New Mexico

Congresswoman Herrell, GOP reps. talk oil and gas in Artesia amid Biden assault on energy industry

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On Thursday Congresswoman Yvette Herrell of New Mexico’s Second District and three of her Republican colleagues from around the country, Reps. Ronnie Jackson (R-TX), Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY), and Rep. Pete Stauber (R-MN), to discuss protecting the oil and gas sector. 

The delegation met with industry leaders in Artesia, which is in Eddy County, New Mexico’s second-largest oil-producing county, and especially hit hard by Joe Biden’s drilling ban on federal lands. 

Rep. Herrell said, “We had a great roundtable with several of the (oil and gas) stakeholders this morning so we could understand the challenges unique to the industry.” 

She also challenged Joe Biden to visit Artesia to “show him firsthand what is happening.” 

Rep. Stauber, who is the Ranking Member on the Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee, spoke about how his district is reliant on oil and natural gas, saying, “We’re not only an iron ore mining district but we’re also critical minerals, there’s a lot of pushback of mining critical minerals just as they are oil and gas production down here.” 

He added, “Meeting the environmental and labor standards and I think it brings good paying jobs to the community here. It helps with the schools. It brings money to the local communities and I think as we go forward, we have to recognize not only energy independence but dominating the energy sector.” 

Rep. Tenney said, “We have a moratorium in New York and we’re not allowed to access in many cases a lot of that shale and I just wanted to learn and listen how the energy sector affected the economy here.” 

“We’re grateful to learn and thank you Artesia to the wonderful people we met here. We’re very proud of their community and we are just grateful to hear from them and hear their concerns and take them back to Washington,” Tenney continued.

Rep. Jackson, whose district spans from Amarillo to Wichita Falls, Texas said that “It’s really interesting to hear the discussions we had today and I’ll just say, I think it’s really important how people in New Mexico need to know, especially people in urban areas, they need to know how important oil and gas is to their livelihood.” 

The delegation also visited a production facility to see first-hand the critical industry that is at stake if Biden continues his assault on the oil and gas industry. The four members of Congress toured an EOG Resources facility, where they got a hands-on look at the resources they are working in Congress to protect.

Stauber applauded Herrell in a tweet about his visit, saying, “When Biden issued bans on oil & gas development, she led the charge against his harmful action.” He also wrote, “I am proud to join her in defending American energy independence and our overall way of life!” 

Rep. Herrell, other members of Congress to hold Thursday oil and gas roundtable in Artesia

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On Wednesday, it was reported that Congresswoman Yvette Herrell (R-CD2) will be holding a roundtable with members of Congress from across the nation in Artesia focusing on oil and gas. 

Herrell has been pushing back, along with other Republican members of Congress, against Joe Biden’s extreme anti-energy agenda, including his moratorium on federal drilling permits. Herrell has urged other members of New Mexico’s congressional delegation to join her and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham in urging Biden to exempt New Mexico from his corrosive anti-energy policies. 

According to Alex Ross of the Roswell Daily Record, Herrell will be joined in Artesia by Rep. Ronnie Jackson (R-TX), Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY), and Rep. Pete Stauber (R-MN) to discuss the critical issue. 

Artesia, which is in Eddy County, New Mexico’s second-largest oil-producing county, is especially hit hard by Biden’s anti-energy policies, which Interior Secretary Deb Haaland will no doubt be helping him implement in New Mexico and around the country. 

Herrell has been extremely active in Congress, fighting with her colleagues for many commonsense measures, such as punishment for people who murder police officers, a strong border, a strong agriculture industry, protecting oil and gas, and fighting for free and fair elections. 

On March 16, Herrell joined a congressional delegation visiting the Southern Border in Texas, which included Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Rep. Michael Cloud (R-TX). She also visited the U.S.-Mexico border in New Mexico, where she pointed out the meager “fence” protecting miles of border, which is allowing criminal aliens to pour into the U.S. 

