Stansbury's Anemic Fund-Raising Raises Eyebrows; Enters Re-election Cycle with Very Little Cash But District Still Ranked Safe For Dems, Also: State Gov't Power Player Eric Witt Is Dead In Santa Fe; Developer Of "NM Film Miracle"

Rep. Stansbury

If money raising is any guide to a politician's future ambitions then it's fair to say that ABQ Dem US Rep. Melanie Stansbury is intent on staying in her current job--for now. 

In her latest FEC report Stansbury raised eyebrows when she reported a mere $54,895 in cash in her campaign account as she prepares for a re-election bid next year. That's about as low a total as you are likely to see for a congressional representative. 

Sine the start of the year through June 30 her contributions totaled only $234,000. That's so little we wondered if Stansbury would seek re-election. We're assured she will but she is apparently on board with the conventional wisdom that her new district, which stretches south into rural New Mexico but is still centered in ABQ, is safe from a Republican takeover. And with good reason. She still has no announced '24 GOP opponent.

In a June 2021 special election held to fill the ABQ seat left vacant when Deb Haaland was named Sec, of Interior, Stansbury won by 25 points over her GOP rival. In '22 she won by 17 points. 

Inside Elections ranks the seat "Solid Democratic."

Stansbury was no fund-raising slouch in that 21-22 cycle, raising and spending $3.5 million (with the help of national money) so it's not as if she doesn't know how to dial for dollars. 

The First Congressional District before redistricting was won by Biden by 23 points. In the new district both will run in next year, he won by 15 percent. That's still too much of a gap to attract national GOP interest. 

LADDER CLIMBING

The 44 year old Stansbury has been framed as an ambitious politico looking to climb the ladder but her fund-raising efforts tell a different story. Her meager funds are not enough to make a difference in helping fellow Dems nor do they set her up for a run for higher office. But she remains well-positioned to accumulate seniority in the House. 

A former Senate and White House staffer Stansbury is a proud policy nerd focusing much of her time on water and climate (she's on the natural resources committee) but also lays claim to being the most progressive member of the NM congressional delegation. 

As for her small treasury political pros warn it may be too low for this point in the cycle while others welcome the rare sight of a lawmaker not wallowing in campaign dollars. We'll keep posted for when or if she steps on the fund-raising accelerator. 

ERIC WITT

New Mexico's film industry barely registered in 2003 when Eric Witt, a  media executive in LA who became deputy director of legislative affairs for new Gov. Bill Richardson, began developing incentives to lure the industry here. He succeeded. The state film office says New Mexico in the year ending June 30 saw $794 million spent producing films and TV shows and 8,000 people employed doing it. 

Witt, who had been serving as a senior adviser to MLG since January, was found dead in his garage in Santa Fe Monday. His wife, who was out of town, had requested police conduct a welfare check. Authorities have not said what caused his death. 

Richardson reacted to the news: 

I am shocked and saddened beyond belief at the passing of Eric Witt, a dear friend and former staffer. If there was one person responsible for bringing the movie industry to New Mexico, it was Eric. Barbara and I express our deepest condolences to the Witt family.

Jon Hendry, who was the longtime head of the union that represents New Mexicans involved in the entertainment industry, came with this remembrance of Witt who also once served as director of the Santa Fe Film Office:

I really want to emphasize the enormous role he had on building the New Mexico Film miracle. If you're working in NM film or are doing any sort of film business here or anywhere with film incentives then you should stop for a moment and thank this man. This would simply not have happened without him. I relied on Eric for sage advice and political acumen and was honored to have served with him under Governor Richardson. He cared deeply about New Mexico. His ability to pull people together and get behind big ideas was one of the biggest reasons we have a vibrant film industry in the state now. We have all lost a champion.

Gov. Lujan Grisham:

I am shocked and saddened by the passing of Eric Witt, a longtime colleague and senior advisor in my office. He was a skilled navigator of state government and the Legislature and, most consequentially, offered his specialty in film financing to establish a brand-new economic driver in the state. Without Eric’s leadership, New Mexico's booming film and media industry would not be the success that it is today. For more than 30 years, Eric balanced the demands of a career in the film industry and public service. He started his career working for Dino De Laurentiis Communications in Los Angeles. . .Eric was awarded an Emmy from the National Academy of Television Arts for his work on “However Wide the Sky: Places of Power” in 2022. . .We will greatly miss him. 

Witt is survived by his wife, Mary Ann Hughes, Vice-President Film and Television Production Planning-Disney ABC Television, and his mother, Lee Witt, who worked for several NM governors.

Eric Witt was 60.

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(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2023