The Haaland Campaign responded to all six questions. The Hull Campaign did not respond by our publication deadline

New Mexico Governor's Race: What the Candidates Told Us

As New Mexicans prepare to choose their next governor, LesbianEarth wanted to know where the candidates stand on issues that directly affect women, lesbian and queer women, and LGBTQ+ communities across the state.

We sent Democratic candidate Deb Haaland and Republican candidate Gregg Hull the same six questions addressing economic security, reproductive healthcare, LGBTQ+ nondiscrimination protections, marriage equality and representation in state government.

The Haaland campaign responded to all six questions. The Hull campaign did not respond by our publication deadline.

Because a lack of response does not necessarily indicate a candidate’s position, LesbianEarth also reviewed Hull’s publicly available campaign materials and recent reporting to determine what positions could be independently documented.

ECONOMIC SECURITY FOR WOMEN

LesbianEarth asked: What would your administration do to improve the economic security of women in New Mexico, particularly regarding wages, housing affordability, retirement security and the cost of health care?

Deb Haaland

Haaland pointed to her own experience as a single mother who struggled financially and at one point experienced homelessness.

She said that in Congress she cosponsored the Paycheck Fairness Act and introduced universal childcare legislation.

As governor, Haaland said she would work to raise the minimum wage to a living wage, build more affordable housing, expand investment in universal childcare and pursue paid family and medical leave.

She also said she would seek to curtail price gouging and AI-based rent fixing, lower healthcare costs by ending what she described as medical junk fees, protect Medicaid, and protect pensions and retirement benefits.

Gregg Hull

The Hull campaign did not respond to this question.

Hull’s published campaign platform contains proposals addressing the broader economy and healthcare costs, including job creation, rural healthcare, prescription drug costs and recruitment of healthcare professionals. However, in our review of his current campaign platform, LesbianEarth did not find a comparable women-specific economic agenda addressing equal pay, women’s wages, paid family leave or retirement security.

WOMEN’S HEALTHCARE AND REPRODUCTIVE FREEDOM

LesbianEarth asked: What policies would your administration pursue regarding women’s healthcare and reproductive freedom?

Deb Haaland

Haaland said she supports protecting access to abortion and family planning.

She cited her congressional support for the Women’s Health Protection Act and the Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Health Insurance Act.

As governor, she said she would keep abortion covered by insurance, including Medicaid; use state funding to replace lost federal support for providers such as Planned Parenthood; remove Medicaid preauthorization requirements for abortion; increase family-planning reimbursement rates; strengthen privacy protections around reproductive-health records; expand maternal care in rural and Tribal communities; and support comprehensive, age-appropriate sex education.

Gregg Hull

The Hull campaign did not respond to LesbianEarth’s question.

Hull has, however, publicly described himself as pro-life. In August, he confirmed that he opposes state funding for abortion services used by patients coming from outside New Mexico. He also said he was willing to work with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and had contacted Abbott’s office. At the same time, Hull said New Mexico’s existing abortion laws cannot be changed by a governor acting alone and would require action by the legislature.

That distinction is important: Hull has expressed opposition to abortion while also acknowledging the legal limits on a governor’s ability to change existing state law without legislative support.

PROTECTIONS AGAINST LGBTQ+ DISCRIMINATION

LesbianEarth asked: As governor, would you support maintaining New Mexico’s existing protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation?

Deb Haaland

Haaland answered yes.

She said she would defend New Mexico’s existing protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

She also said her administration would protect access to gender-affirming care, include LGBTQ+ New Mexicans in state government, work to protect LGBTQ+ students in schools and direct state funding toward organizations providing healthcare, housing support and other services to LGBTQ+ communities.

Gregg Hull

The Hull campaign did not respond to this question.

LesbianEarth reviewed Hull’s current campaign priorities and did not find a stated position addressing New Mexico’s existing statutory protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. His published platform focuses extensively on public safety, education, healthcare, economic development, infrastructure, energy and other issues.

The absence of a position on the campaign website should not be interpreted as either support for or opposition to those protections.

MARRIAGE EQUALITY

LesbianEarth asked: Do you support marriage equality and the continued legal recognition and equal treatment of same-sex married couples?

Deb Haaland

Haaland answered yes.

She cited her support for the Respect for Marriage Act and her congressional legislation intended to ensure equal Social Security survivor benefits for married same-sex couples.

