Colón, Torrez well-funded for 2022 AG run
Contenders each raise over $300K
SANTA FE — At least two potential contenders for state attorney general — State Auditor Brian Colón and 2nd Judicial District Attorney Raúl Torrez — have over $300,000 in their campaign accounts as New Mexico approaches the 2022 election cycle.
The two Democrats are among the state’s best-funded officeholders, according to reports filed this week with the Secretary of State’s Office.
The race for attorney general next year is expected to draw some strong candidates. The incumbent, Hector Balderas, a Democrat, is in his second term and cannot run for reelection.
No one has formally announced a campaign yet.
Colón, an Albuquerque lawyer who won the auditor’s race in 2018, has about $367,000 in his account after receiving $75,000 in recent contributions, according to his newly filed campaign finance report.
Raúl Torrez, the district attorney in Bernalillo County, has about $334,000 in cash after $97,000 in recent contributions. He won reelection last year.
Colón and Torrez have been mentioned as potential candidates for attorney general.
Torrez said Tuesday that he is proud of the progress made in the District Attorney’s Office, but that he “is also interested in the possibility of serving as the state’s next attorney general. Nothing is final yet, but I expect to make a decision in the coming months.”
Torrez is a former federal prosecutor.
Colón, a former chairman of the state Democratic Party, hasn’t commented directly on the attorney general’s race.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, for her part, has less cash on hand, but has raised and spent a substantial amount over the past six months, according to this week’s reports.
She has about $134,000 in her account after raising $244,000 and spending $324,000.
Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, has already announced plans to seek reelection next year.
In addition to races for governor and attorney general, New Mexico voters in 2022 are set to decide campaigns for state land commissioner, treasurer, auditor and secretary of state, as well as 70 seats in the state House.