"Independent" Attacks in the House District 46 Race

I wrote a story in today's New Mexican about a couple of interesting attacks on on the canes vying to replace House Speaker Ben Lujan in House District 46.

Some of you might have heard the radio spots on KSWV blasting Carl Trujillo. Those were paid for by a group calling itself "Concerned Citizens for an Honest Debate."

No, I'd never heard of them either. I couldn't even find anyone from Concerned Citizens for a Dishonest Debate for a reaction. But because this group  spent less than $500 for the ads, it doesn't have to file a report with the Secretary of State or disclose any of its contributors.

Meanwhile some voters received mailers this week ripping on Santa Fe Mayor David Coss. These were from a conservative Albuquerque-based called the New Mexico Business Coalition. Now this is a real group. They have a website and everything.

But, because they are a 501c(4) nonprofit corporation, they don't have to report their contributors. And those anti-Coss mailers ... they're not political. They're "voter education."

The primary's almost over, but the general election is only going to get worse.