{"id":44935,"date":"2024-04-26T13:25:42","date_gmt":"2024-04-26T20:25:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/?p=44935"},"modified":"2025-05-02T11:07:45","modified_gmt":"2025-05-02T18:07:45","slug":"progressives-going-after-incumbents-in-hot-democratic-primaries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/progressives-going-after-incumbents-in-hot-democratic-primaries\/","title":{"rendered":"Progressives Going After Incumbents in Hot Democratic Primaries"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-background\" style=\"background-color:#8080801f\"><em><strong>This story was originally published at <a href=\"https:\/\/nmindepth.com\/2024\/progressives-going-after-incumbents-in-hot-democratic-primaries\/\">New Mexico In Depth<\/a>, a NMPBS partner.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Segment-2-Inside-the-Roundhouse-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"The front of a building with people walking in front of it.\" class=\"wp-image-44070\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Segment-2-Inside-the-Roundhouse-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Segment-2-Inside-the-Roundhouse-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Segment-2-Inside-the-Roundhouse-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Segment-2-Inside-the-Roundhouse-24x14.jpg 24w, https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Segment-2-Inside-the-Roundhouse-36x20.jpg 36w, https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Segment-2-Inside-the-Roundhouse-48x27.jpg 48w, https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Segment-2-Inside-the-Roundhouse.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author\"><div class=\"wp-block-post-author__avatar\"><img alt='' src='https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b51d96278bbfc31b2e1b35c7ff38a053cd10e7a44fb14db8a5dc8770cfa867a7?s=48&#038;d=mm&#038;r=g' srcset='https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b51d96278bbfc31b2e1b35c7ff38a053cd10e7a44fb14db8a5dc8770cfa867a7?s=96&#038;d=mm&#038;r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-48 photo' height='48' width='48' \/><\/div><div class=\"wp-block-post-author__content\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-author__byline\">Written by<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-post-author__name\">Justin Horwath, New Mexico In Depth<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-post-author__bio\">Justin Horwath is an investigative journalist based in Santa Fe. He has covered Wall Street, public corruption, energy, prisons, police shootings and more for various international, national and local publications.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s a safe bet Democrats will barrel into 2025 with their supremacy intact at the New Mexico Legislature. Barring an unexpected shock during this year\u2019s elections, Democrats\u2019 stranglehold on power is assured.<br><br>Going into the 2024 contests, Democrats control nearly two-thirds of all seats in the House and nearly three of every five seats in the Senate.<br><br>The question going into the June primary election is whether the party\u2019s progressive wing will continue to increase power in the Legislature or will more centrist Democrats hold ground. &nbsp;<br><br>This year\u2019s effort by progressives is the latest in a long standing campaign, stretching back to the mid-2000s, to bring more progressives into the Legislature. In 2008, progressives successfully replaced a slate of centrist Democrats with newly minted candidates who are now political veterans, including the launch of current Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller\u2019s political career, who joined the Senate that year.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Because of this one-party dominance, the ideological fault lines within the Democratic Party have major policy implications on abortion, the environment, education and workplace issues like minimum wage and paid family and medical leave benefits.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Progressive political candidates and committees have raised tens of thousands of dollars for bids to oust certain Democratic legislators in June\u2019s primary election.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>New Mexico\u2019s progressive political machine was buoyed dramatically in 2020 when insurgents unseated long-time Democratic incumbents viewed as more centrist or right of center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The first campaign finance reports filed April 8 show progressive insurgents amassing thousands in contributions from individuals.&nbsp; And the efforts of progressive independent expenditure committees will undoubtedly benefit their campaigns.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Incumbents hold an advantage in corporate money, with energy, healthcare and hospitality interests giving big. They also enjoy support from their own colleagues in the Legislature; House Speaker Javier Martinez of Albuquerque, despite policy disagreements with more conservative&nbsp; incumbents, pledged to back his fellow lawmakers facing intraparty challenges.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tim Krebs, a University of New Mexico political science professor, said Democratic incumbents who buck the progressive agenda have braced themselves for challenges from the party\u2019s left flank since the 2020 elections.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe had that moment in time where John Arthur Smith and other conservative Democrats in the state and on the senate side were ousted from office,\u201d Krebs said. \u201c\u2026you\u2019ve got sort of liberal interest groups that want to support the Democratic Party and they want to flip seats in their direction. So they recruit candidates who can do that and challenge candidates who aren\u2019t toeing the progressive line.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A handful of top Senate Democrats with decades of legislative experience were&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/nmindepth.com\/2020\/new-mexico-state-senate-makes-decisive-left-turn\/\">toppled<\/a>&nbsp;in the 2020 primary by insurgents angered by their votes against an effort to wipe away a dormant abortion criminalization law that predated the 1970s Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion. The following year, Democrats successfully eliminated the law.