Though Haaland must still face Janice Arnold-Jones, the Republican candidate, in November, she enjoys favorable odds. Voters in the district have sent a Democrat to Capitol Hill since 2009 and they have consistently supported Democrats in national elections, including all of the presidential races since 2000. The Native vote played a key role in boosting Haaland's run, according to precinct results. Native Americans make up 5 percent of the population in the district, which is home to a handful of Pueblo reservations, including Laguna. In precinct 29 in Sandoval County, for example, Haaland won 72 percent of the vote. The precinct is located at the Pueblo of Sandia, whose reservation borders Albuquerque in the north. She won 73 percent of the vote in precinct 31 in Bernalillo County, according to the results. The precinct is home to Tohajiilee, a satellite community of the Navajo Nation. Throughout the campaign, Haaland has "worked hard to advocate for Indian County and the Navajo Nation," Vice President Jonathan Nez said after the vote. But Haaland enjoyed broad support throughout the district, the results showed. She secured the plurality of the vote in every county and the plurality of the vote in every precinct across the five counties, with a few exceptions. "You are the change for which we have been waiting," Valerie Jarrett, who served as a key aide to former Democratic president Barack Obama, told Haaland in a congratulatory post on Twitter.Tonight, New Mexico made history. #nmpol #nm01 #ruready #befierce pic.twitter.com/xDHEazGqis
— Deb Haaland (@Deb4CongressNM) June 6, 2018
Elsewhere in the state, another Native candidate fell short of his Congressional aspirations. Gavin Clarkson, a citizen of the Choctaw Nation, lost his bid for the Republican nomination in the 2nd district. Clarkson, who served in the Trump administration for six months last year, campaigned on a strong tribal sovereignty platform, including freedom from taxation and regulatory burdens. He secured the endorsement of the Coalition of Large Tribes, an organization that includes the Navajo Nation, whose president serves as its chair. But Clarkson was easily locked out of the race, securing only 12 percent of the vote. Yvette Herrell, whose early lead among the four candidates proved impossible to shake, won the nomination with 49 percent of the vote. "Together, we can Make New Mexico Great!" a post on her campaign's Twitter account reads, evoking President Donald Trump's slogan. Herrrell will now face Xochitl Torres Small in the November election. Torres Small, whose first name means flower in the Nahuatl language, has identified with New Mexico's Hispanic population. The seat is being vacated by Rep. Steve Pearce (R), who has sponsored a number of pro-tribal bills during his time in Congress and has made the return of tribal patrimony a priority. He is now running for governor of New Mexico. The Democratic candidate for governor is Michelle Lujan Grisham, who currently represents the 1st Congressional district and also has a favorable record on Indian issues, including support for the Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act. She has been endorsed by five tribes in the state. "She is only New Mexico gubernatorial candidate to earn an endorsement from a tribe or pueblo this campaign cycle," her campaign told Indianz.Com. Pearce has not announced any tribal endorsements. A request for comment prior to the primary was not returned. The general election takes place November 6.
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