Deb Haaland has made history by already raising a staggering $11 million for her gubernatorial bid. The contrast of that achievement with her lack of personal wealth is startling but may finally be changing.  

Haaland has authored a memoir tiled A Voice Like Mine that will be released following the June 2 primary that stands to stabilize her bank account. Industry sources say that authors such as Haaland can receive an advance on sales of $150,000 to $250,000.

Haaland nor her campaign or publisher has released the amount of her advance publicly. That's not unusual but such information does often leak. Her campaign referred inquires to her publisher.

Her presumed upfront payment is not exorbitant but for Haaland, who famously claimed a net worth of zero when making her financial disclosure to become Secretary of the Interior, it could be a godsend.

Her 2021 marriage vaulted her up the income ladder with her household income zooming from zero to the $1 to $2 million level. But a divorce in 2025 in which her husband kept the martial home sent her back to square one. 

Haaland hasn't necessarily mishandled her personal finances. She has not had a high-paying career. As she writes in her memoirs, a good portion of her adult life was mired in poverty and alcoholism in addition to being a single mother who relied on food stamps. (Her daughter Soma, 31, today lives in New York.)

Haaland eventually earned a law degree, served as chair of the NM Dem party, was the '14 Dem lieutenant governor nominee, was elected to the ABQ congressional seat and then chosen by President Biden as Sec. of Interior. 

Campaign TV ads label her primary rival Sam Bregman a "millionaire" who doesn't care about the common folk but Haaland's book deal, while not giving her millionaire status, could put her in a tax bracket closer to Bregman's neighborhood. 

A BOOKISH CAMPAIGN  

The former cabinet secretary's up by the bootstraps story is obviously worthy of a book. That it dovetails with her gubernatorial campaign--assuming she wins the June 2 primary against rival Sam Bregman--will be a golden opportunity to promote that candidacy. 

Ethics rules guide her conduct going forward. Her campaign cannot pay for her book tour or spend any money to promote the book. The publisher Holt and Co. must foot the bill. When she is making media appearances she can't urge viewers to donate to her race for governor.  

The hardcover of Haaland's book will sell for $28.99 and the Kindle version $14.99. An audio version that Haaland will narrate may prove most popular and will sell for $23.99.

If sales are solid and her share of royalties surpasses the advance she received, she will realize more income from the memoir.  

If Haaland wins election she will receive the governor's salary that is scheduled to be raised to $169,174 on Jan. 1, 2027.

NATIONAL AMBITIONS? 

Does the book indicate Haaland is already looking at national political office as is often the case with politicians? That's unlikely. 

Such a candidacy would mean rigorous media interrogation on such broadcasts as Face the Nation and Meet the Press. Haaland has refused offers to debate Bregman for fear of making a grave error. Also, her unsteady congressional testimony when Sec. of Interior is now being used against her and would not stand up to a national test. 

Her future is here and if it means being Governor for four or eight years that's not bad, if you consider what could have happened to her life. 

Do look for Haaland to promote her book on various cable programs such as MSNBC and CNN that will feed into the positive image of her campaign. The free publicity will also be a financial windfall for the campaign, giving her free time that her Republican opponent will not be able to compete against. 

The most valuable aspect of her book deal may be that Haaland, 66, finally puts her personal finances on a stable course for an eventual retirement and not be dealing with them while juggling the demands of the governorship. 

 HEATED SOS BATTLE  

There's no love lost in the bitter and often nasty race for the Democratic nomination for Secretary of State featuring Santa Fe County Clerk Katharine Clark and Dona Ana Clerk Amanda Lopez Askin.

Both sides are now up with soft TV ads, unlike the vicious combat taking place on the socials. (Clark ad here. Lopez Askin ad here.)  

Clark was forced into tweaking her ad by the state Dem Party who complained she was making it seem as though the party was endorsing her candidacy when she put up on the screen "chosen by the Democratic Party." She dropped the phrase "chosen by" and the Dem party logo something they don't do in contested primary elections.  

Clark did win the party's state preprimary and said that win was what the ad intended to convey. Insiders say she resisted a call from the party to pull the ad down in its entirety. The Democratic party said that is not the case and only asked the campaign to change certain aspects which the Clark campaign did. 

Lopez Askin has out raised Clark but Clark has a larger voting base in the North than Lopez Askin has in the South. Clark also appears to have an edge in the ABQ media market. 

But progressives like Sen. Katy Duhigg are relentless in their attacks on Clark for reasons that are not always clear. But Clark's independence from segments of her party is clear. Lame duck MLG has endorsed Lopez Askin but Clark has that preprimary support from Dems across the state. 

Outgoing SOS Maggie Toulouse Oliver, now campaigning for the Dem nomination for lieutenant governor has also endorsed Lopez Askin who says in her TV spot that she wants to emulate MTO in the office. 

A supporter of Clark's responds:

The current Secretary of State was a disaster when it came to transparency. Look at the mess that is the campaign finance web site. She had ten years to get it right and could not or did not want to. That has deprived us of transparency over the huge money that has since flowed into politics from PAC's and also proper oversight of candidate fund-raising and spending. Toulouse Oliver constantly blamed the legislature for not providing enough funding, refusing to take responsibility for the fiasco. Clark could be the solution. 

Toulouse Oliver

Does that view signal Clark could have a more aggressive posture than Lopez Askin to supervising dark money, PAC spending and candidate finance reporting? It seems so. Much of that money now comes from progressive-backed national groups and billionaires. Perhaps that explains some of the fierce push back Clark is receiving but whose reasoning can seem ambiguous. 

Both of these women are smart and tenacious but are being shaken by the stress and unexpected emotionalism of this battle. It is the first exposure of both to the bright lights of statewide La Politica.  Which candidate best keeps their composure and plows ahead without mistakes may be the one who takes the prize. 

This is the Home of New Mexico Politics.