Rep. Herrell recently opened two district offices, one in Roswell and one in Las Cruces. “My staff have already helped hundreds of constituents before even setting foot in their offices,” said Herrell. “We haven’t missed a beat in being accessible to those needing assistance and in communicating with local leaders across the district.”

Alamogordo cleans up two tons of trash in massive ‘Community Cleanup’ event

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On Saturday, Keep Alamogordo Beautiful, the Alamogordo Chamber of Commerce, and NMDOT District Two held a “Community Cleanup” event along the Charles Lee Memorial Relief Route that runs the length of the City of Alamogordo, where citizens helped clean up 4,000 pounds (two tons) of trash. 

According to a press release from the City of Alamogordo, “The event saw approximately 150 volunteers provide a total of 300 volunteer hours, which totals $7,407 in volunteer labor. Community members, clubs, and businesses alike all came out as they saw a need for litter eradication. Some of these clubs and businesses include: Thrive in Southern New Mexico, Boys and Girls Clubs of Otero County, the Rotary Club of White Sands, Pioneer Bank, Tularosa Communications, TDS, Zuni Electric, and Airmen with Holloman Air Force Base.” 

“Being a local business owner who was born and raised here, I’ve seen the growing need for litter removal along our byways. We live in a great community, but we need to help change the mindsets/culture surrounding litter. We need to remind folks to bag their trash, tie it down, and be more responsible,” said Rodney Eaton, President of Zuni Electric Inc.

“As a nation, $9.1 Billion is spent annually by businesses to remove unsightly litter. The presence of litter can reduce the value of a property by a little over 7%, and 36% of business development officials say that litter impacts the decision to locate to a community,” reads the press release. 

“It is our job as community members to limit the lasting footprint we each leave on our community’s environment,” says Josh Sides, Keep Alamogordo Beautiful Program Coordinator. “The Community Cleanup was a much-needed injection of adrenaline to the heart of volunteerism here in Alamogordo. It is important we all do our part to make, and ultimately keep, Alamogordo a clean, green, and more beautiful place. I cannot thank the Alamogordo community enough for the tremendous show of support exhibited on Saturday during the Community Cleanup. This is the first of many to come.” 

 “Adopt-A-Highway volunteers take tremendous pride in keeping New Mexico looking beautiful,” said District Two Maintenance Engineer Francesco Sanchez. “During these challenging financial times as we all try to maintain our highway assets with fewer funds, we rely on volunteers to help us keep our New Mexico roads clean and beautiful.”

The volunteers helped clean up nearly seven miles of roadway and around 4,000 pounds of trash, equating to 450 bags of trash were collected.

The community cleanup event is a shining example of New Mexicans coming together to brighten their communities despite challenging circumstances facing the state and the nation. 

New study finds that NM taxpayers get third-worst return on investment

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On Tuesday, it was first reported by The Center Square that New Mexico had ranked very low on a new Wallethub study showing taxpayer return on investment by state.

New Mexico ranked at the very bottom of the list as #48 with only the leftist states of California and Hawaii following the Land of Enchantment.

“Different states have dramatically different tax burdens. This begs the question of whether people in high-tax states receive superior government services,” Wallethub managing editor John S. Kiernan writes. “Likewise, are low-tax states more efficient or do they receive low-quality services? In short, where do taxpayers get the most and least bang for their buck?”

“While New Mexico residents pay the 14th highest local and state taxes among the 50 states, they receive the second worst services,” writes Dan McCaleb of The Center Square.

According to Wallethub, New Mexico is ranked #50 in education, #49 in violent crime, and #48 in resident poverty. 

“New Mexico has the third lowest taxpayer ROI. Although its residents pay fairly high taxes, around $4,600, the state ranks second to last in terms of the quality of government services received,” Wallethub analyst Jill Gonzalez told The Center Square. “Looking at education, New Mexico ranks last for quality of the school system, and has the lowest public high school graduation rate – less than 74%. Moreover, this rate is projected to decrease by 2032 by more than 11%. As a direct consequence of the low graduation rate, the state also has a large share of idle youth – 16%.”