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Shown the door were former Senate Finance Committee Chair John Arthur Smith of Deming \u2014 a three-decade veteran known as \u201cDr. No\u201d for his fiscal conservatism who voted against rescinding the old abortion criminalization law \u2014 as were Senate President Pro Tempore Mary Kay Papen, and senators Clemente Sanchez and Gabriel Ramos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A progressive political action committee (PAC), Better Future for New Mexico, raised significant money in 2020, and is back in action this year.&nbsp; In its first primary election filing, the group reported raising just $7,750 from four donors,&nbsp; but began the year with more than $330,000 in the bank and has&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/nmindepth.com\/2020\/modest-sunshine-still-leaves-campaign-cash-in-shadow\/\">demonstrated in past elections it can raise considerable amounts.&nbsp;<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Better Future has been largely funded by out-of-state special interest groups, philanthropists, business executives and attorneys. It in turn funneled money to New Mexico-based groups to run political campaigns, a prime example of the phenomenon of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/nmindepth.com\/2020\/modest-sunshine-still-leaves-campaign-cash-in-shadow\/\">\u201cgray money<\/a>\u201d in which PACs give to PACs, who then give to other PACs, making it difficult to find out where the money comes from.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nick Voges, a consultant for the committee, said it supports other nonprofit groups or PACs aligned with its values. Voges said those values include protecting reproductive healthcare and gender equity; advancing \u201cworker and people-centric policies\u201d such as paid family and medical leave; protecting the environment; and gun safety laws.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe policies that are important to Better Future New Mexico and the independent community organizations that we work with are broadly supported by many New Mexicans and transcend political labels,\u201d Voges said in an interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ol\u00e9, a progressive New Mexico-based membership organization that runs political campaigns, is one group that receives money from Better Future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The group since 2009 has worked on issues such as immigration, abortion access, wages, housing and other causes. Its volunteer membership is currently vetting candidates to endorse for the primary cycle, said Executive Director Andrea Serrano.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Serrano said Ol\u00e9, which stands for Organizers in the Land of Enchantment, has helped elect state and municipal candidates who voted for minimum wage hikes, payday loan caps and abortion access protections.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Top of mind for its members is the failure by two votes of the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nmlegis.gov\/Legislation\/Legislation?Chamber=S&amp;LegType=B&amp;LegNo=3&amp;year=24\">Paid Family Medical Leave Act&nbsp;<\/a>during this year\u2019s legislative session, Serrano said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201c \u2026 [W]hen there are lawmakers who are beholden to wealthy corporations, they are going to make bad choices that are going to harm New Mexicans,\u201d Serrano said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The profiles of a candidate\u2019s donors can matter in races. In District 70 in northern New Mexico, a progressive candidate is attacking an incumbent for taking corporate contributions. The incumbent says such contributions are unavoidable for a candidate who wants to win elections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Anita Gonzales, deputy director of the Las Vegas educational nonprofit New Mexico Mesa, Inc., is trying to unseat two-term incumbent Ambrose Castellano, who voted against the paid family medical leave act this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is her third attempt to beat Castellano. In<a href=\"https:\/\/klvg4oyd4j.execute-api.us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/prod\/PublicFiles\/ee3072ab0d43456cb15a51f7d82c77a2\/a9a2264b-9b76-4dce-881c-0e3b9484c32d\/2022%20Primary%20Election%20Results%20Statewide%20Summary.PDF\">&nbsp;both<\/a>&nbsp;previous&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/electionresults.sos.nm.gov\/resultsSW.aspx?type=LGX&amp;map=CTY&amp;eid=2778&amp;distSelect=3\">elections<\/a>, Gonzales lost by fewer than 100 votes<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This time around, she has a rare primary election endorsement from Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Almost all of the $31,000 raised by Gonzales came from individual contributions according to the Secretary of State\u2019s data, except for $8,000 in March, which the governor gave her.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She received $2,000 from the Karen F Grove Trust. Karen Grove is the chair of the Grove Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit based in California that&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/projects.propublica.org\/nonprofits\/organizations\/770108124\">reported<\/a>&nbsp;$94 million in assets in 2022. A spokesperson for the foundation noted that the trust is separate from the foundation.&nbsp;&nbsp;An&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/grovefoundation.org\/programs\/\">affiliated<\/a>&nbsp;organization, the Grove Action Fund, a 501(c)4 organization, has&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/projects.propublica.org\/nonprofits\/organizations\/824373804\/202342129349300944\/full\">funded<\/a>&nbsp;Better Future in recent years with a large donation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gonzales said the governor\u2019s endorsement means a lot to her but it doesn\u2019t mean she will be duty-bound to Lujan Grisham\u2019s agenda in cases where they may disagree, noting she\u2019s running a grassroots campaign.