At the Piñon Post, we have been longtime watchdogs of politicians in the state, including monitoring their, in many cases, desperate ploys for cash with fundraising asks. One of the most common offenders who likes to pull at New Mexicans’ heartstrings to raise campaign cash is Ben Ray Luján.
During his race for U.S. Senate in 2020, Luján literally begged for donations, writing, “BEGGING you” in one email headline. Another email read, “I’ll beg if I have to. Please, I’m only 429 gifts short. Could you rush a lasting $10?”
But it’s not just the Piñon Post exposing Luján’s “the sky is falling” email messages. Now, even far-left, GOP-hating columnist Milan Simonich of the Santa Fe New Mexican is jumping aboard to call out Luján’s outright desperation with his fundraising strategy, despite his term not ending until 2026.
“With Luján, everything is about money. His abiding interest is collecting cash for his campaigns,” writes Simonich.
He pointed out a specific email from Luján titled “dialing for dollars,” which read, “We have fallen behind on our fundraising goals for our upcoming FEC fundraising deadline. This is a real problem, which could endanger everything we’ve worked so hard to build over the last few years. Instead of pulling Ben Ray away from doing his job to fundraise, we hope to make up this shortfall with your help.”
Simonich went off on Luján, writing the following:
What an admission. An ailing country is trying to recover from a pandemic, but Luján’s camp says the senator needs more of your money, or he might ignore the job he was elected to do.
Imagine the backlash if Republican Congresswoman Yvette Herrell announced she might spend her days soliciting campaign contributions instead of doing her job.
Herrell would take a public whipping. Critics all across New Mexico would call her greedy and pummel her for misguided priorities. Democrats might be incensed enough to find a candidate to run against Herrell, the only Republican in the state’s five-member congressional delegation.
Luján has been a senator for only six months. Yet he’s confident enough in the state’s double standard that he believes most people won’t care if a freshman Democrat puts fundraising ahead of work in the Senate.
The columnist noted how, unlike everyday New Mexicans who are not guaranteed a fat salary, Luján is sitting pretty in D.C. while New Mexicans still are forced to deal with the recovery from the economically devastating lockdowns from the pandemic.
Simonich wrote, “Many other members of Congress operate almost like Luján. They’re always asking for money, and they always claim the sky will fall if they don’t get it. The difference is not many others are brazen enough to announce they might ignore their job so they can solicit donations.”
The roasting of Luján didn’t come without bashing of Republicans in the state, although it shared a rare glimpse into even far-left extremists like Simonich not buying Luján’s dramatic fundraising strategies.
This state has been Dem for far too long – Real change requires just that, Real CHANGE. Need new leaders starting with the school boards, who are in alignment with the Constitutional beliefs our Founding Fathers put in writing. WE have been the only country to have the same Constitution for over 250 years. The same ‘ol isn’t working. I know when I went to vote, I showed my ID even though they said they didn’t need it – and I know I didn’t vote for the same ‘ol clowns in office today.
5 yrs and this traitor does nothing to the people here suffering here in nm. Especially espanola n rio arriba County. Crusadeforaid.org….vote him out cut the legacy of imorality injustice within his political party and upbringing
We need to take out the Rinos in New Mexico first, who are doing nothing about DEMOCRATS stealing our elections!!!! They are part of our HUGE problem of corruption!!!!
Hey Bennie. Tell NM what you did to the small communities. NDT. You left them broke. Windows are all boarded up. Wow
Another typical move by little Benny -boy! Screw the people who you are supposed to represent — He and that piglet squatting in the roundhouse have done NOTHING to benefit the people of New Mexico! It’s time to end the Loserjan regime!
The absurdity of Ben Rey Lujan’s desperation fundraising is further underscored by the fact that he doesn’t run again until the 2026 election.
What has Ben Ray done for NM? Seriously, can anyone tell me just one single positive thing he’s done?
When went to vote they confirmed the Dominion machines were connected to the Internet. I do not think Ben won I think Mark Won and we need a full forensic audit just like Arizona.
One time I voted I asked – how do you verify citizenship if you allow same day registration and she told me to go into another line and refused to give me a ballot. I had to ask the manager for a ballot