New Mexico has been under heavy Democrat control for most of over 80 years, with taxpayers footing the bill for extreme left-wing policies, however, not getting much in return except a place at the top of just about every “bad” list and at the bottom of every “good” list. Democrats just met during the 2021 Legislative Session to raise taxes on thousands of New Mexicans.

Outgoing NMOGA chief Ryan Flynn leaves behind a record of failure for the oil and gas industry

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Last week, Ryan Flynn, the executive director of the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association (NMOGA), announced his departure from the organization, citing personal reasons and that he’s “exploring new opportunities in the private sector,” despite his current contract going through 2024. 

Flynn, a former cabinet secretary under the Susana Martinez administration, joined NMOGA in 2016. Since his ascension to the top of the organization, it has led to crippling defeats in New Mexico for oil producers.

Under Flynn’s leadership, the association took a “neutral” stance on Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s “mini” Green New Deal in 2019, a bill that solely seeks to destroy the oil and gas industry in New Mexico under the guise of “environmentalism” and reaching a “net-zero” carbon emissions standard. 

Flynn touts how NMOGA prides itself on its “nonpartisanship.” However, under his leadership, it has almost exclusively given monetary donations to Democrats, including $25,000 to Democrat Speaker Brian Egolf’s PAC in the 2020 cycle, which helped pick off moderate pro-energy Democrats and schlong the GOP in many competitive seats. 

In 2018, NMOGA funneled $5,500 to rabidly anti-energy then-U.S. Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s gubernatorial race, helping her reach the governor’s mansion, directly helping the hostile woman take the reins and ram through the Green New Deal.

In October of 2019, after Lujan Grisham’s win, NMOGA had her speak at their annual meeting, where she claimed to support the industry that the same year she worked to undermine and attempt to destroy. 

NMOGA directly funded a party hostile to pro-energy Republicans, and to make matters worse, it defended Democrat former U.S. Rep. Xochitl Torres Small in her fight against current U.S. Rep. Yvette Herrell in the 2020 2nd Congressional District race. 

Torres Small endorsed Gov. Lujan Grisham’s “mini” Green New Deal, while Herrell has been nothing but a champion for oil and gas during her time in the state Legislature and on the campaign trail. Under Flynn’s leadership, the association also donated $1,500 to Torres Small’s husband, state Rep. Nathan Small (D-Doña Ana).

Flynn’s defense of Torres Small led to Republican leaders sending a letter lambasting his use of NMOGA as a Democrat political machine, writing, “So, what is Flynn’s motive? We aren’t exactly sure, but this pattern of lies has effectively destroyed any trust we had in him to be a fair advocate for NMOGA.” 

“While we cannot dictate to NMOGA who should be running its organization, we would suggest the association consider putting a person in its leadership who does not spread misinformation and puts personal political preferences ahead of the interests of the oil and gas industry and the workers it supports,” the letter continued.

In January, Flynn praised Joe Biden as he began to dismantle energy producers, cut off the Keystone XL Pipeline project, and cut off federal permits for drilling on federal land. Flynn said he was “encouraged” by these moves.

In this legislative session, Flynn’s NMOGA once again took “neutral” stances on rabidly anti-energy proposals, such as S.B. 11, which would have forced through “clean fuel standards,” ultimately driving up the price of gas on consumers by over 20 cents per gallon. New Mexicans heard crickets from Flynn… 

These costly anti-oil proposals, which big national oil companies can afford to take on for a PR stunt to seem more “environmentally friendly,” will not fare well for smaller producers in our state, as they barely hold on as it is.

After this massive record of failure, not to mention Flynn disgracing the association by getting a DWI while driving under the influence with Susana Martinez’s fundraiser, Jessica Perez, it is a travesty he was not removed years ago.

It is unclear who will now take the reins at the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association, but one can only hope it will be an actual champion for New Mexicans and the critical oil and gas industry.

Gov. MLG’s dreams of New Mexico getting hooked on drug money

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On Monday. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham sent out a tweet reaffirming her plan to transform New Mexico’s economy from a fuel and energy-based economy with our booming oil, gas, and coal sectors to heavily reliant on drug money from overtaxed marijuana. 

