Hitting Back in PAC Dispute

A flurry of political finger-pointing that started in the days leading up to this month’s primary election has not subsided just yet.

In a letter sent this week to Secretary of State Dianna Duran, Albuquerque attorney Paul Kienzle claimed Reform New Mexico Now, a political committee he is representing, did not violate state election law, as is alleged by four Democratic legislative candidates.

Going further, Kienzle said the complaints were filed during a restricted time period before the June 5 election and argued the candidates should face fines for filing the complaints.

“This kind of gamesmanship should not be condoned by the Secretary of State’s Office,” wrote Kienzle, who works in the same law firm as Mickey Barnett, an influential figure in state and national GOP politics.

The hubbub over Reform New Mexico Now arose as the late-surfacing independent expenditure group was spending about $100,000 on eight contested Democratic primary races in the final days before the primary election.

The four Democratic candidates — Jack Sullivan, Eleanor Chavez, Larry Martinez and David Coss — claim Reform New Mexico Now failed to follow state law by registering as a political action committee within 10 days of receiving $205,000 from various donors.

However, a spokesman for the political committee said that the group’s original campaign filing — which was later amended — contained an error and that the contributions were actually received within the required time period.

Duran’s office sent a letter to Reform New Mexico Now on June 6 requesting a response to the allegations. As of Friday, no decision on the case had been made, said Ken Ortiz, Duran’s chief of staff.

Contact Dan Boyd at dboyd@abqjournal.com
— This article appeared on page C2 of the Albuquerque Journal