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Gov. Susana Martinez is not up for re-election this year, but that doesn’t mean she’s staying on the political sidelines.
Martinez, the nation’s first elected Latina governor, will travel to Washington state next week to headline a fundraiser for Rob McKenna, a GOP gubernatorial candidate in that state.
Attending the Aug. 3 luncheon in Yakima, Wash., will not be cheap. A private reception and photo opportunity with Martinez and McKenna will cost $1,000 per person, while lunch itself will cost $125 per person, according to the Yakima Herald-Republic.
Martinez’s travel costs are being split by the McKenna campaign and the Republican Governors Association, Martinez political consultant Jay McCleskey told the Journal.
Meanwhile, Washington’s outgoing Democratic governor, Christine Gregoire, will be in Albuquerque on Aug. 31 to tout President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign to women in the South Valley.
VIOLATION? Secretary of State Dianna Duran is taking her time weighing whether a late-surfacing political expenditure group violated state election laws.
The Secretary of State’s Office sent a letter Wednesday to the attorney representing Reform New Mexico Now PAC, which spent about $145,000 on eight contested Democratic primary races in the final days before the June 5 election.
The letter asks attorney Paul Kienzle to submit requested information by Aug. 10, said Ken Ortiz, Duran’s chief of staff.
Four Democratic legislative candidates – Eleanor Chavez, David Coss, Larry Martinez and Jack Sullivan – filed a complaint with Duran’s office last month alleging Reform New Mexico Now failed to follow state law by registering as a political committee within 10 days of receiving $205,000 from various donors.
However, a spokesman for the committee said the group’s original filing -which was later amended – included a typo and the political committee was actually registered within the required time period.
Reform New Mexico Now is run by Jay McCleskey, who serves as a political consultant for Gov. Susana Martinez.
Contact Dan Boyd at dboyd@abqjournal.com
— This article appeared on page C1 of the Albuquerque Journal
