Jeff Apodaca campaign group collected $143,000

A political committee aimed at thwarting progressive Democratic influence in this year’s legislative elections appeared to fizzle after the June 4 primary, according to new campaign finance disclosures filed with the Secretary of State’s Office.

The New Mexico Project Inc. received a total of $143,220, but reported no contributions after May 28, according to filings with the Secretary of State’s Office. Expenditures totaled $121,416, with the last expense listed as a $335 fundraising event on Aug. 31.

TNMP and its co-founder Jeff Apodaca filed the required reports late Wednesday after defying state campaign reporting laws for months. The failure to comply with state campaign disclosure laws prompted the state Ethics Commission to pursue legal action to ensure voters knew who was trying to “influence” their vote.

But the commission couldn’t achieve compliance before the primary election, which pitted a number of progressive Democrats against more moderate candidates. In all, Apodaca’s committee’s website highlighted eight House candidates, and seven running for the state Senate. Eight of the 15 endorsed legislative candidates lost in the primary. Six were incumbents.

Apodaca contended the political group had an educational objective of informing Latino voters on the best candidates to vote for and that forcing disclosure of its finances would be a violation of the First Amendment and due process protections.

But state District Judge Joshua Allison of Albuquerque ruled otherwise in late August. And the ethics commission and TNMP agreed to a settlement last month that required the group to register as a political committee and file campaign filings.

In pressing the need for disclosure before the primary and the Nov. 5 general election, the ethics commission lawsuit cited a statement that appeared in the Joe Monahan political blog in April.

In a post about TNMP, the blog quoted Apodaca as saying he had already raised “close to $1 million,” all from within the state. But Monahan said that assertion couldn’t be verified independently.

Apodaca’s attorney A. Blair Dunn told the Journal last month that the $1 million figure was a goal and that contributions fell off after the legal battle ensued.

The ethics commission lawsuit cited a local radio interview Apodaca gave on May 1, during which he reportedly said: “We can go raise as much money as we want. We don’t have to disclose our donors. So that’s why people, companies (and) organizations don’t have to worry about them being attacked.”

TNMP’s campaign filings show the bulk of the $143,220 was received in the eight weeks before the June 4 primary, with Chevron Corp. Affairs contributing $50,000.

Other top contributors: Doug Campbell, $25,000; the PAC for the NAIOP commercial real estate development association, $15,000; Raymond Alderete, $15,000; and Richard Herig, $10,000.

The reports show a current cash balance of $21,803, but on Thursday the committee was assessed $17,950 in late fees by the Secretary of State’s Office for late filings.

In August, Chief U.S. District Judge William P. Johnson ordered TNMP to pay nearly $9,000 in attorneys fees and costs incurred by the ethics commission, which successfully fought Apodaca’s efforts to move the case to federal court.

The New Mexico Project’s website has stated that the group had “identified key state and county races as strategic priorities, where our influence can sway pivotal outcomes and shape the future political landscape of the state. By focusing our efforts on these critical battlegrounds, we aim to empower the moderate Latino electorate and ensure their voices are heard at every level of governance.”

Reported expenditures of $121,416 included $103,638 in “campaign paraphernalia/misc.” The political committee chiefly took out ads on social media and on local radio. About $7,567 went to office expenses, $2,075 for staff/spouse travels, lodging and expenses, and $5,000 was listed for other expenses.

The commission in May filed suit against TNMP and Apodaca, a former Democratic gubernatorial candidate, to stop TNMP’s “ongoing efforts to frustrate the public’s right to know.”

“Voters in New Mexico are entitled to know who is paying to influence their votes ...” stated the lawsuit. The commission asked the court to intervene so voters can get information about who is funding the campaign ads “before they vote.”

Apodaca, a former media executive and son of former New Mexico Gov. Jerry Apodaca, ran unsuccessfully in the 2018 Democratic primary for governor.