Plame says she raised $446K in third quarter
Former CIA officer in crowded Democratic primary for state’s 3rd Congressional District seat
Valerie Plame’s campaign said Monday it raised $446,749 in the third quarter for her bid to win the Democratic nomination for Northern New Mexico’s 3rd Congressional District seat.
That brings the total amount the Santa Fe resident has raised to more than $683,000 since she announced her candidacy in May. From July through September, Plame received 16,600 individual donations averaging $26.87, according to a statement from her campaign.
“It’s encouraging to see all the thousands of supporters who want to be a part of this team and agree with our message,” Plame said. “I’m proud that we are doing this by sticking to our progressive values like refusing corporate PAC money.”
The announcement came after Santa Fe lawyer Teresa Leger Fernandez’s campaign said earlier this month that it raised $205,000 in the third quarter. Leger Fernandez’s campaign said Monday it has $301,505 in cash on hand.
Plame, a former CIA officer, and Leger Fernandez are competing in a crowded Democratic primary contest to succeed Rep. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., who is running for the U.S. Senate.
Democratic candidates for the seat also include First Judicial District Attorney Marco Serna; former Deputy Secretary of State John Blair of Santa Fe; state Rep. Joseph Sanchez of Alcalde; Kyle Tisdel, a Taos attorney with the Western Environmental Law Center; Sandoval County Treasurer Laura Montoya; former Navajo Nation presidential candidate Dineh Benally; and Gavin Kaiser of Santa Cruz.
Sanchez said previously he raised around $53,000 in the third quarter.
The Federal Election Commission did not show third-quarter figures for the other Democratic candidates as of Monday. The deadline for those filings is Tuesday.
Four Republicans have registered for the 3rd District race: Alexis Johnson, Audra Lee Brown, Karen Bedonie and Ben Bateman.