NM Sec of State won’t rule on Phil Griego until after primary

State Senator Phil Griego

From Capitol Report New Mexico.com - New Mexico Secretary of State Dianna Duran won’t make a decision on whether the campaign expenses of 4-term state Sen. Phil Griego (D-San Jose) were appropriate until after the Democratic Party primary this coming Tuesday. “The secretary and her office are getting ready for the primary,” Duran spokesman Ken Ortiz told Capitol Report New Mexico by phone shortly before the close of the business day Wednesday (May 30). “All of her focus and attention” is on the June 5 primary election. Griego is embroiled in a tough, three-way primary with fellow Democrats Nicole Castellano and Jack Sullivan in a newly-formatted District 39 that covers four different counties and roughtly 200 miles from northern part of the state abutting Santa Fe and Las Vegas all the way down to parts of Ruidoso in the south. Sullivan filed a formal complaint with Duran’s office, challenging the Griego’s campaign spending. “We’re quite disappointed” with the Secretary of State’s decision Sullivan said by phone Wednesday. “Sen. Griego has taken a whole month to respond … if they [the Secretary of State's office] don’t have the staff to respond in a timely manner, they should forward the case to the attorney general’s office.” Griego has not talked to media members in recent weeks and a call to his cellphone Friday afternoon went unanswered. Read more

NM Sec of State won’t rule on Phil Griego until after primary