{"id":563764,"date":"2018-04-17T08:48:27","date_gmt":"2018-04-17T14:48:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/?p=563764"},"modified":"2018-04-17T15:24:35","modified_gmt":"2018-04-17T21:24:35","slug":"biggest-industry-political-givers-have-clear-partisan-choices","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2018\/04\/biggest-industry-political-givers-have-clear-partisan-choices\/","title":{"rendered":"Biggest industry political givers have clear partisan choices"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_54908\"  class=\"wp-caption module image alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 771px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/pictures-of-money\/17123251389\/in\/photolist-s6895e-chEwR9-bH1iX8-bt4mNt-42PQoC-a2YSa6-62QVKf-bta55K-dB7F8e-dK2oa7-aFDjPB-aYWk56-aFATbM-aFAaK6-aFAQEv-snzAJp-QxcaH-s4fksR-cMnty-bZvUDS-bta3kH-brd1K2-62LFqP-dTUAhR-5p8w8o-7jm7SP-8F5t1j-dSZe91-dUSc9a-a5SwX-dSK3tm-biaRHp-68vjKV-68zxeQ-9C9vCS-aFAPtx-9ZA9J6-cXNz15-9kJxyv-b6MUJK-68zxij-aFDkRt-aFDet2-bDwJ11-5DfGXv-bmm93i-55FLSR-aFDcrg-bf3Nge-nQZguc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-54908 size-large\" src=\"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/Money-771x495.jpg\" alt=\"Money\" width=\"771\" height=\"495\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/Money-771x495.jpg 771w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/Money-336x216.jpg 336w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/Money-768x494.jpg 768w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/Money-1170x752.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/Money-780x500.jpg 780w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/Money.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 771px) 100vw, 771px\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Pictures of Money \/ Creative Commons<\/p><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">What sets attorneys and the oil and gas industries apart is the scale of their giving.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Attorneys definitely want Michelle Lujan Grisham to be New Mexico\u2019s next governor. They really like Hector Balderas, too.<\/p>\n<p>Oil and Gas folks? They prefer Steve Pearce.<\/p>\n<p>The two industry groups are the biggest givers to political candidates in this year\u2019s election cycle, accounting for one of every seven dollars given, from statewide offices to county level campaigns, from November 2016 through this week, according to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/spreadsheets\/d\/16X71sYPfCKNrfOSQJj5ZipDY_V9GAek2lAH3YuCCmS8\/edit?usp=sharing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">an analysis by NMID<\/a>.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"module align-left half type-aside\">\n<h3>About this article<\/h3>\n<p>This article comes from\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/nmindepth.com\/2018\/04\/15\/biggest-industry-political-givers-have-clear-partisan-choices\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">New Mexico In Depth<\/a>. Sign up for\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/nmindepth.us6.list-manage.com\/subscribe?u=1d2ab093d81b992e50978b363&amp;id=9294743d38\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">their newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p>As of April 11, total contributions to all candidates reached $12.8 million (excluding public financing and large contributions\/loans from candidates to themselves).<\/p>\n<p>Attorneys and their firms significantly outpaced all other industries, giving $1,148,763 from more than 800 contributors, nine percent of the total.<\/p>\n<p>Oil and gas industry companies, owners and employees gave $811,238, or six percent. Around 90 percent of that came from 61 companies, with just four companies \u2013 Occidental, Chevron, ConocoPhillips and Andeavor\/Tesoro \u2013 accounting for $370,000, or about half.<\/p>\n<p>Three others have outpaced other industries as well:\u00a0health, $350,295; agriculture, $445,380; and real estate and development, $547,069. Both the health and agriculture industries are distinctly partisan in their giving to gubernatorial candidates as well.<\/p>\n<p>What sets attorneys and the oil and gas industries apart is the scale of their giving.<\/p>\n<h3>Attorneys want Democrats in office, badly<\/h3>\n<p>U.S. Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham is the clear gubernatorial favorite of attorneys, raking in almost half of all donations to candidates at $480,246. By comparison, the other gubernatorial candidates received scraps, meager ones: state Sen. Joseph Cervantes, $16,775; Jeff Apodaca, $37,428; and U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, $21,035. Aside from gubernatorial candidates, the legal community also has given heavily to current Democratic Attorney General Hector Balderas, at $173,950.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>Aside from the half a million dollars they\u2019ve given Lujan Grisham, attorneys giving to political committees ($667,201) reinforces their preference for Democrats. Of that, they gave $81,567 to various Democratic party political funds, but just $3,451 to Republican party groups.<\/p>\n<p>And they are amassing war-chests in their own political groups. More than 80 percent of such giving went to two attorney-supported political action committees. The Committee on Individual Responsibility (COIR) received $262,950, 40 percent of attorney PAC contributions. COIR is the PAC of the New Mexico Trial Lawyers Association.<\/p>\n<p>A new political committee funded by attorneys called Safety and Justice for All received slightly more, at $277,795. A report by Andrew Oxford of the Santa Fe New Mexican said the attorneys behind the group are primarily personal injury and medical malpractice firms. A political consultant working with the group told Oxford that the name of the PAC \u201ckind of describes what we\u2019re up to.