Support a Governor Who Will Support You: Your Union Endorses Deb Haaland!
Our state affiliate union, AFT New Mexico, is tasked with endorsing candidates at the state level. State President Whitney Holland recently told the press: “Throughout our union’s written questionnaire process, public-facing forums with rank-and-file educators, and a formal endorsement interview, Deb Haaland consistently and compassionately articulated her vision for the future of public education in New Mexico, from early education through higher education or career.” We are pleased to announce that AFT NM endorses Deb Haaland for Governor in 2026, and Albuquerque Teachers Federation (ATF) couldn’t be happier.
ATF President Ellen Bernstein said, “I have known Deb for many years and, regardless of the position she has held, she models integrity and transparency. She always shows the utmost respect for public education and the educators in our schools. She knows that our public schools are the cornerstone of our democracy. She supports working families and believes that unions are a positive force for change in our state and our nation.
“I believe that, with Deb as our governor, we will have a partner committed to ensuring that what happens at the state Public Education Department level will support our educators to meet the needs of our students at the classroom level.”
AFT NM held a press conference with Deb in which the gubernatorial candidate said, “Every step in a child’s education should open doors for them – from pre-k to grade school to whatever they decide to do after. Our kids can’t do that alone though, they need stability at home, and their educators should feel supported to do the jobs they need to do. That’s why I am so honored to have the support of AFT NM for my campaign and their support of this plan.”
Deb listed several of her educational priorities on her website :
- Bolster universal childcare;
- Boost reading and bilingual instruction;
- Expand summer reading programs and after-school programming;
- Expand career pathways starting in middle school through high school and provide hands-on career experience;
- Create an Every Child Outdoor Initiative that incorporates outdoor learning into K-12 curriculums and provides implementation resources;
- Adopt and expand statewide Community School Models that provide wrap-around services like counseling, school-based health care, dental, family support, and community engagement at schools so parents and caregivers have convenient services while they’re working and caring for their families;
- Improve and modernize school facilities by directing uncommitted funds from the Public School Capital Outlay Fund;
- Expand the Opportunity Scholarship to provide free tuition for New Mexicans, including for graduate education; and
- Offer more opportunities for students to earn college credit in high school.
Other priorities she has laid out to help all New Mexicans include:
- Increase the minimum wage and the child tax credit.
- Aggressively build more housing, focusing on reducing unnecessary barriers and expediting permitting processes.
- Expand down payment assistance programs for first time home buyers and assistance programs for workers in critical sectors such as education, healthcare, public safety, and social work.
- Establish funding sources that invest in new and unique business opportunities in New Mexico and allow the state to recruit and invest in New Mexico based operations.
- Invest in more renewable energy to create jobs, lower energy costs, and make New Mexico the energy capital of the country.
- Address the doctor shortage by joining interstate medical compacts, expanding residency programs to rural areas, and bolstering student loan repayment and housing incentives.
- Increase mobile health clinics to reach New Mexicans in rural areas and protect rural hospitals.
- Ban medical debt from being included on credit reports.
- Protect access for those who use the state’s health insurance marketplace by expanding New Mexico’s Health Care Affordability Fund.
- Use budget surpluses to fill Medicaid gaps and hire more guides to help people keep and access their benefits.
- Launch a full throttle operation to deliver mental health and homelessness assistance to New Mexicans in need.
The Los Alamos Daily Post wrote: “As a member of Congress, Haaland was the lead sponsor of the Universal Childcare and Early Learning Act and delivered funding to expand broadband in rural and underserved areas of New Mexico. As Secretary of the Interior, she worked to ensure all kids had opportunities to learn outdoors and launched the American Climate Corps, a jobs program that trained the next generation for jobs of the future. Haaland is a proud product of public schools and believes that all New Mexicans deserve access to a quality public education and opportunities to earn good pay in New Mexico when they are grown.”
We firmly believe that Deb will work to help improve the working conditions of our educators which are the learning conditions for our students.
