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Big oil and gas money flowed to Democrats in New Mexico's elections

Oil and gas money is all over the New Mexico Roundhouse. It accounts for 35% of the state budget proposal this year and is in the campaign coffers of politicians on both sides of the aisle. It’s within this landscape that debates around expanding or restricting fossil fuel production take place.
Nash Jones
/
KUNM
New Mexico Democrats took in more campaign contributions from the biggest U.S. oil and gas companies than Republicans did in the recent election, according to an analysis by Capital & Main.

As the second-largest oil-producing state in the nation, it is not all that surprising that the oil and gas industry is a significant campaign contributor in New Mexico elections. But Capital & Main's Jerry Redfern reported in a story this week that who the industry is donating to in the state is unexpected. Redfern spoke with KUNM about how oil and gas money is flowing differently in New Mexico.

JERRY REDFERN: I think the most remarkable thing that I found in this was the percentage of their money that's going to Democratic candidates here in New Mexico. At the national level, it's like 7.5 to one in favor of Republicans. But here, the largest companies in the state are giving more to Democrats than they are to Republicans, which is just kind of unheard of across the country.

KUNM: And, depending on how you sliced it, Republican candidates in New Mexico still did win out in the end. Can you break that down?

REDFERN: Sure. So, the large companies gave the largest amounts of individual donations. And they sort of took over the top two thirds of donations. But there were hundreds and hundreds of donations from smaller companies and individuals who work in the oil and gas sector — and that sort of made up the difference and pushed Republicans over the top overall. So overall, yes, Republicans did get a bit more than Democrats. But it's those large, national, multinational companies that work in New Mexico that are giving more to the Democratic side.

KUNM: And who were these large companies?

REDFERN: Chevron, Exxon, Occidental Petroleum, Marathon Oil — you name it. They're all working here and that's the way they're donating.

KUNM: So, I guess the question is why. Why was the oil and gas industry supporting Democratic candidates in New Mexico in ways that it wasn't nationally?

REDFERN: Political Science Professor at the University of New Mexico Michael Rocca really put it succinctly: "They're giving money to power." They see that, here in New Mexico, we have a Democratic governor, we have Democrats in all the main elected offices across the state, we have a Democratically controlled Legislature in both houses by large majorities, and they've been there for years. They're giving money to the people who make the decisions that affect their business in New Mexico.

KUNM: And some of the candidates that these donations went to were a little surprising. Some were uncontested races, for instance. And maybe most of all, Democratic Rep. Nathan Small, who's an environmentalist outside of the Roundhouse [and] known for his conservation work within it. You talked to him for your story. What did he say about this apparent contradiction?

REDFERN: I don't think he necessarily — or at least he doesn't publicly —call it a "contradiction." I think he sees it as these are all constituents who are coming to him and want to see him succeed. I mean, he's in a powerful position. He's head of the House Finance Committee, he's one of the co-chairs of the overarching Legislative Finance Committee — these are very, very powerful positions that he holds. And the decisions that they make in those committees define how oil and gas operations operate in the state and how the rules of those operations are enforced in the state. So, it's very powerful. So, you can see then why these companies would be donating to him and, perhaps, why it might be a little bit uncomfortable for him. But at the same time, he's a Representative from Las Cruces but, because of the chairs that he sits in, he's representing large parts of the state. So, these are also his constituents, in a way.

KUNM: Jerry, is there anything that I haven't asked you that you feel like is really key to your story?

REDFERN: You know, I think an interesting thing to keep in mind is that it seems like a lot of money for New Mexico politics. Like, Chevron itself gave roughly three quarters of a million dollars directly to politicians, and several hundred-thousand dollars more to PACs. And, to us in New Mexico, that seems like a lot. But actually, our campaign finance laws have kept those numbers somewhat small, considering. If you just go over the border into Texas, they recently had an election for what they call the Texas Railroad Commission. It's the group that actually regulates all oil and gas operations in the state, despite what its name says. The chief commissioner over there just won a reelection campaign and she alone got $9.1 million. I mean, that just sort of dwarfs anything that we're seeing here in New Mexico. And I do think, at times, it's important to keep that in mind as the reflection of the sort of state that we are. You know, we're a small state but we produce an awful lot of oil and gas.

Nash Jones (they/them) is a general assignment reporter in the KUNM newsroom and the local host of NPR's All Things Considered (weekdays on KUNM, 5-7 p.m. MT). You can reach them at nashjones@kunm.org or on Twitter @nashjonesradio.
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