Bernalillo County DA's race draws six-figure donations

The race for district attorney in Bernalillo County has shaped up as one of the state's most expensive primary contests this year.

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Second Judicial District Attorney Sam Bregman, to date, has a fundraising edge over Damon Martinez, a former U.S. attorney for New Mexico, in their bids for the Democratic nomination in the June 4 primary election.

Bregman had raised $417,601 in contributions through Monday, compared with $302,200 raised by Martinez, according to the New Mexico Secretary of State's website.

Each candidate reported expenditures of about $98,000.

A third candidate, Matthias Swonger, has withdrawn from the race, he announced on his website. The Albuquerque public defender said he failed to collect enough signatures to get on the ballot and was at a fundraising disadvantage.

No Republican candidate has entered the contest.

Martinez's war chest also includes $170,000 he loaned to his own campaign, while Bregman has relied entirely on campaign contributions.

"If we take into account the seed money that Martinez lent his campaign, at this point Bregman is having an easier time raising money from donors," pollster and political analyst Brian Sanderoff said Wednesday.

But both Bregman and Martinez have raised significant amounts of money for their campaigns and likely will raise more before the primary, said Sanderoff, president of Research & Polling Inc.

"We have two formidable candidates running in the Democratic primary … who have the ability to raise significant funds based on their past political and legal backgrounds," he said.

Bregman and Martinez are competing for a job that pays about $156,000 a year.

"I feel confident saying that neither Bregman nor Martinez are running for this office due to salary," Sanderoff said. "District attorney is just a very powerful position to be able to leave your mark and address an issue that is of great concern to the voters."

As such, the district attorney's office can serve as a stepping stone to higher office, he said.

Bregman, a prominent defense attorney and former chairman of the state Democratic Party, was not elected to the DA's post. He was appointed by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to fill out the remaining term of his predecessor, Raúl Torrez, who took office in January 2023 as the state's attorney general.

Bregman and Martinez were among 14 attorneys who applied for the post after Torrez won the attorney general contest in November 2022.

Bregman announced in June that he planned to run this year to keep the job. Martinez announced in October his bid to unseat Bregman in the primary.

Martinez served as New Mexico's U.S. attorney from May 2014 until his resignation in March 2017. He was one of 46 U.S. attorneys asked to resign after then-President Donald Trump took office.

According to the Secretary of State's office, Bregman's top five contributors are: Holmans USA Corp., $11,000; All American Ruidoso Downs LLC, $11,000; The New Beginnings LLC, $10,000; Stephen Slatton, $5,500; and Plaza Ladera LLC, $5,500.

Martinez's top five contributors are: Damon Martinez, $170,000; Julie Rochman, $5,500; Ian McKinnon, $5,500; Jessica Carothers, $5,500; and Clinton Marrs, $5,500.