Jim Harbison - Campaign Contributions

Jim Harbison

Campaigning season is again upon us and we will be plagued with campaign ads on the TV, radio, newspaper, in our mailboxes and on our roads. These ads cost money, and lots of it. Having recently participated in a local political campaign I am well aware of what it takes to get a candidate’s message out to the public. Candidates hope that their ads will inspire voters of all political persuasion to cast their vote for them. Advertising is the most expensive part of campaigning and a single multicolored printed piece can cost several dollars to produce and distribute. Campaigning requires a talented team, an effective strategy, and large amounts of money. I believe that money is probably the most important factor in winning or losing an election. It was reported last week that John McCain, who trailed his opponent early in the campaign against J.D. Hayworth, spent more than $20 million in the last six weeks of his campaign to undermine Hayworth’s efforts to win his Arizona senate seat. Without this large infusion of cash to fund anti-Hayworth advertising his chances of winning were in doubt.

John McCain

Now you might think that a campaign fund as large as McCain’s is only necessary for national races. I submit that amounts similar to his are necessary for State governor level races as well which brings me to the point of this column

There have been numerous attacks on a gubernatorial candidate for taking contributions from the oil and gas industry. I would like to point out that they are important industries for the State of New Mexico and income from them funds many activities and programs of the State government. Realizing that campaigning is VERY expensive and that New Mexico has one of the lowest State populations combined with one of the lowest per capita incomes, it becomes increasingly necessary to encourage and accept contributions from large businesses. Unless a candidate is independently wealthy, it is necessary to solicit large contributions from all elements of business and society.

If we expect our candidates for office to self-fund their campaigns we end up with only the wealthy elite running for office and governing society. This undermines the belief that every person has the opportunity to become President if they choose to pursue that dream. Our founding fathers did not want an elected aristocracy but an elected government that represented the diverse nature of its citizenry. Unfortunately, campaigning has become so expensive that even wealth candidates must seek funding wherever they can get it. In a recent local election one candidate’s campaign contributions came from members of the Las Cruces/Dona Ana County community. The opponent received many contributions in the $25-$50 range that came from Albuquerque and Santa Fe tied to members of national environmental organizations.

Environmental Financier Al Gore

There was no outcry that external forces were trying to buy the election or that the candidate was a puppet for the external special interest group. The majority of residents in New Mexico simply do not have the disposable income to make significant financial contributions to candidates. This combined with the low population of the state does not provide a sufficient citizen financial resource for candidates. We need to understand that campaigning is expensive and unless we want to enact legislation for some type of public campaign funding our candidates will seek funding from those individuals and organizations that have the financial resources to provide significant campaign contributions. Accepting funds from business that are important to the well being of the state should not necessarily be view as questionable, unethical, or somehow sinister.

Jim Harbison - Campaign Contributions