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Oil and gas firms prefer Republicans<\/h3>\n<p>Pearce, who formerly owned a oil-field services company, is a favorite of the oil and gas industry, receiving almost a third of the cash given by companies to candidates, at $230,213. Lujan Grisham received $22,750; Apodaca brought in $4,500; Cervantes got $5,200.<\/p>\n<p>The industry also has given heavily to two candidates who are no longer running for state seats. State Land Commissioner candidate Aubrey Dunn, who is running for U.S. Senate as a Libertarian, received $56,100, mostly before 2018. And state Rep. Nate Gentry, R-Albuquerque, who is not running for re-election, received $40,920. Otherwise, they\u2019ve mostly spread their money around to Republican lawmakers.<\/p>\n<p>In a near mirror image of attorney preferences when it comes to political parties, about half of oil and gas spending ($294,796) has gone to Republican party groups. The rest has been distributed to a handful of their own PACs. Democratic party groups have received under $1,000.<\/p>\n<h3>Core values<\/h3>\n<p>Veteran New Mexico political pollster and analyst Brian Sanderoff believes the preferences on display by these two industries can be traced to the core values of the political parties, and how those values play out in policy and regulation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t think money makes groups (political parties) act a certain way. Both groups have core values. Candidates tend to represent the interests of their constituents,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd various industry groups will support groups that support their interests.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sanderoff said the partisan choices of the two industry groups aren\u2019t surprising.<\/p>\n<p>Republicans talk about reducing corporate liability or other costs in the name of jobs. Democrats, on the other hand, speak about protecting the interests of the oppressed, which translates, as one example, to not restricting the amount of money that juries can award to plaintiffs in court.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA lot of contributions from attorneys are trial lawyers who represent plaintiffs who are seeking large judgements in court cases,\u201d Sanderoff said. \u201cTrial lawyers tend to support candidates who might be more pro-plaintiff oriented and less likely to set liability caps that could reduce the compensatory or punitive damages assessed by juries.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When it comes to the oil and gas industry, Republican core values and industry interests around regulation tend to match up.<\/p>\n<p>A core value of Republicans is to reduce regulations and other factors that place financial burdens on corporations, Sanderoff said. So they tend to favor less environmental regulation, which they argue leads to fewer oil and gas jobs. Democrats, on the other hand, have as a core constituency environmentalists who argue that regulations are necessary for clean air and water.<\/p>\n<p>Industry insiders aren\u2019t saying much about reasons for their largesse, but documents offer insight and confirm Sanderoff\u2019s analysis.<\/p>\n<p>Trial Lawyers Association Executive Director Peter Mallery, reached by NMID via email, did not respond to questions about trial lawyers\u2019 giving this election cycle or the objectives of the association\u2019s PAC.<\/p>\n<p>NMTLA employs a professional lobbyist in addition to Mallery, David Jaramillo.<\/p>\n<p>On the association\u2019s website is a statement that COIR, the association\u2019s political action committee, is \u201ccomposed of lawyers who support a fair legal system and laws that protect the rights of injured citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>New Mexico Oil and Gas Association spokesman Robert McEntyre described his industry as a \u201ccritical part of New Mexico\u2019s foundation\u201d that provides a third of state funding for schools, roads, and public safety. It\u2019s not surprising, he said, \u201cthat many oil and gas producers would also choose to participate in the political process.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ryan Flynn, former cabinet secretary for New Mexico\u2019s Environment Department and now Executive Director of the NMOGA, was more forthcoming last year during an annual member meeting last year, saying the industry faces regulatory and political uncertainty.<\/p>\n<p>Flynn\u2019s remarks, quoted from a transcript of last year\u2019s meeting that the Santa Fe Reporter referenced in a story earlier this year, sum up why the governorship is so important to the oil and gas industry:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cProbably the most consistent benefit to our industry over the last seven years is that we don\u2019t have to worry when we walk into each legislative session about a harmful piece of legislation getting signed into law,\u201d Flynn said in the transcript. \u201cThe governor has served as a backstop to prevent harmful legislation from being passed that would make extremely difficult challenges for our industry. But we have an election coming up in a year. And with an election comes, again, regulatory uncertainty and political uncertainty as we try and figure out what is going to happen in 2019.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Attorneys want Michelle Lujan Grisham to be New Mexico\u2019s next governor. Oil and Gas folks prefer Steve Pearce.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":54908,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[2238,705,107],"class_list":["post-563764","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-and-analysis","tag-2018-election","tag-money-in-politics","tag-roundhouse"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/563764","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=563764"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/563764\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/54908"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=563764"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=563764"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=563764"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}