Janice Arnold-Jones
Contrary to what her campaign Web site states, Republican gubernatorial candidate Janice Arnold-Jones has raised $26,630 since the March 13 preprimary convention, her campaign says.
The Arnold-Jones campaign faxed NMPolitics.net an updated list of contributors this evening to prove it.
The Web site, through which Arnold-Jones has been voluntarily releasing contribution information more often than state law requires, hasn’t been updated to reflect that total because the company that was handling her Web site was bought out by another company, “and unfortunately there have been issues with getting things posted to the Web site in a timely manner,” Campaign Manager Steve Kush said.
The difference is significant. Arnold-Jones finished third at the GOP preprimary nominating convention last month, failing to reach the 20 percent threshold that guaranteed her an automatic spot on the primary ballot. She has since collected the necessary signatures to stay in the race. She’s also announced three legislative endorsements (here and here) in an attempt to show that her campaign has momentum.
But the $3,550 her Web site says she has raised since the preprimary, and that NMPolitics.net reported on earlier today, was less than one of her opponents, Pete Domenici Jr., has raised since he finished last at the GOP preprimary convention.
The real fundraising number, on the other hand, brings Arnold-Jones’ total fundraising since she entered the race in July up to about $137,000, with almost 20 percent of it coming in the less than four weeks since the preprimary – indicating that she’s raised money at a faster pace in since the preprimary than she did in her first eight months in the race.
“I think the fact that we’ve raised $26,000 shows that we have momentum,” Kush said.