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cA majority of the campaign donations thus far are individuals \u2014 they are people that just are working to support me \u2014 in contrast to my incumbent who has had mostly corporate donations,\u201d she said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Asked if the campaign would go negative, Neri Holguin, who is consulting for Gonzales, said, \u201cWe\u2019re running against an incumbent and we\u2019re making a case for why we think voters should fire him and hire Anita.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Holguin sent out an email April 16 announcing an ethics complaint had been filed with the State Ethics Commission alleging Castellano has misspent campaign funds for personal use over the past several years.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not surprised to learn of this,\u201d Castellano wrote to New Mexico In Depth in a text. \u201cI welcome a fair and legal process but believe my campaign is in compliance with laws and regulation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Castellano, who works in construction, suggested Gonzales may be beholden to the governor\u2019s agenda and pitched himself as an \u201cindependent voice\u201d who will work to moderate urban progressive policies.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For instance, Castellano said that while he favors paid family and medical leave as a policy, he did not support the 2024 bill because he would have preferred an initial opt-in program for employers before forcing them to pay into a fund. He cited businesses still suffering from the 2022 wildfires that ripped through parts of the district.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cObviously, you know, I\u2019m not a progressive; I\u2019m a moderate Democrat. I don\u2019t support a lot of bills that hurt small businesses or harm rural communities,\u201d he said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Of the $48,500&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/login.cfis.sos.state.nm.us\/index.html#\/exploreDetails\/7VoRguse2IWVhexjVUV1631lK5MpzTLbNw12UnzEQ-I1\/14\/120\/120\/2024\">raised<\/a>&nbsp;by Castellano since last October, 80% comes from corporations, trade associations and lobbyists. Major corporations donating to his campaign include AT&amp;T, Lovelace Health System, Pfizer, Altria; Anheuser Busch; Core Civic; BNSF Railway Co.; UnitedHealth Group and others, according to his campaign report. House Speaker Javier Martinez, who did not return a call for comment,&nbsp; gave Castellano $5,500 and endorsed his legislative colleague.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Castellano said that he has \u201cgained the respect\u201d of corporations participating in the legislative process because they know he will have a discussion with them about the issues. That does not mean he is indebted to them, he said, citing a vote to increase by 5% oil leasing royalty rates on state land.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Castellano also argued that corporate money is unavoidable for incumbents.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhat\u2019s the difference between the governor\u2019s PAC, which gets money from out of state, or any other legislator that gets money from out of state?\u201d he said. \u201c I\u2019m no different.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Krebs, the University of New Mexico professor, said that often, progressive challengers have successfully attacked an incumbent\u2019s donor base, especially if the money comes from outside the district or state. But it is rare for a challenger to reject those same contributions once in office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIs she going to say, \u2018No I\u2019m not going to take that money?\u2019\u201d Krebs asked if Gonzales wins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gonzales said any corporate money she takes would have to align with her values. For instance, Marathon Oil donated $5,000 to Castellano in November. Gonzales said she would reject a contribution from Marathon Oil, and pledged to reject campaign contributions from all oil and gas companies. The same is true for payday loan companies, she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But not all corporate contributions are bad, she said. Juno Beach, Fla.-based NextEra Energy pitched in $1,000 to Castellano\u2019s campaign in June. NextEra is one of the largest renewable energy developers in the U.S. \u2014 and it has projects in New Mexico. Gonzales said she would consider taking a contribution from the Juno Beach, Fla.-based company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe way our system is, in order to afford campaigns you do need dollars,\u201d Gonzales said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>This story was originally published at <a href=\"https:\/\/nmindepth.com\/2024\/progressives-going-after-incumbents-in-hot-democratic-primaries\/\">New Mexico In Depth<\/a>, a NMPBS partner.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This story was originally published at New Mexico In Depth, a NMPBS partner. It\u2019s a safe bet Democrats will barrel into 2025 with their supremacy intact at the New Mexico Legislature. Barring an unexpected shock during this year\u2019s elections, Democrats\u2019 stranglehold on power is assured. Going into the 2024 contests, Democrats control nearly two-thirds of&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":44070,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10906],"tags":[10907],"class_list":["post-44935","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-partner-stories","tag-partner-stories"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Progressives Going After Incumbents in Hot Democratic Primaries - New Mexico In Focus<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/progressives-going-after-incumbents-in-hot-democratic-primaries\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Progressives Going After Incumbents in Hot Democratic Primaries - New Mexico In Focus\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This story was originally published at New Mexico In Depth, a NMPBS partner. It\u2019s a safe bet Democrats will barrel into 2025 with their supremacy intact at the New Mexico Legislature. Barring an unexpected shock during this year\u2019s elections, Democrats\u2019 stranglehold on power is assured. 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