House Candidate Cash Surpasses Previous Totals

Speaking with money

Members of New Mexico's House of Representatives serve in one of the few remaining "citizen legislatures" in the union. Lawmakers here don't draw salaries. Most take time from other professions to serve in Santa Fe.

But becoming a member of the "citizen legislature" is becoming more and more expensive.

New data in campaign finance reports for the weeks leading up the Nov. 4 general election shows 131 House candidates held a collective $5.4 million in their bank accounts for the most recent cycle. That's roughly $200,000 more than what 143 House candidates held during the 2012 election cycle, according to the data.

The fundraising totals reflect that control over the House became a top priority for both parties. In November, Republicans took control of the 70-member chamber for the first time since the 1950s.

The totals also reflect that a watershed state law that capped individual contributions to candidates has not stemmed how much those candidates collect in total contributions.

As SFR has

, loopholes allow candidates to skirt campaign finance limits by pooling money raised by multiple political action committees and redirecting that cash to candidates.

Democratic House candidates outraised and outspent Republican candidates by roughly $700,000 during the 2014 cycle, the new reports show.

Notably, while candidates vying for a seat on the lower chamber collectively surpassed 2012 fundraising numbers, the reports show the 2012 candidate class outspent candidates in 2014 by more than $1 million. This year, House candidates spent $4.7 million while in 2012, House candidates spent $5.8 million, according to the Secretary of State's online reporting system.

(How is it that 2012 candidates spent more than they raised? One answer: Political committees had cash in the bank before the official start of the 2012 election cycle).

Those figures only reflect amounts candidates' campaigns directly raised and spent.

The Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission ruling granted individuals and organizations the ability to spend unlimited amounts of cash in elections so long as that spending is not directly coordinated with candidates for office.

These numbers don't reflect amounts raised and spent by political committees that didn't coordinate with candidates.

Letters to the Editor

Mail letters to PO Box 4910 Santa Fe, NM 87502 or email them to editor[at]sfreporter.com. Letters (no more than 200 words) should refer to specific articles in the Reporter. Letters will be edited for space and clarity.

We also welcome you to follow SFR on social media (on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter) and comment there. You can also email specific staff members from our contact page.