WASHINGTON Interior Secretary Deb Haaland on Wednesday threw her support behind Kamala Harris as the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee, praising her record of advocacy for Indigenous people and other marginalized communities.

I wholeheartedly endorse Kamala Harris as our next President of the United States, Haaland told HuffPost in an exclusive statement, which she emphasized she was saying in her personal capacity, not as a cabinet secretary.

Kamala has been a staunch advocate for Tribal people, for women, and for marginalized communities, Haaland continued. She has the strength to win and lead, and I will do everything I can to ensure her success.

President Joe Biden made history in 2020 when he said he planned to choose Haaland to lead the Interior Department. She is the first Indigenous person to ever serve as a Cabinet secretary, and the significance of having a Native American woman atop the Interior Department the agency tasked with upholding the governments trust and treaty obligations to tribal nations, in addition to managing 500 million acres of land stolen from tribes is particularly profound .

A voice like mine has never been a Cabinet secretary or at the head of the Department of Interior, Haaland said in December 2020 , when Biden first announced he would nominate her to the post. Growing up in my mothers Pueblo household made me fierce. Ill be fierce for all of us, our planet, and all of our protected land. I am honored and ready to serve.