Cash matters in Santa Fe mayoral race

Mar. 14—Santa Fe Mayor Alan Webber announced last week that he would seek reelection this November. The question now is will he have an opponent?

As yet, the field of potential candidates willing to oppose him remains incredibly slim — in fact nonexistent. As of Thursday, no other candidate had declared an intent to run against him.

Many people agree that that may have something to do with Webber's status as the incumbent, but they also say the vast amounts of money Webber is capable of raising to defend his seat might deter others from challenging him.

Webber blew fundraising records out of the water when he ran for mayor in 2018, raising more than $315,000 — nearly triple that of Kate Noble, who had the second-highest fundraising total at $113,000.

Now, with a new Webber campaign officially underway, some worry another large fundraising effort could dampen the political aspirations of those who might otherwise run for mayor. And many have expressed doubt that the city's public financing option, which provides up to $90,000, could be competitive in an increasingly expensive election.

"There's such an inflated cost of elections overall in the past 10 years," said Heather Ferguson, executive director of Common Cause New Mexico. "Is it an incredible amount for a city of Santa Fe's size? Absolutely."

Santa Fe has posted campaign finance data only since the 2006 election, when former mayor David Coss raised more than $146,000 in his successful bid for office.

Since 2014, mayoral candidates have had the option of using public financing to fund their campaigns, with the cap set at $60,000. Two candidates that year took advantage, including winner Javier Gonzales.

However, the 2018 election saw only one candidate, Ron Trujillo, from a field of five choose public financing. While he finished second to Webber, Trujillo said his opponent's ability to raise large amounts of money gave him an unfair advantage in the election.

"The playing field isn't fair," Trujillo said. "When you have $300,000, the sky's the limit."

He said he believes all candidates should have to take public financing, which he called "the will of the people." Santa Fe voters approved public financing as an option, but privately financed campaigns are still an option available to those who have the means to raise large amounts of money.

And there are some statistics that show voters approve of the idea of public financing.

A 2017 study by the University of New Mexico found that 55% of surveyed voters thought public financing should be made available to all candidates, while 15% said only some candidates should qualify.

UNM Political Science Professor Lonna Atkeson, principal author of the study, said that, despite the widespread support for public financing, it rarely determines which candidate someone votes for.

"In the end, most voters are going to be more attracted to a particular candidate because of charisma or name recognition," Atkeson said.

Webber told the Journal he will seek private funding once again because of the wide array of support he has.

"It's about money, but it's about more than money," he said. "It's about relationships and it's about shared values."

Having co-founded Fast Company Magazine in the 1990s, many of Webber's donations came from areas in Massachusetts and Oregon, where he spent time early in his career. He also received many donations from Santa Fe unions, realtors, attorneys, gallery owners and more.

Webber said he doesn't believe Santa Fe has the problem with so-called "dark money" that larger cities have. Those elections, he said, often have "too many people who have extraordinary wealth, (and) who can wield extraordinary power by contributing large amounts to candidates."

Many speculate that the pool of candidates for the 2021 election will remain small due to Webber's name recognition and ability to raise funds.

"It has a chilling effect on all the elections statewide," Ferguson said of a candidate's ability to raise large amounts of money.

When asked if he thought his fundraising capabilities were a deterrent for other candidates, Webber said he wasn't sure.

"I don't have an opinion on that," he said.

But he also said he believes fundraising is only a small part of what makes a successful campaign, and that such factors as endorsements and track records are just as important.

"If you really want to look at what a successful campaign consists of, you weave all those pieces together," Webber said. "If you isolate only one, I think you miss the picture."

But some argue that large amounts of funds give a candidate an edge because it leads to greater visibility, such as in media advertisements.

"You've got to defeat human psychology, especially when you're dealing with a mayoral election," Ferguson said. "All of those pieces always makes a difference in influencing someone who may not have the time to do a deeper dive."