Rep. Lujan Took In $300K In PAC Money Before "Pledge" Not To

Above, Rep. Ben Ray Lujan.

 "Money is the mother's milk of politics. If you can't eat their food, drink their booze, screw their women, take their money and then vote against them, you have no business being up here." - Jesse "Big Daddy" Unruh, former California Assembly Speaker.

Several Democrat politicians have taken a "pledge" to not take campaign contributions from corporate political action committees (PACs), but some of them took in plenty of it before taking the "pledge".

This includes Rep. Ben Ray Lujan, who is currently running for a New Mexico U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Tom Udall.

According to Roll Call:

In raising more than $2 million last year, Rep. Cindy Axne didn’t take a dime from any PAC designated as linked to a “corporation” by the Federal Election Commission. Yet her campaign is still stocked with contributions from groups that represent corporate and business interests on Capitol Hill. 

And she’s not alone. The freshman Democrat, who is in a Toss-up race in an Iowa district President Donald Trump carried in 2016, is one of more than 50 sitting lawmakers who have taken a pledge not to accept direct donations from the political action committees of corporations. 

The pledge has led to growing concerns among corporate PAC leaders about what it means for their future. 

Yet a review of contribution records by CQ Roll Call found the political money of business interests — to the tune of $2.6 million last year alone — continued to find a way to most of the lawmakers who have taken the pledge. 

New Mexico Rep. Ben Ray Luján, another Democrat seeking a Senate seat, collected about $300,000 in corporate and association PAC money, most of it before he took his pledge.

After taking the pledge, did Lujan return the $300,000 corporate and association PAC money? I doubt it.

To read more, go here.

New Mexico's 2020 GOP Senate Campaign: Show Me The Money!

Above, Mick Rich last year during his campaign stop in Gallup. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Back in the 1960s, California Assembly Speaker Jesse Unruh famously said, "Money is the mother's milk of politics." This statement was true then and it is true now.

For any candidate for statewide office (such as the U.S. Senate), a candidate has to have enough campaign funds to mount a vigorous media campaign involving television and radio ads as well as signs and billboards. Name recognition is essential. Hitting hard on the issues is also essential. This depends upon whether the candidate has enough campaign money.

A strong campaign organization is also a must-have.

Next year, there will be an open U.S. Senate seat in New Mexico as the incumbent senator, Tom Udall, is retiring.

There are two Republicans running for the party's nomination, Mick Rich and Gavin Clarkson.

From Ballotpedia:

Mick Rich (Republican) is a candidate for the U.S. Senate from New Mexico. The general election is on November 3, 2020. The primary election is on June 2, 2020. 

Rich was a 2018 Republican candidate for the same seat. Rich lost the general election on November 6, 2018, after advancing from the primary on June 5, 2018.

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Gavin Clarkson (Republican) is a candidate for the U.S. Senate from New Mexico. The general election is on November 3, 2020. The primary election is on June 2, 2020. 

Clarkson was a candidate for New Mexico Secretary of State. Clarkson lost the general election on November 6, 2018.

I don't know much about Clarkson, but I met Mick Rich last year when he ran against Sen. Martin Heinrich. I found him to be a very sincere and capable man who would have been a good senator. But, Rich was inadequately funded and did not have a media presence, although he had some good videos on YouTube. He only garnered 30.5% of the popular vote in the general election.

Clarkson did a little better in his race last year for New Mexico Secretary of State by garnering 37.2% of the general election vote. Again, he was inadequately funded and did not have a media presence.

One glaring thing that stands out is that in the immediate prior elections against Senators Udall and Heinrich (before last year), the Republican candidates got over 40% of the general election vote. Since I was not a New Mexico resident before last year, I don't know how well-funded the GOP candidates were then.

Running for an open seat opens up many possibilities. Although New Mexico is considered a "Blue State" (favoring Democrats), Republicans have been able to win some elections. Currently, it is viewed by some to be competitive next year. As such, the Republican nominee stands a good chance in taking the senate seat from the Democrats. But, if they don't have the financial backing to mount an aggressive media campaign, all it would amount to is an exercise in futility.

There are three Democrats running in their primary, with Rep. Ben Ray Lujan considered as the front runner. But, he is sounding more like a leftist kook lately (he recently announced his support for an impeachment inquiry on President Trump). There are signs that New Mexico voters are getting Lujan fatigue as the governor (Lujan's cousin) made a lot of people angry (especially on the gun control bills) since she was sworn in early this year. This could blow-back against Congressman Lujan. This could be advantageous for the Republicans next year, IF they can spend enough to exploit it.

The seat is winnable, but can Clarkson or Rich raise enough funds to win? Only time will tell.

NOTE: I have sent this post to Mick Rich and Gavin Clarkson.