Sam Bregman

What's left of the conservative and moderate wings of the state Democratic party is grasping at the coattails of Sam Bregman who continues a spirited but still long-shot campaign to deprive progressive Deb Haaland of the party's gubernatorial nomination at the June 2 primary election.

In campaign fund-raising reports released this week in which Haaland again greatly out-raised Bregman but did not bury him, his links to the nonprogressive segments of the party are on fully display. They reveal how the sparks would fly between the Fourth Floor and the progressive-dominated state House if Bregman were somehow to pull off an upset win. (His campaign finance report here.)

For example, Gallup state Rep. Patricia Lundstrom, onetime leader of a vibrant conservative House Dem wing who was ousted from her chairmanship of the powerful House Appropriations Committee when progressive Speaker Javier Martinez took over, had her campaign committee donate $5,000 to Bregman. What a comeback a win by him would be for her.

State Rep. Joseph Sanchez of Mora came in even stronger for the Bernalillo county district attorney, donating $10,000 and signaling continued dissatisfaction among Hispanic men with his very "woke" party. Sanchez is seen as a natural House leader but not under the current regime. 

Las Cruces state Rep. Doreen Gallegos once basked in the shadow of state senate powerhouse John Arthur Smith but his defeat in 2020 and the ongoing progressive wave sent her to the sidelines. She donated $5,000 to Bregman and her longtime business lobbyist husband, Scott Scanland, topped that with a $7,400 contribution.

Also from Cruces, the campaign committee of Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Joe Cervantes, who ran unsuccessfully for the '18 Dem gubernatorial nomination as a moderate, kicked in $1,500, hoping Sam can do what Joe could not.

Back to the north where former Las Vegas area state Rep. Ambrose Castellano was tossed from his House seat two years ago by a progressive challenger and is running again this year. He gave $7,500 to Bregman. Imagine how that alliance would rock the House if it came to fruition.

Former State Treasurer and current Bernalillo County Treasurer Tim Eichenberg has been a conservative Democrat who has survived and lived to tell the tale. He is back fighting with a $10,000 donation to Bregman in hopes of slowing the progressive bent at the Roundhouse. 

With the odds so much against Bregman, the willingness of these folks to spit into the prevailing wind shows the scar tissue they've developed from the battlefields of La Politica. Keen observers will keep them in mind if Bregman manages to catch lightning in a bottle June 2. 

FAMILY TIES

Reagan and Alex Bregman

The Bregman report highlights the deep family ties of the candidate as they gave $30,000 to the campaign, including $10,000 from his famous baseball playing son Alex Bregman.

Alex also comes into play with a $10,000 donation to his dad from Ivan T. Carbrera of Louisiana, a horse owner who has partnered with Alex to buy thoroughbred horses and run Bregman Family Racing. 

Reagan Bregman, the wife of Alex, is an entrepreneur who has tapped the services of boutique ad agency Best Efforts for her salsa company Wild Sol and baby skincare firm Roe Wellness. We counted at least $60,000 in total donations to Sam Bregman from employees of Best Efforts stationed in El Paso. 

BIZ BUZZ

It's no secret that Bregman appeals more to business than Haaland and that was again demonstrated in this report covering the period from last October to early April.

Presbyterian Health Plan, one of the largest and most influential business partners of the state, donated $12,400 to Bregman--$6,200 for the primary and another $6,200 for the general election--should Bregman make it there. Those are the maximum donations allowed. 

Presbyterians relationship with the state is built on their multi-billion dollar managed care contracts for Medicaid and providing insurance for the state's large workforce. Haaland's report was not available at blog press time to see if Pres also donated to her. 

Real estate interests have been giving heavily to Bregman. In ABQ the well-known Rembe development family gave generously, including a $5,000 donation from Penny Rembe.

Before politics Bregman was a noted defense attorney. His latest report is loaded with trial lawyer donations from here and afar, including the Whitener Law Firm that came with $12.400.

And we can't forget the oil boys whose support for Bregman is constantly targeted by his progressive foes. They were not shy about their giving with Devon Energy President Clay Gaspar donating $12,400, one of many energy company donations received by Bregman. That's highly relevant because of this headline: 

"Devon Energy’s $79 million acquisition of federal oil and gas leases in New Mexico’s Eddy County marks a defining moment for the Permian Basin as the industry enters 2026.

The business community and the significant segment of voters not on the progressive side of the aisle have been on the defensive but are not irrelevant. Bregman has built a bridge to them. They will alook for signs that the sometimes uber-progressive Haaland will do the same--if she becomes the Dem nominee. 

THE NUMBERS

Here's a report on the filings of all the Dem and GOP governor candidates.  

Bregman's total contributions for Campaign  '26 now total $3,680,755.74. Total Expenditures are $2,917,274.95. In-Kind Contributions $79,592.07. His current cash balance is $853,428.72 

Deb Haaland has reports raising $11,079,700.86 with expenditures of $6,712,907.66 and In-Kind Contributions of $21,566.88. Her current cash balance is $4,366,793.20 is 5.12 times larger than Bregman's cash on hand. 

RIO RANCHO RESULTS  

Mayor-elect Wymer

Rio Rancho City Councilor Paul Wymer won the city's mayoral run-off election in a landslide Tuesday, defeating Dem challenger Alexandria Piland 64% to 36%. The results affirmed the Republican lean of the suburban city directly northwest of ABQ. 

Incomplete results late Tuesday had Wymer with 10,260 votes to Piland's 5,822, a turnout of about 19 percent of the registered voters in the city of 112,000. 

More on the election is on our Monday blog. 

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