Former Interior Sec. Deb Haaland has announced a New Mexico gubernatorial bid.

The politician, who served in a cabinet post during most of former President Joe Biden's White House tenure, previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives. 

"But the problems we face now are bigger than ever, and we must be fierce to solve them. That's why I am running for governor of the great state of New Mexico," she said in a video.

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"New Mexico is rich in tradition and spirit, rich in natural resources. So why can't our families pay our bills? Crime, poverty, homelessness, addiction — they will keep pulling us down if we do the same things and expect a different result," she declared.

Last month on Jan. 20 — the day President Donald Trump was inaugurated — Haaland suggested in a post on X that the new administration does not care about "regular people."

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"With the inauguration of President Trump, there’s a lot at stake. He surrounds himself with super-rich people who look down on us and our communities. We will need to do the hard work of getting important things done and pushing back against an administration that couldn’t care less about regular people," Haaland tweeted.

Current New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat who has served as governor since 2019, is not eligible to run in 2026.

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The state went to Democrats in the 2008 through 2024 presidential elections. But its prior governor, Susana Martinez, was a Republican.

Twenty people were injured on Monday after a chemical spill at a New Mexico cheese factory released toxic gas, according to officials.

The Curry County Sheriff's Office confirmed the incident to Fox News Digital. Authorities were alerted to the incident, which took place at the Southwest Cheese factory in Clovis, at around 9:15 a.m. on Monday.

When emergency responders arrived, they discovered that a chemical spill had released toxic gas in one part of the factory.

"It was learned that 8.67 gallons of acid spilled and was mixed with .61 gallons of chlorine due to an equipment malfunction," the Curry County Sheriff's Office explained in a press release. "The chemical mixture produced toxic gas that spread in one area of the facility."

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Sheriff Michael Brockett told Fox News Digital that two of the injured workers were in critical condition. In total, 14 employees were taken to two local hospitals. 

Authorities did not release additional details about the severity of the injuries, but some of the ailing workers were moved in private vehicles.

"The Clovis Fire Department Hazardous Materials Response Team was activated and responded to the scene," the press release noted. "New Mexico State Police is coordinating with Southwest Cheese in cleaning the hazardous chemicals."

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Southwest Cheese said that a mechanical failure caused a "chemical overflow," and employees reported "a strong smell" emanating from one of the factory's rooms.

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"The health and safety of our employees is our top priority," the company said. "Our onsite team reacted quickly, following our incident response action plan, closing off the affected area."

"Our key focus is supporting our impacted employees at this time."

According to Southwest Cheese's website, the company specializes in manufacturing hard cheeses and whey products. Its whey products include whey concentrates, which are used in dairy products like ice cream, and whey isolates, which are used in protein bars.

"Using only the freshest milk supplied by our local dairy farmers, Southwest Cheese produces premium cheeses and high quality whey protein powders for our global customers," its website reads. "Each delivery of milk is thoroughly tested for antibiotics and other contaminants. We reject all milk that does not meet our high-quality standards."

Authorities are investigating the incident. No additional details are known at this time.