mexicans know Deb and understand she can lead our state and fight Trump’s abuse of power. Voters know she is the best candidate to take on Kristi Noem’s ICE, invest in education, and bring down costs. Meanwhile, the same people who funded Kristi Noem and Donald Trump now fund Sam Bregman’s campaign."