Hey John – it's Deb Haaland. I'm running for governor of New Mexico and EMILYs List said I could reach out to you.

One thing you should know about me is that I love to cook.

My love of cooking New Mexican cuisine started early, thanks to the hours I spent watching my grandmother bake bread in her mud oven and stir huge pots of posole. She wouldn't let us kids in the kitchen while she cooked, but I'd perch myself outside and watch her through the window for hours. I still hold those memories close as I prepare my favorite traditional New Mexican dishes.

There's something powerful about connecting with others over a home-cooked meal. When I was in law school at UNM, I'd make chicken green chile stew for student gatherings, and I made that same dish for my congressional colleagues during the 2019 winter holiday season. I even cooked chile and tortillas for the water protectors when I traveled to Standing Rock during the protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline.

Cooking became more than a hobby after I decided to start my own salsa business. I worked out of a commercial kitchen and bought my red chile pequin from a farm in Northern New Mexico. I'd prepare my salsa and deliver jars to mom-and-pop shops across the state, often with Somáh riding with me in the back seat.

I am here because of my grandfather, who worked for decades as a diesel mechanic on the railroad. Somehow he also kept a field — picking worms off the corn as it grew, like the generations before him.

I am here because of my grandmother, a survivor and a caretaker who woke up every day before the sun. She was the one who gave me my true love of cooking New Mexican cuisine. (She wouldn't let us in the kitchen while she cooked, but I'd perch myself outside and watch her through the window for hours.)

For me, cooking has always been a way to foster connection and build community, which is exactly what we're doing now as we grow our campaign for New Mexico. I've had the chance to sit down with New Mexicans in living rooms and at kitchen tables to hear about their lives, their struggles, and their hopes for the future. Every conversation is another reminder of the incredibly high stakes in this race – and proof that if we organize around our shared values, we will win.

Will you split a donation between my campaign and EMILYs List today? If you donate through this link, I'll even send you my recipe for green chile chicken posole!

SPLIT A DONATION: [link removed]

Happy cooking,

Deb

P.S. Throughout my life, cooking has helped me bring my community together – and bringing people together is exactly how we'll win this campaign. If you make a donation of any amount to my campaign and EMILYs List through this link, I'll be sure to send you my recipe for green chile chicken posole so you can cook it for your friends and family.

GET THE RECIPE: [link removed]

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