Haaland said that as governor she would support rules protecting constitutional rights and ensuring equal treatment of same-sex married couples.

Gregg Hull

The Hull campaign did not respond.

In our review of Hull’s current campaign platform, LesbianEarth did not find a published position specifically addressing marriage equality or the continued legal recognition of same-sex marriages.

We therefore cannot characterize Hull’s position on marriage equality based solely on his campaign platform.

EMPLOYMENT, HOUSING, HEALTHCARE, AND PUBLIC ACCOMMODATIONS

LesbianEarth asked: What would your administration do to ensure lesbian and queer women are protected from discrimination in employment, housing, healthcare and public accommodations?

Deb Haaland

Haaland cited her congressional support for the Equality Act, which would prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in a number of areas of public life.

As governor, she said she would defend and enforce New Mexico’s Human Rights Act.

Haaland also proposed requiring insurance plans to provide fertility coverage without definitions that discriminate against LGBTQ+ people, strengthening insurance billing privacy, training healthcare workers about the needs of LGBTQ+ patients and protecting LGBTQ+ students in schools.

Gregg Hull

The Hull campaign did not respond.

LesbianEarth found healthcare proposals in Hull’s platform addressing access, rural hospitals, prescription drug costs, telehealth and the recruitment and retention of medical professionals. However, we did not find a specific policy addressing discrimination against lesbian and queer women in employment, housing, healthcare or public accommodations.

Again, the absence of such a policy from the campaign website does not establish what Hull would ultimately do as governor.

A VOICE IN STATE GOVERNMENT

LesbianEarth asked: How would your administration ensure that women — including lesbian and queer women — have a meaningful voice in policy decisions affecting their families, economic security, health and communities?

Deb Haaland

Haaland pointed to her record as vice chair of the Congressional LGBTQ Equality Caucus and her work on legislation addressing issues affecting older LGBTQ+ Americans.

She said that as governor she would build a cabinet that reflects New Mexico and ensures that women, including lesbian and queer women, are represented in her administration.

She also said she would use the governor’s office to ensure that LGBTQ+ New Mexicans are protected under state law.

Gregg Hull

The Hull campaign did not respond.

LesbianEarth’s review of Hull’s published campaign platform did not identify a specific proposal addressing representation of women, lesbians, queer women or LGBTQ+ New Mexicans within his administration or policymaking process.

WHAT WE KNOW — AND WHAT WE DON’T

There is an important difference between a candidate taking a position LesbianEarth may disagree with and a candidate not stating a position at all.

Haaland provided detailed answers to all six questions.

Hull did not respond to the questionnaire. Our review found that he has publicly identified himself as pro-life and has opposed state funding for abortion services for out-of-state patients. His campaign has also published extensive proposals on healthcare, the economy, education, public safety and other issues.

What we did not find in Hull’s published campaign materials was a comparable set of specific positions addressing marriage equality, LGBTQ+ nondiscrimination protections, the economic security of women, discrimination affecting lesbian and queer women, or LGBTQ+ representation in his administration.

That absence matters to voters seeking information on those issues, but it should not be treated as evidence of a position Hull has not publicly stated.

Campaign Finance and Project Jupiter

Campaign finance records add another issue for voters to consider. Oracle America, a company involved in the controversial Project Jupiter data center development in southern New Mexico, contributed $12,400 to Deb Haaland’s campaign. Individuals whose identifying information matches executives at Oracle and Clayco, a construction company involved in the project, contributed at least another $74,800, according to reporting by Searchlight New Mexico.

Haaland has nevertheless called for a statewide moratorium on new large-scale data centers and proposed stronger oversight of the industry. Asked whether she would return the contributions, Haaland said she had not yet discussed doing so with her campaign team and maintained that campaign donations would not influence her decisions as governor.

Hull’s campaign has criticized Haaland over the contributions and questioned the timing of her data center position. No evidence cited in the reporting reviewed by LesbianEarth establishes that the contributions influenced Haaland’s policy position.

LesbianEarth will update this voter guide if the Hull campaign responds before Election Day.

ELECTION DAY IS NOVEMBER 3, 2026. EARLY VOTING BEGINS OCTOBER 6, 2026.

LesbianEarth sent the same questions to both gubernatorial campaigns. Candidate responses have been condensed for readability while preserving their substance. Independently reported information is identified separately from campaign responses.

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