Another influential tribe in New Mexico has endorsed Sam Bregman over Deb Haaland — a member of Laguna Pueblo who made history as the first Native American to serve as a U.S. Cabinet secretary — in the race for governor.
Bregman’s campaign announced the endorsement of the Ohkay Owingeh Tribal Council and its Tribal Get Out the Vote Committee on Monday, calling it a “significant show of support from one of New Mexico’s most influential pueblos.”
“Sam has consistently shown that he respects our sovereignty and understands the realities facing our community,” Ohkay Owingeh Gov. Benny J. Lujan said in a statement. “He listens, he follows through, and he approaches tribal nations as partners not afterthoughts. That distinction matters.”
Bregman and Haaland, along with former longtime Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima, are seeking the Democratic nomination for governor.
Among the three, only Bregman and Haaland have announced tribal endorsements, which are notable in a Democratic primary in which one of the candidates is a Native American trailblazer.
Bregman has been endorsed by Sandia Pueblo, one of the state’s most powerful tribes, and the Jicarilla Apache Nation, while Haaland has been endorsed by Jemez, Santo Domingo, Picuris and Zuni pueblos.
Haaland’s campaign declined to comment on Bregman’s latest endorsement.
Lujan, the governor of Ohkay Owingeh, said tribal communities are too often spoken to without being truly heard.
“Sam listens, he engages honestly, and he takes responsibility for understanding our challenges and needs,” Lujan said. “That level of leadership is rare, and it matters.”
Bregman, who is currently serving as the district attorney in Bernalillo County, said in a statement he was “deeply honored by the trust” placed in him by the pueblo, located just north of Española.
“As governor, I will make sure tribal nations have a real partner in the Governor’s Office and a real voice in state government,” he said.
Bregman claimed in the statement he’s “stood alongside tribal governments in the fight for sovereignty and fairness” for decades.
But as an Albuquerque city councilor and private attorney, Bregman had a different take on tribes.
As The Associated Press reported in 2010, Bregman argued tribal casinos had “become such an expansive enterprise that he believes they should be exempted from a cornerstone of Indian legal authority — tribal sovereignty.”
Bregman filed lawsuits against at least two tribal casinos over malfunctioning slot machines, including in 2009 when he represented a woman who sued the Ohkay Hotel Casino, which is owned by Ohkay Owingeh pueblo, for a $2.6 million payout from a broken slot machine.
“I understand that the casino is going to argue sovereign immunity, but I don’t believe a tribal gambling enterprise should be protected by that legal concept,” he was quoted as saying that year.
The other lawsuit involved Sandia Resort & Casino.
In a statement to The New Mexican last year for a story about tribal endorsements, Bregman said his views had changed.
“Nearly 30 years ago, I was serving as an attorney, doing my job to represent the legal interests of a client in a case involving Sandia Casino. Since then, my perspective has evolved through years of partnership with the Pueblo of Sandia and other tribal nations,” he said.
“Today, I’m proud to have earned the Pueblo’s unanimous endorsement because of my consistent advocacy for tribal sovereignty, economic development and the cultural traditions that make New Mexico stronger,” he said.