The Governor failed to ram through her proposed legal weed bill in the 2021 Legislative Session, so in a desperate move to “not take no for an answer,” she will force the Legislature to reconvene in a “special session” to pass recreational weed legislation.

“I believe legalization of adult-use cannabis will be one of the largest job-creation programs in New Mexico history, driving entrepreneurial opportunities statewide for decades to come. It’s clear that New Mexicans are ready – let’s get it done,” the Governor wrote on Twitter. 

It is clear that even the most “progressive” far-left plan for the Governor to ram through legalized pot wouldn’t even make the tiniest dent in New Mexico’s revenues with the current budget sitting at a bloated $7.4 billion — yes, BILLION.

According to that leftist legal recreational pot plan’s fiscal impact report, New Mexico would take in at most $15.1 million in revenue after years of losses to implement the program. 

For context, the MOST such a revenue plan would generate in revenue wold be 0.204% of the needed funds to plug the gaping hole in Gov. Lujan Grisham’s budget. 

The oil and gas industry, in contrast, generated $2.8 billion directly to the state general fund in fiscal year 2020. That is approximately 37% of the state’s budget coming from oil and gas.

In states that have already legalized adult-use marijuana, the largest of them being California, the state only brought in a total of $1.5 billion since 2018. The state’s budget is approximately $202 billion.

Gov. Lujan Grisham’s push for weed comes as she and her allies in the Democrat-dominated Legislature have pushed the most aggressive anti-energy policies aimed at driving the oil and gas industry out of the state in its entirety. 

Weed, no matter if it passes or not, won’t make the slightest difference in the state’s budget, but Gov. Lujan Grisham sure wants to make New Mexico dependent on drug money–either by 20% taxed dope through her plan–or on the streets through contraband merchants of the product.

https://pinonpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Governor-Lujan-Grisham-has-a-message...-Read-the-full-story-at-The-Paper-AB...-1.mp4

READ NEXT: Deep-pocketed marijuana lobby banking on Legislature’s proposals to legalize weed

Every single anti-gun bill died this legislative session

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On Saturday, the 2021 Legislature adjourned without a single anti-gun bill moving forward, meaning a big victory for New Mexicans. 

There were many extreme proposals introduced this legislative session, including an update to the previously passed and unenforceable “Red Flag” gun-grabbing law, a ban on homemade firearm components, mandatory storage legislation (which included provisions barring parents from teaching their kids how to shoot), and a revamp of the New Mexico Game and Fish Department, among others. 

“I want to thank everyone who attended committee meetings over Zoom and made the emails and calls to their elected officials. The odds were very much stacked against us, but we did a great job showing that New Mexicans care about our Second-Amendment rights and will fight for them,” wrote New Mexico Shooting Sports Association president Zachary Fort in an email thanking supporters.

Rep. Stefani Lord (R-Bernalillo, Sandoval, and Santa Fe), who sponsored multiple pro-gun bills, wrote to her supporters, “On a positive note, we stopped all the gun bills, and I got one pro-gun bill through CPAC. Unfortunately, it died in Judiciary.”

The National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA) wrote, “The following gun control measures were defeated this session, which was especially challenging with the Capitol closed to the public and committee hearings held via Zoom instead of in-person.  NRA-ILA appreciates all of you who participated in these meetings to voice your concerns about these bills, and who contacted your lawmakers in opposition to them.  Warning: we expect to see many of these again in future legislative sessions!” 

Here are the anti-gun bills that died this legislative session, according to NRA-ILA:

  • HB 102 (creating a taxpayer-funded “firearm death review panel” to recommend future gun control measures) passed House Judiciary Committee and was tabled in House Appropriations Committee;  
  • HB 166 (ban on home-built firearms and 3D-printed gun components) passed House Consumer & Public Affairs Committee and was left pending in House Judiciary Committee;
  • HB 193 (expansion of current red flag law) passed House Consumer & Public Affairs Committee, passed House Judiciary Committee, was pulled from the House Calendar and referred to House Rules Committee;
  • HB 353 (requiring stolen gun checks by anyone receiving a firearm) was taken off House Consumer & Public Affairs Committee agenda and never heard;
  • SB 224 (mandatory storage legislation) passed the Senate Health & Public Affairs Committee and was left pending in Senate Judiciary Committee; and
  • SB 312 (“re-imagining” the mission of the NM Game & Fish Department) was tabled in Senate Conservation Committee.  

