New Group Funded by Deep Pockets on Left

Editor’s note: This is part of a series of occasional columns on groups attempting to shape public policy in New Mexico.

The group that distributed the “Col. Custer” email by Republican National Committeeman Pat Rogers is the New Mexico affiliate of a national group funded by some of the country’s deepest pockets on the left.

ProgressNow New Mexico distributed the Rogers email to news media and others here and in several other states, generating widespread publicity just days before the GOP National Convention. The email was originally obtained by Independent Source PAC, a group largely funded by organized labor.

The primary mission of ProgressNow New Mexico is to serve as a public relations firm for progressive causes, according to its executive director, Pat Davis, a former police officer. As you would expect, the group is a frequent critic of Republicans, including Gov. Susana Martinez.

The Rogers email was by far the biggest splash yet for the Albuquerque-based group, which was formed this year.

The email, dated June 8, referenced a meeting between Martinez and American Indian leaders and suggested the meeting dishonored George Armstrong Custer, who was killed by Indians at the Battle of Little Bighorn in 1876.

The email was sent to attorneys for Martinez, as well as her chief of staff, a deputy chief of staff and the governor’s top political adviser. In one case, the email went to an old Martinez campaign account that the administration says was hacked.

Rogers, a lobbyist and lawyer, has described the email as a “poor attempt at humor.” The email has been denounced by those on both the right and the left. The prominent Modrall Sperling law firm announced Rogers’ resignation Friday.

ProgressNow New Mexico and the affiliated ProgressNow New Mexico Education Fund began operation Jan. 1, according to Davis, the groups’ executive director. Both are tax-exempt groups, as are many other organizations operating in the political arena.

Davis says the PR work of ProgressNow New Mexico includes unpaid and paid media campaigns on progressive issues. It also researches and challenges information disseminated by the right.

The group was part of a media campaign — billboards, radio ads and Internet — accusing Martinez of killing jobs with her vetoes, including rejection of a bill dealing with taxes paid by “big-box” retailers.

ProgressNow New Mexico Education Fund teamed with the Center for Civic Policy and the Southwest Organizing Project, both based in Albuquerque, on the anti-Martinez “public policy education campaign,” known as DontVetoNMJobs.com.

Davis took some heat in April when he wrongly accused Martinez of taking political junkets to Louisiana and California while the Legislature was meeting last September. The governor’s trip to California for a GOP event took place after the Legislature adjourned, and it was the governor’s husband, not her, who went to Louisiana.

ProgressNow New Mexico has also challenged the residency qualifications of two Republican candidates for the Legislature.

Davis says he is one of five people on the organization’s staff. He says his pay is about $70,000 a year.

Davis, 34, is an ex-cop in Washington, D.C., and at the University of New Mexico. He has also worked as a public information officer for state District Attorney Kari Brandenburg in Albuquerque.

Board members of ProgressNow New Mexico include Carlos Acosta, who worked for Diane Denish when she was lieutenant governor, and Jennifer Ford, state director of America Votes, a group that coordinates issue advocacy and election campaigns across the country. Billionaire financier George Soros is a major contributor to America Votes.

Board members of ProgressNow New Mexico Education Fund include Stephanie Maez-Gibson, chief executive officer at the Center for Civic Policy.

ProgressNow New Mexico is one of at least 21 state affiliates of ProgressNow based in St. Paul, Minn., and Davis says the startup money for the New Mexico group came from the national organization.

Davis says he is working to establish in-state financial support for ProgressNow New Mexico. The estimated annual budget is just under $200,000. There aren’t memberships, but you can donate.

Michael Huttner, a Denver lawyer, helped found ProgressNow national in 2003 and serves as its CEO.

Huttner is the co-author of the book “50 Ways You Can Help Obama Change America” and, according to a Huffington Post biography, once worked in the White House.

ProgressNow national has many ties to some of the nation’s top donors on the left.

Investor Rob McKay, a ProgressNow board member, is chairman of the Democracy Alliance, a group of major liberal donors formed in 2005 with backing from Soros and Colorado software entrepreneur Tim Gill.

Political strategist Ted Trimpa, president of the ProgressNow national board, is also a director of the Democracy Alliance.

ProgressNow has received financial support from Soros and Gill foundations, as well as the foundations of other members of the Democracy Alliance.

The New York Times reported in May that major liberal donors including Soros were preparing to inject up to $100 million in independent grass-roots groups to aid Democrats’ chances this fall. ProgressNow was likely to be a money recipient, the Times reported.

UpFront is a daily front-page news and opinion column. Comment directly to Thom Cole at tcole@abqjournal.com or 505-992-6280 in Santa Fe. Go to www.abqjournal.com/letters/new to submit a letter to the editor.
— This article appeared on page A1 of the Albuquerque Journal