Efforts continue to recall three Las Cruces City Council members. And the group running the petition drive has been very successful in raising money.
In a filing with the Secretary of State, the group New Mexicans for a Better Tomorrow revealed it had raised more than $30,000….most of that money coming from a handful of businesses and self-employed individuals. The group is gathering petitions in an attempt to force a recall election targeting Las Cruces city councilors Olga Pedroza, Nathan Small, and Gill Sorg. Those three councilors voted against the city’s minimum wage law, in a stated attempt to get the measure on the November ballot. Sorg says he’s concerned about the growing influence of money in politics.
KRWG News has requested a second interview with New Mexicans for a Better Tomorrow campaign manager Jeffrey Isbell. In our first conversation, Isbell stated the three councilors were being targeted in part because they were not representing their constituents. We asked Isbell how his group drew a distinction between councilors who supported causes championed by progressive groups and those who might champion business interests. In his response, Isbell said councilors should be representing individuals, not special interests.
Sorg told KRWG News it will be important to reach out to Las Cruces residents and he says he hopes recent controversies don’t fundamentally change Las Cruces politics.
The Center for Responsive Politics notes that money is becoming more important than ever in campaigns, with spending in the midterms projected at about $3.7 billion dollars. The Center’s analysis shows House candidates who spent the most won about 94 percent of the time, with the biggest spenders in the Senate winning about 82 percent of contests.