Thanks to readers of the Piñon Post, we made Democrats’ extreme gun control bills go national, with many national outlets, including the Daily Wire, The Western Journal, The Blaze, The Post Millennial, among dozens of gun and hunting-focused publications. These efforts would not be possible without support from our loyal readers.

The Second Amendment victories this session come despite massive opposition from radical out-of-state gun-grabbing groups, such as the billionaire Mike Bloomberg-funded dark money group “Everytown.” Despite the anti-Second Amendment propaganda spun by these dark forces, every single anti-gun bill fell flat on its face.

Keep our impactful reporting online by making a donation to the Piñon Post.  

Nearly 18K New Mexicans sign petition urging Gov. MLG to veto trapping ban bill: ‘Not science-based’

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During this legislative session, one bill, S.B. 32 by Sen. Bobby Gonzales (D-Los Alamos, Rio Arriba, Santa Fe, and Taos) has gained much fury from New Mexicans. S.B. 32 is a bill banning trapping on public lands, which passed both the Senate and the House before being sent to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s desk.

The bill squeaked by its last chamber, with the House of Representatives narrowly passing the measure by a vote of 35-34. 

During this session, many rural residents and wildlife conservation officers say trapping remains critical for managing wildlife and protecting livestock. 

The bill, which many Republicans and Democrats vehemently oppose, has garnered formidable opposition, with one Change.org petition named “Support science based wildlife management” gaining nearly 18,000 names of those opposed to the bill.

The petition reads:

 This bill is not based on science, data or wildlife [biologists’] input.  It is not based on the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation and the Public Trust Doctrine, which define fish and wildlife resources as the property of the people to be managed by the state and federal agencies entrusted with their stewardship.  This model should be used as the foundation of science-based fish and wildlife management and hunting, fishing and trapping are appropriate management tools.

…

The [S]enate should be committed to sound stewardship policies that are guided by science over politics, emotion and conjecture.

The passing of S.B. 32 hurts all wildlife in New Mexico, it signals an unbalance and sets a precedent for what could end up listing many animals as endangered or threatened in the future.  Furthermore, the economic impact of an out of balance ecosystem will cost jobs and millions of dollars, if not more.  S.B. 32 represents the destruction of wildlife. There is no science based reason to start this trend.

The bill, which sits on the Governor’s desk, has a shot at being vetoed if enough people oppose the measure by calling Gov. Lujan Grisham’s office. 

The organizers write:

This is the last chance.  View this bill as a ban on all hunting because that’s what their goal is.  

Do work!  Share this and make it a point on how important it is.  This is a ban on hunting.  

Call Gov. Grisham here – (505) 476-2200 – we were never given the opportunity to voice, never given the opportunity for expert opinion, the opposition had an unqualified anti-hunting activist as their expert witness?  Not a biologist, not a scientist, not a qualified individual to make a science-based wildlife management decision. (505) 476-2200

PHOTOS: New Mexicans from across the state hold ‘No More Lockdown!’ rallies

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On Saturday, New Mexicans from across the state gathered en masse to protest Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s lockdowns and the stringent mask mandates imposed on citizens. The rally with the most protesters was organized by Albuquerque residents Karen Larré and Caleb Gluck and took place at the corner of Academy and Wyoming in Albuquerque. 

“Participation in other rallies around the state included 100 people in Las Cruces, 75 in Roswell (with participants from Clovis, Artesia, Cloudcroft, Carrizozo, Ruidoso, and Capitan), 50 in Rio Rancho, 50 in Santa Fe, and an [h]as yet to be determined number of people in Edgewood, Moriarty, Silver City, and Deming,” according to the organizers.

