Freedom’s Watch is out with a new ad hitting Democratic 1st Congressional District candidate Martin Heinrich for failing to obtain a business license several years ago and failing to register as a lobbyist when he worked toward creation of the Ojito Wilderness.
Here’s the 30-second spot:
“Wanted: public leaders who respect ethics laws. And Martin Heinrich? We already know Heinrich operated a business illegally while on City Council, and he apparently skirted the law, trying to influence government officials without registering as a lobbyist,” the ad’s narrator states. “Heinrich says that law didn’t apply to him, but his former boss says it did and Heinrich’s failure to comply could have jeopardized everything. Tell Martin to support tougher ethics laws and to follow them.”
The ad plays off of the state GOP’s assertion that Heinrich’s failure to register as a lobbyist broke the law. Heinrich calls his work “advocacy” and says he wasn’t required to register as a lobbyist under state or federal law.
Heinrich has previously admitted that he ran his consulting business for three years — including time while he was an
Freedom’s Watch is pitching in quite a bit to help Heinrich’s Republican opponent, Darren White. That’s significant especially because the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) recently redirected its focus from helping White win the open seat to helping GOP incumbents in other states keep their seats. In doing so, the NRCC cancelled $500,000 in TV advertising it planned to run in the 1st District race.
Freedom’s Watch has spent much more than that on the race.