October 12, 2016

Tracking October campaign finance filings

Tuesday was a filing day for New Mexico candidates, the first for the general election. It was another important day as Republicans fight to hold their two-year majority in the House and take over the Senate, while Democrats hope to take back the House and hold the Senate. This story originally appeared at New Mexico In Depth and […]

Public Editor

Tuesday was a filing day for New Mexico candidates, the first for the general election.

It was another important day as Republicans fight to hold their two-year majority in the House and take over the Senate, while Democrats hope to take back the House and hold the Senate.

This story originally appeared at New Mexico In Depth and is reprinted with permission, with light editing.

New Mexico In Depth the secretary of state contest, plus 16 key legislative races, and we’ll check out the super PACs too.

You’ll find the money coming in between Sept. 5 and Oct. 3, the money spent, the cash in the bank and the amount legislative candidates have donated to other legislative candidates.

The first sheet in the table below is for the current reporting period, while the second shows how much candidates have raised and spent since 2015.

Included in the contributions are in-kind contributions, typically donation of time, supplies or services from others.

Some really big cash: Everytown For Gun Safety, a group that supports tightening gun background checks and other gun laws, has donated $160,000 to candidates and Democratic political action committees, based on lobbyist filings last week. The group gave $100,000 to Patriot Majority New Mexico, a super PAC. Earlier in the year, the group gave $5,000 each to GOP House Majority Leader Nate Gentry and Democratic Sen. Daniel Ivey-Soto.

Secretary of State: Democratic Bernalillo County Clerk Maggie Toulouse Oliver raised nearly $107,000 compared with $37,000 for Republican state Rep. Nora Espinoza. Toulouse Oliver spent nearly $87,000 compared with $5,100 for Espinoza. The Democrat began airing TV ads last week. Espinoza spent money on radio ads at one Albuquerque station and a statewide poll. Espinoza has more than $265,000 in cash, while Toulouse Oliver has more than $188,000.

House District 37, Las Cruces: Democrat challenger Joanne Ferrary outraised Republican Rep. Terry McMillan by $23,000 to about $9,800. But McMillan still has $75,000 in cash to Ferrary’s nearly $56,000.

House District 4, Navajo Country/Northwestern New Mexico: GOP Rep. Sharon Clahchischilliage raised $15,500 and has close to $51,000 in the bank. Her Democrat opponent is GloJean Todacheene raised nearly $21,000 and has nearly $34,000 in cash.

House District 39, Las Cruces and Silver City: GOP Rep. John Zimmerman raised more than $8,000 and has nearly $86,000 in cash. Former Democratic Rep. Rodolpho Martinez raised more than $10,000 and has $39,000 left.

House District 38, Truth or Consequences: Democrat Mary Hotvedt raised nearly $20,000 and Republican Rebecca Dow reported raising more than $13,000 in the race to replace GOP Rep. Dianne Hamilton. Dow has nearly $63,000 in the bank to Hotvedt’s almost $46,000.

House District 32, Deming: Democrat Candie Sweetser raised more than $14,000 and has about the same amount in the bank. Her Republican opponent, Vicki Chavez, brought in $6,800 and has about $21,000 in cash. They’re vying for the seat being vacated by Democratic Rep. Dona Irwin.

House District 36, Las Cruces: GOP Rep. Andy Nunez raised $11,000 and has more than $61,000 in cash. Opponent Democrat Nate Small took in more than $29,000 and has more than $37,500 in the bank. So far, Small is outspending Nunez by nearly $74,000 to almost $38,000. On last month’s filing date, Nunez filed a report of no activity. Then the next day, he filed an amended report.

Senate District 39, rural Santa Fe: GOP Sen. Ted Barela raised nearly $26,000 compared with Democrat Liz Stefanics’ nearly $39,000. But Barela has nearly $106,000 in the bank, compared with nearly $56,000 for his opponent.

Senate District 36, Las Cruces: Democratic Rep. Jeff Steinborn raised $26,000 while GOP Sen. Lee Cotter raised more than $20,000. Cotter has nearly $89,000 in the bank, while Steinborn has nearly $75,000.

Senate District 37, Las Cruces: Democratic incumbent Sen. Bill Soules raised $31,000 and has $109,000 in cash. Republican challenger Cecelia Levatino raised nearly $21,000, spent $40,000 and has almost $55,000 left. Among Soules’ donations are $2,500 each from Pat Stryker, a billionaire heiress from Fort Collins, Colo., and Tom Steyer, a San Francisco billionaire. The two are frequent donors to Democratic campaigns. Steyer, who focuses on climate issues, donated $24,000 to Soules and five other Democrats earlier this year.

House District 23, Albuquerque/Corrales: GOP Rep. Paul Pacheco raised about $20,000 to Democratic challenger Daymon Ely’s more than $11,000. Ely spent $98,000 to Pacheco’s $58,000. Pacheco has $88,000 in cash while Ely has nearly $40,000.

Senate District 15, Albuquerque: Democratic Sen. Daniel Ivey-Soto raised more than $22,000 to Republican challenger Eric Burton’s more than $12,000. Burton spent nearly $72,000 while Ivey-Soto spent more than $54,000. The Democrat still has $100,000, while Burton has $20,000 in the bank.

House District 43, Los Alamos: Democratic Rep. Stephanie Garcia brought in nearly $34,000, spent more than $47,000 and has $70,000 left. Her Republican challenger, Los Alamos County Clerk Sharon Stover, raised nearly $27,000 and still has nearly $37,000.

House District 24, Albuquerque: Elizabeth Thomson raised more than $31,000 and has $84,000 in the bank. She is vying with Republican Christina Hall seat vacated by GOP Rep. Conrad James. He defeated Thomson in 2014. Hall had yet to file a report at 5:40 p.m.

Senate District 9, Albuquerque: Republican Diego Espinoza raised nearly $44,000, compared with $33,000 for Democratic incumbent Sen. John Sapien. The Republican spent nearly $59,000 to the Democrat’s $22,000. Espinoza still has about $64,000 in cash, while Sapien has more than $82,000.

Senate District 29, Belen: Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez brought in $37,000, spent more than $60,000 and still has nearly $152,000 in cash. He faces GOP challenger Greg Baca, who raised more than $17,500, spent nearly $18,000 and still has $71,000.

House District 15, Albuquerque: Democrat Ane Romero outraised Republican Rep. Sarah Maestas Barnes with nearly $34,000 to almost $40,000. Romero spent more than $48,000 to Maestas Barnes’ $14,000-plus. But the Republican has nearly $158,000 in the bank to Romero’s $38,000.

PAC world:

The League of Conservation Voters, a national nonprofit, donated $150,000 to Conservation Voters New Mexico Verde Voters PAC, while ProgressNow New Mexico kicked in $30,000.

Patriot Majority, a national Democratic super PAC, donated $100,000 to Enchantment PAC, which paid more than $17,000 for canvassing. Patriot Majority donated more than $65,000 to Progressive Champions PAC, which is airing radio and digital ads.

And after an impressive September report, GOP super PAC Advance New Mexico Now took in “only” $120,000. Of that, $100,000 came from the Republican State Leadership Committee, a national group.

Advance spent nearly $174,000, mostly on consulting, media buys and printing those mailers. (If you’re getting those, take a photo and submit them here.)