Sarah Smith, one of the statewide coordinators for the March 20 events and an organizer of the Las Cruces rally, said, “It’s time to re-open all New Mexico businesses.  This is a non-partisan issue. New Mexicans are suffering. The New Mexico lockdown does not make sense or follow the science, given the numbers and the COVID trajectory. The Red-to-Green re-opening criteria is fatally flawed and does not take into account any real indicators of the severity of COVID-19 impacts in our community.” 

She added, “States with severe lockdown have fared no better than states with much less tyrannical measures. Our economy and small businesses have been devastated. We need to get our people back to work, and let our communities connect and heal. All the states around us are much more open, and there have been no negative repercussions of that. Reopen New Mexico now.” 

According to a press release from the rally organizers, “The New Mexico rallies were planned in solidarity with rallies to end lockdown in 40 countries around the world, including Canada, England, New Zealand, South Africa, Denmark, Australia, Lithuania, Ireland, Poland, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, and Norway.” 

The organizer of the Roswell rally, Jesse James, said, “People can’t take this any longer – and they shouldn’t have to. The Governor’s illegal and immoral abuse of power in New Mexico cannot be tolerated. Whatever party you identify with, it’s time to raise our voices and say, ‘No more!'”

The rally comes on the same day that the 2021 Legislative Session concluded as many radical proposals were rammed through upon the request of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.

Here are some photos from rallies across the state:

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Democrats just revealed that GOP could flip NM House in 2022

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Last week, the Democrat Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC), the sole Democrat campaign committee charged with electing Democrat state legislatures, released a strategy memo listing the New Mexico House of Representatives as a “battleground,” signaling that Republicans have a shot at flipping the chamber in 2022.

The strategy memo notes how Democrats lost seats nationwide in state legislatures, writing, “Democrats cannot count on national momentum to have a decisive impact on state legislative elections.” 

“The most important lesson may be the need for Democrats to adopt a more sophisticated giving strategy that better aligns with the outsized impact state legislatures have on the policy that affects Americans’ day-to-day lives,” writes DLCC President Jessica Post.

“An unexpected surge of Trump voters led to sufficient Republican overperformance to overwhelm many Democratic candidates in already difficult districts,” the memo reads.

“State legislative races cannot continue to take a back seat to federal offices. It’s more difficult to win a majority of districts in a swing state than it is to win statewide. Unlike statewide races, entities focused on winning legislative power cannot just rely on bolstering turnout in Democratic areas. Our funding strategy should match that reality”

“Democrats must invest early. Despite talented staff, caucus campaign organizations and state legislative campaigns are often under-resourced. They need money for staff for recruitment, candidate support, and to build winning infrastructures. None of that is possible if we do not send them the money to do it.” 

Also, the memo notes how it will try to pick off moderate Republicans who are less inclined to like President Trump by spinning them “moderate lies.” The DLCC writes, “The rise of Trumpism opens a door for engaging moderate suburban voters in the coming cycle. We will convey that this is not your grandfather’s Republican Party, making GOP candidates toxic to moderate voters.” 

The DLCC conceded that in 2020, Democrats lost a seat in the New Mexico House of Representatives, flipped by now-Rep. Luiz Terrazas (R-Doña Ana, Grant & Sierra). The memo also noted how the Governor’s race will be “competitive” and will drive Republican turnout for GOP candidates. The committee looks to hang onto majorities in similar legislatures like New Mexico’s including chambers in Maine and Nevada.

Here’s what the memo says regarding New Mexico:

Republicans flipped a seat in the House in the 2020 elections and, while they have a long way to go to take either majority, there will be a competitive governor’s race to drive turnout on either side. The DLCC will prioritize protecting this critical chamber. 

This insight from the DLCC should give Republicans hope for flipping the House to the Republican column, and that means Republicans must start organizing and fundraising now. The DLCC notes how it is already getting an early start in fundraising, and that means it is more critical than ever for Republicans to put their money where their mouth is and start backing GOP candidates to win in 2022.

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