Chevron has played a major role in New Mexico elections over the years. (Photo via Getty Images)
Chevron Corporation gave the single largest contribution to a dark money group that attempted but failed to stop the growing influence of progressive lawmakers in the Legislature during this year’s primary election, campaign filings show.
The New Mexico Project, which for months fought divulging the source of its money and the details of its spending until the state’s ethics commission sued for the information, reported Chevron’s contribution of $50,000 on April 4, according to several months of the group’s campaign finance reports that were uploaded to the Secretary of State’s office website late Wednesday.
Chevron’s contribution dwarfs all other donations to the group, which formed in 2023 to defend moderate and conservative Democratic legislators against progressive challengers in the latest battle in an ongoing intra-family squabble within the state Democratic party. Despite the group’s spending, progressives strengthened their hold on the legislature.
In several campaign finance filings, the New Mexico Project reported collecting $143,000 in contributions in a flurry of giving from April 4 through May 28, just days before the June 4 primary election — far short of the $1 million goal the group’s president, Jeff Apodaca, set earlier this year.
In all, nine individuals, corporations and businesses gave the New Mexico Project $140,000 in direct contributions. The group also reported receiving $5,000 in an in-kind contribution from the Albuquerque law firm, Western Agriculture, Resource and Business Advocates, LLP (WARPA).
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Chevron claiming the top spot among New Mexico Project’s contributors isn’t a surprise. The oil-and-gas giant has played a major role in New Mexico elections over the years.
In 2018, the company gave a $2.5 million donation to a political action committee. And in 2020, the company made a substantial donation to a political committee running a primary campaign, and also spread more than $700,000 to elected officials.
According to more recent campaign finance reports in 2023, a lobbyist for Chevron USA, contributed $479,000 on behalf of the company to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who was up for re-election in 2022, as well as several legislative political action committees and individual state lawmakers.
After Chevron the next largest donor to The New Mexico Project was Doug Campbell, listed as an Albuquerque interpreter, who gave the group $25,000, according to the group’s filings. That was followed by $15,000 from a political action committee for the New Mexico chapter of NAIOP , a commercial real estate association that serves developers, owners, investors, and commercial real estate professionals. Raymond Alderete, listed as self-employed in Albuquerque, gave $15,000 and Richard Herig of Albuquerque and an auto group, the Pitre Group, each gave $10,000.
Another contributor, Sam Donaldson, is listed as giving $5,000. It’s unclear whether it’s the same Sam Donaldson who retired from ABC News after decades as the network’s chief White House correspondent and anchoring such programs as World News Sunday. But the former journalist, who was born in El Paso, has a longtime connection to New Mexico.
The New Mexico Project (TNMP) reported expenses of $121,416.21, with roughly nearly $110,000 going to 47 LLC, an Albuquerque corporation that lists TNMP’s president , Jeff Apodaca, as its registered agent, according to the Secretary of State’s website. TNMP described 47 LLC’s work as producing campaign paraphernalia and paying for office expenses and travel.
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The New Mexico Project, which incorporated as a nonprofit with the state just over a year ago, in mid September 2023, had hoped to raise upwards of $1 million to support its preferred primary candidates, according to Apodaca, who announced that figure on several radio shows earlier this year.
It is unclear whether The New Mexico Project will continue to raise money over the next month heading into the November election. But its campaign finance filings suggest perhaps not. The reports show no contributions going to the group from May 29 through September 2, the latest date contained in the filings uploaded to the Secretary of State’s campaign finance system.
Here are The New Mexico Project’s largest contributors:
Chevron — $50,000
Doug Campbell, Interpreter — $25,000
NM NAIOP PAC, political action committee for a local chapter of an association serving developers, owners, investors, and commercial real estate professionals. — $15,000
Raymond Alderete of Albuquerque, self employed — $15,000
Richard Herig of Albuquerque, retail — $10,000
Pitre Group, Albuquerque Auto Group — $10,000
Sam Donaldson, Retired — $5,000
Miguel Gallegos, Healthcare practitioner and technical worker — $5,000
Retina Consultants of NM, LLC Retina, Healthcare practitioner and technical worker — $5,000
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