Although Deb Haaland still by far leads in fundraising out of the candidates for governor in 2026, Sam Bregman is starting to build up a war chest of his own.

Bregman, the current Bernalillo County district attorney, announced Monday he had raised more than $1 million in the five weeks since he made his candidacy official. A news release announcing this says 91% of the contributions came from state residents.

“I’m humbled and energized by the overwhelming support,” Bregman said in a statement. “For too long, the status quo has left too many behind. Now, people across the state are stepping up because they’re ready for change. This campaign is driven by New Mexicans from all backgrounds — rural and urban, young and old, from every corner of the state. It’s clear we have the momentum to win.”

Haaland, who declared her candidacy several months earlier than Bregman, announced recently that she has already raised $3.7 million.

So far the declared Democratic candidates include the former congresswoman and interior secretary Haaland, Bregman and former Las Cruces mayor Ken Miyagishima, who is scheduled to make his formal announcement on Tuesday. Lt. Gov. Howie Morales has not publicly announced yet whether he plans to jump into the race but is expected to soon.

U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury speaks during a news conference at Roadrunner Food Bank in Albuquerque in March 2025.

U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury announced Tuesday she is the new Democratic vice chair of the Congressional Native American Caucus.

The caucus is "a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers that work to advance our nation-to-nation relationships with tribal governments and uphold our federal trust responsibilities to Native Americans through the legislative process," according to the website of one of its members. The co-chairs are Oklahoma Republican Rep. Tom Cole and Kansas Democrat Rep. Sharice Davids; Alaska Rep. Nick Begich is the Republican vice chair.

“It is our duty to ensure that the United States partners with and upholds its trust and treaty responsibilities to Tribal Nations," Stansbury, who represents New Mexico's Albuquerque-area 1st Congressional District, said in a statement. "This bipartisan caucus is integral to that work and the fight to protect and strengthen partnerships with Indigenous communities across the country. I look forward to continuing to do this work in the 119th Congress."

New Mexico's Democratic lawmakers — particularly Stansbury, the ranking Democratic member of the House DOGE subcommittee — have been prominent in pushing back against the spending cuts and other actions of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency.

On Tuesday, Sen. Ben Ray Luján continued with this, co-sponsoring a bill with several other Democratic senators to hold DOGE "accountable for their continued efforts to improperly access, and retain, individuals’ personally identifiable information (PII) including names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, Social Security numbers, and other financial information," according to a news release from Luján's office.

The Defending Our Government's Electronic data: Bolstering Responsible Oversight and Safeguards, or DOGE BROS Act, would greatly increase fines for unauthorized release of various forms of personal information such as Social Security and tax records. The bill likely faces slim chances in a Senate and House that both have Republican majorities.

“From day one, Elon Musk’s DOGE has taken a wrecking ball to the federal government and critical services for the American people, all while carelessly pursuing their sensitive personal data,” Luján said in a statement. “Congress must do more to protect that information and keep it out of the wrong hands. That’s why I’m proud to join my colleagues in introducing legislation to strengthen our privacy laws and put Americans’ privacy first.”