Second Judicial District Attorney Sam Bregman, who has pushed in particular for more stringent penalties for juvenile offenders amid an alarming rise in youth gun violence, plans to officially announce his bid for governor Thursday afternoon in Las Vegas, N.M.
The announcement sets up what is likely to be a fierce Democratic primary competition with former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, a member of Laguna Pueblo who announced this week she has raised about $3 million since launching her campaign two months ago.
Around the Roundhouse S1E13: Sam Bregman
It also comes as the governor and state lawmakers wrangle with how to tackle persistent public safety issues.
Bregman, an attorney with a 30-year career, has been an Albuquerque city councilor and New Mexico Democratic Party chair, he says in a news release. He was appointed district attorney in the state’s most populous county by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham in 2023 and was elected to the position in 2024.
“New Mexico is under attack by Elon Musk, his puppet Donald Trump and the Republicans in Washington,” Bregman said in a statement. “They’re attacking our public schools, our healthcare, veterans, workers — all of us. I’m running to take on the chaos in Washington and protect the people of New Mexico.”
His news release touts what he says are some of his top accomplishments in the District Attorney’s Office: “In his two years as District Attorney, he has increased homicide prosecutions by 76.5%, … established a zero-tolerance policy for guns in our schools, and has implemented new technology to deal with the backlog of sexual assault cases in the D.A.’s office,” the release says.
This is a developing story. Check back for more details.
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