New Mexico Mercury

Editor's note: We thought this note from Common Cause New Mexico's Executive Director Viki Harrison was prescient in light of the recent accusation by Rep. Monica Youngblood, R-Albuquerque, that Stand4KidsNM, an education advocacy group of parents and teachers, is acting as a PAC for their endorsement of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gary King and therefore should register as one.  The report by Common Cause NM gives New Mexicans an accurate grasp of where and how real influence is flowing into the state. Between 2005 and 2012 outside contributions to New Mexico political elections nearly doubled.  "This trend illustrates the outside, particularly national, influence on New Mexican politics."

Common Cause New Mexico is often asked what “rules” exist in New Mexico for regulating campaign spending by “PACs” and other groups who operate independently of the candidates.  No short and simple answer to this question can be given because New Mexico’s law on this subject is currently in a fluid and uncertain state, owing to recent court decisions invalidating most of the current statutes and to recent legislative efforts to rewrite the law to bring it into line with these decisions and with modern campaign practices.

To answer the question properly, we must break it down into several separate questions:

1.  What do the New Mexico statutes currently say on this subject?

2.  How have recent court decisions limited the enforceability of these statutes?

3.  What parts of the current law can still be applied in the wake of these decisions?

4.  What legislative efforts to rewrite the statutes are currently under way?

Common Cause NM put together a guide to answer the above questions about the current state of New Mexico law regulating campaign participation by PACs and other groups who spend money independently of the candidates.

Hope this is helpful as we head into the election season, and that we are able to get a strong and meaningful disclosure bill passed in 2015!

(Photo by peasap)