Republican Isaac Chavez is raising a lot of money in his bid to unseat Rep. Andy Nuñez, D-Hatch.
House District 36 stretches all the way from northwestern
Chavez, who lives in Las Cruces, started the last reporting period with $1,637 in the bank, but raised $44,069 in cash and $1,770 in in-kind gifts, bringing in more than any other House candidate in the area. He spent $24,173, leaving him with $21,533 in the bank.
His donations included $20,000 from Bob and Doylene Perry of Houston, the primary financial backers of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, the political action committee that went after John Kerry in 2004. He also received $5,600 in gifts from the oil and gas industry and almost $10,000 from other business groups.
Chavez, who owns a laundromat and is one of several owners of a startup company that plans to send people’s ashes into space from Spaceport
“There are a lot of people around this country who would like to see younger candidates,” said Chavez, 34. “It’s really rare to see young, Hispanic Republicans.”
Nuñez started the reporting period with $5,002 in the bank. He raised $17,092 in cash and $9,435 in in-kind gifts, and spent $6,821, leaving him with $15,273 in the bank.
Nuñez’s contributions included $6,000 from labor groups, thousands of dollars from various political actions committees, many tied to agriculture, a $5,300 in-kind gift from the campaign of Gov. Bill Richardson and an in-kind gift of $4,135 from the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee.
Nuñez met with oil and gas officials in Artesia last week, and said they told him they will pump another $20,000 into Chavez’s campaign in the next three weeks.
“They know where I’m coming from, and they don’t bother me,” Nuñez said. “Money doesn’t buy elections.”
Chavez thinks otherwise. He said Nuñez raised more than $70,000 during the 2004 election cycle, and he has to raise a lot of money to compete.
Nuñez has sponsored a bill in the past two sessions – and said he will sponsor it again in January – that would make oil and gas operators liable to surface owners for damages sustained as a result of their operations. It also requires operators to reclaim all surface directly affected by their operations, and to provide notice to surface owners of their plans on their property before they begin work.
The bill has earned Nuñez the ire of the oil and gas industry and the praise of farmers, ranchers and conservationists.
Chavez says all Nuñez does is support agriculture.
“He’s a one-issue man,” Chavez said. “I actually have opinions on issues that are not just agriculture.”
Chavez listed concerns related to animal protection, child abuse, his support of the death penalty and a desire to implement mandatory jail time for all first-time drunken drivers.
Nuñez said Chavez is wrong about him, saying he has carried many bills for
“He has no idea because he’s naïve,” Nuñez said. “He has no idea what I’ve done.”
Nuñez said a Democratic Party poll has him ahead either 55-34 percent or 52-38 percent, depending on how the numbers are analyzed. Chavez said his party’s poll shows that the race is a statistical “dead heat.” Another Republican Party official confirmed that.
Chavez also pointed out the dozens of pages on his finance report that list small donations from “regular people.” Chavez, who said he has 500 relatives living in
He said that’s evidence that Nuñez “just doesn’t represent the whole constituency.”
Nuñez said the voters know differently, pointing out that 50 school teachers are walking his district to encourage people to vote for him.
“I have no worries,” Nuñez said. “I feel great.”