In an attempt to pay off campaign debt, Attorney General Gary King is holding a fundraiser next week that will be co-hosted by two members of a law firm that was recently awarded a state contract by King’s office, the Santa Fe New Mexican is reporting.
Turner and Margaret Branch are members of the Branch Law Firm of
The firm gets a percentage of the money the state is awarded as a result of the case – somewhere between 12 and 16 percent, King said.
King told the newspaper he didn’t see impropriety or the appearance of it, saying Turner Branch “has been a friend of my family’s for years. I don’t see why he should be precluded as a supporter because he has contracts.”
The Branches gave $7,838 to King’s campaign last year and $5,500 to a primary opponent, Geno Zamora. They also gave $23,000 to Gov. Bill Richardson and $15,000 to Land Commissioner Pat Lyons.
And, according to the newspaper, the previous attorney general, Patricia Madrid, was criticized in 2002 for giving a contract to the firm after the Branches gave her tens of thousands of dollars.
It would have been illegal for King to take contributions from the Branches during the bidding process, but he did not do that.
King told the newspaper he supports public financing of campaigns, “but this is the system we have now, and the law doesn’t prohibit this.”
He’s right. It doesn’t. And the answer isn’t as simple as making it illegal, because this is a small state. It would be unreasonable to prohibit anyone who does business with the state from giving to political campaigns.
Still, I’d argue that there may not be impropriety here, but there is an appearance. The firm gave to
It isn’t a Democratic problem, contrary to the assertions of many Republicans. Turner Branch is a former GOP state lawmaker. Though
This is just another sign that the system needs reform.