Wealthy Outsiders Give Big to Elections

Conservative, rich men from other states dominate the list of the biggest individual contributors to New Mexico elections in 2012.

All the men gave to Reform New Mexico Now, the political action committee run by Jay McCleskey, political adviser to Republican Gov. Susana Martinez. Many of them had given to Martinez’s campaign in 2010.

Three women and no apparent Hispanics made the top 10 list of individual donors. There was a five-way tie for the 10th spot, expanding the list to 14 individuals.

	Top donors Top individual donors to N.M. elections in 2012 1. Sheldon Adelson, Las Vegas, Nev., $250,000 2. Mark Murphy, Roswell, $65,000 3. Stephen Chazen, Pacific Palisades, Calif., $50,000 4. Foster Friess, Jackson, Wyo., $35,000 5. Sallie Bingham, Santa Fe, $31,550 6. David Rigsby, Embudo, $30,000 7. Margaret Moses Branch, Albuquerque, $29,850 8. Stanley Harper, Mansfield, Texas, $29,800 9. Paul Foster, El Paso, $26,000 10. (tie) Al Hill, Dallas; Marcus Hiles, Grand Prairie, Texas; Robert Chase, Artesia; Barrett Toan, Santa Fe; Deb Chase, Artesia, $25,000 each

Note: Includes contributions reported in 2012 by candidates for state and county offices and political action committees. Excludes contributions by candidates to their own campaigns.
Source: New Mexico Campaign Finance Information System 

Contributions by individuals are just part of the picture when it comes to campaign finance. Corporations, unions, PACs and others also spend big dollars to influence elections. I reported last month on their contributions to candidates for the Legislature in 2012. To read that column, go to www.ABQjournal.com and look for “As Seen in the Journal.”

Reform New Mexico Now, which raised and spent $2.4 million, was among the so-called super PACs from both sides of the political spectrum that were active in legislative races last year. Super PACs operate independently of candidates and are free of limits on donations.

The top 10 list of biggest individual donors to elections last year was created with data from the online New Mexico Campaign Finance Information System and provided by the Secretary of State’s Office.

Included are contributions that were reported in 2012 and made by individuals to state and local candidates and PACs; excluded are donations by candidates to their own campaigns.

Sheldon Adelson, a casino magnate from Las Vegas, Nev., and one of the world’s richest men, with an estimated worth of as much as $25 billion, was the biggest individual contributor to New Mexico elections last year.

Adelson donated $250,000 in October to Reform New Mexico Now, which was active in several races for the Legislature, including the defeat of Senate President Pro Tem Tim Jennings, a Democrat from Roswell who had served more than three decades.

Adelson, active in politics nationwide, became the biggest political donor in U.S. history in 2012. Huffington Post has reported he spent nearly $150 million in support of Republican candidates, including Mitt Romney, the party’s presidential nominee.

The other men from outside New Mexico who made the top 10 list of biggest contributors:

♦ Stephen Chazen of Pacific Palisades, Calif., president and CEO of Occidental Petroleum Corp. His compensation in 2011 totaled $31.7 million, according to Fortune magazine.

Chazen donated $50,000 to Reform New Mexico. Occidental, which has operations in the southern New Mexico oil fields, and its related companies also contributed more than $54,000 to legislative races last year.

♦ Foster Friess of Jackson, Wyo., a financial investor and supporter of conservative Christian causes.

Friess helped bankroll the presidential run of former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, a Pennsylvania Republican, and said last spring that he hoped the teleprompters for President Barack Obama were bulletproof. He later said he regretted the remark.

Friess gave $35,000 to Reform New Mexico Now.

♦ Stanley Harper of Mansfield, Texas, in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, owner of an auto loan company. He also has a 100,000-plus-acre cattle ranch in northeastern New Mexico.

Harper donated $25,000 to Reform New Mexico Now and a total of $4,800 to three Republican candidates for the Legislature. His wife gave $10,000 to the governor’s Susana PAC.

♦ Paul Foster of El Paso, board chairman and executive chairman of Western Refining, whose operations include a refinery near Gallup and gas stations in New Mexico.

Foster donated $25,000 to Reform New Mexico Now and $1,000 to Susana PAC. Western Refining also was a major contributor to legislative races last year.

♦ Al Hill Jr. of Dallas, a hedge fund manager and grandson of the late oil tycoon and billionaire H.L. Hunt. He gave $25,000 to Reform New Mexico Now.

Hill and his son waged a very public feud before reaching a legal settlement in 2010 involving hundreds of millions of dollars in trusts of two late family members.

♦ Marcus Hiles of Grand Prairie, Texas, chairman and CEO of Western Rim Property Services, which manages luxury rental homes.

More than 6,500 bottles from Hiles’ much larger wine collection were put up for auction in 2010 by Sotheby’s; the auctioned bottles had an estimated worth of up to $4.7 million.

Hiles contributed $25,000 to Reform New Mexico Now.

New Mexicans

The No. 2 biggest political donor in the 2012 elections and the top-giving New Mexican was Roswell oilman Mark Murphy, president of Strata Production and Murphy Petroleum.

It was no surprise that Murphy made the top 10 list. He, affiliated companies and a related PAC gave more than $435,000 to legislative candidates in 2008 and at least $47,500 to Martinez’s run for governor in 2010.

As for donations reported last year, Murphy made $9,000 in PAC contributions, most of that going to Conservatives for a Republican Majority. He also gave $56,000 to more than 30 candidates for the Legislature, judgeships, district attorney and county offices.

Strata Production and Murphy Petroleum made another $25,600 in donations to PACs and candidates. Murphy’s wife, Susan, contributed $9,200 to candidates, and a company she heads gave another $6,900.

Another top-giving New Mexican and the biggest individual donor to liberal causes was Sallie Bingham of Santa Fe, an investor and author whose family once owned the Louisville Courier-Journal newspaper in Kentucky.

Bingham’s PAC contributions included $25,000 to Verde Voters PAC, formed last year by Conservation Voters New Mexico. She also made donations to candidates for the Legislature.

Other New Mexicans on the top 10 list of biggest donors are organic farmer David Rigsby of Embudo, lawyer Margaret Moses Branch of Albuquerque, health care industry executive Barrett Toan of Santa Fe and oilman Robert Chase of Artesia and his wife, Deb.

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