A new civil lawsuit from the New Mexico State Ethics Commission is shedding an unflattering light on a left-wing “dark money” group closely tied to Democrat leadership, raising serious questions about transparency and legal compliance in the state’s political landscape.
The group, New Mexico Safety Over Profit (NMSOP), stands accused of failing to report more than $56,000 spent lobbying against a critical medical malpractice reform bill. The Ethics Commission alleges NMSOP violated the Lobbyist Regulation Act and Campaign Reporting Act by omitting the campaign from their required post-session disclosures.
What makes this case especially telling is the political connection: NMSOP’s executive director, Jon Lipschutz, just happens to be managing anti-gun Democrat gubernatorial candidate Sam Bregman’s campaign. Bregman, who currently serves as the 2nd Judicial District Attorney, did not respond to requests for comment Monday morning.
Originally formed under the more benign-sounding name Fairness for New Mexico Patients, NMSOP is registered as a 501(c)(4) nonprofit, meaning it’s not legally required to disclose its donors under federal law. These types of groups, often used by the left to shield major funders from public scrutiny, are commonly referred to as dark money organizations.
Despite their federal tax status, NMSOP is still obligated to comply with New Mexico’s campaign finance laws—a fact the Ethics Commission emphasized in its June 10 civil complaint filed in state court. According to the commission, the organization did report some of its political spending during the 2025 legislative session, but conspicuously omitted reporting an aggressive advertising campaign aimed at derailing medical malpractice reform.
Those ads reportedly included placements in the Albuquerque Journal and Santa Fe New Mexican, as well as a staggering $56,000 worth of political ads on Facebook. The commission is seeking a court order to compel NMSOP to fully disclose its 2024 financial activities, including revealing the names and occupations of donors to the campaign, and to impose a penalty of $5,000.
Lipschutz dismissed the lawsuit as a “distraction” and claimed his group is confident it followed the law. He pivoted to attacking out-of-state hospitals and insurance companies, saying it was “telling” that the Ethics Commission had chosen to “single out the one organization fighting to protect patients.”
But the Ethics Commission wasn’t buying that deflection. Executive Director Jeremy Farris made clear the issue is about transparency and accountability. “NMSOP has publicly stated that transparency and accountability are core to its mission, yet it refuses to comply with basic disclosure obligations,” he said. “This lawsuit is about ensuring that all organizations advocating for legislative change follow the same legal standard.”
While Democrats in New Mexico and nationwide rail against so-called “dark money” when it suits their agenda, this case shows how willing they are to embrace opaque and potentially unlawful methods when the political ends justify the means. Voters should ask themselves: If Democrats can’t be trusted to follow basic campaign finance laws now, how can they be trusted to lead the state?
I thought Bregman might be the adult in the room. then came his campaign announcement where he spent that moment talking about trump and how he would fight him. nothing about how to fix NM. at that moment i realized Bregman has no clue on how to be governor. dont let his crime fighting background fool you, this guy doesnt have what it takes to be our governor. its absolutely heartbreaking to see one fool after another announce for governor. we need someone that can help this state, not another clueless democrat looking to add to a resume.
Right on target. Thanks for your comment.
They are fighting medical malpractice reform all while people are dying from gallbladder and knee replacements in our hospitals…….
the lawyers in the round house are the ones getting rich off the malpractice cases. this is all about them and their desire to maximize their earnings as our medical system collapses.
democrats know they can flaunt the law and not be held to account. they act accordingly. why wouldnt they ? the attorney general, the democrat legislature, and the NM supreme court have their backs. one system rule in NM has given us corruption. voters sound asleep and hitting snooze button for years. pathetic
I agree with sameold ,I to felt Bergman was from the old honorable school of democrats., NOT. When they don’t discuss how they are going to improve our State from 49 th in the Nation in every category, but only bash Trump, he lost my vote.
That goes for some of the candidates that are running for mayor in Albuquerque. They bash Keller and don’t give a plan or goals to get rid of the mess Keller has made of the city.
There is a double standard when it comes to the Democratic Party. Padilla can barge in a meeting without credentials and accuse Noem and the secret service of violence and hate…What would happen if the scenario was reversed?
The Democrats are at a loss for an agenda that puts the America first..it’s all about power , hate and more hate.
Bregman’s son is a proven cheater, now his campaign guy is a cheater. Hmm… there seems to be a common thread here. Just my observations.
Let’s see if any law or rule has been violated and if so there should be the appropriate punishment.
Sam saying he may stop Trump he means from harming so many people in New Mexico. He really does not have the power by himself to do that but we know he will stand up and make noise, enlist other Governors and try to fight Trump’s insane agenda. What are you doing?
We may not like all he says but he will tell it like he sees it.
I think he would be a decent Governor but can he get elected? I don’t know. His heart is in the right place.
Our Governor and legislature have hurt more people in NM than trump could ever dream of. what is trumps insane agenda ? please tell us.
“Fighting to protect patients” my foot. By driving up premiums so high that doctors are forced to flee to saner & more hospitable states? Lowering insurance costs AND capping plaintiff attorneys’ slush funds would go a long way towards attracting quality healthcare providers to come &, more importantly, STAY. That’s what would “protect patients”.
As a Democrat I wish we could trade cheater Bregman to the Republicans.
He’s a snake, Lipschutz is the same…
Democrats can keep him because he fits so well with their agenda. The angry, hateful, destructive that won’t bring NM out of the low of the low in all categories.
Ignorant people make ignorant statements and we see some here. You think it okay to end health care for 16 million people so the top 2% can make more money and pay less tax? It is okay to snatch people off the street and deport hem without Due Process? It is alright to throw a sitting US Senator to the ground, handcuff him and then lie about what happened? It is fine if we tell 36 countries no one from there can enter the US? It is okay to threaten Denmark over Greenland, Canada as our 51st State? We can just take over the Panama Canal with force because we can? Putin is such a good guy?
you provided excellent examples of ignorance. thanks. answer me one question – where was the “due process” when obama deported more than 5 million people ?
To DS whoever you are!!! Biden open the doors to 10 million people that entered illegally. Now they’re flying the mexican flag and burning the red white and blue that my Father, uncles fought so hard and died for. As for Padilla, it’s all on video. He wanted this for publicity sake. He had no credentials on him. He just barged in for his 15 minutes of fame.
If we don’t get this State on the right track to protect our Doctors from these aggressive lobbying funded lawyers. We won’t have doctors to care for our patients. We need to get the illegals out of our Medicare rolls so we can take care of our own.
Due process, where were the lawyers and judges when they entered illegally?
What would happen if we entered other countries illegally and burned their flag, would we get due process? Voters please do your homework. Listen to all news podcasts, networks. Read all that you can to make an informed decision. We are a Nations of immigrants who proudly support the Rule of Law. God Bless America.
burning a Mexican flag in Mexico sends you to prison. try getting welfare there as a foreigner. again, prison. only the liberals in the USA think destorying your own nation is a noble accomplisment. 37 trillion dollars in debt and the govt cant make real cuts and show leadership. I pity young people. they dont have a chance. however, they are the ones that VOTED FOR the policies that got us here. and they still do. America, you were great at one time, but you took it all for granted and let it slip away. The more the new president tries to fix things, the more the opposition party takes him to court. its embarrassing, sad and SICK. all China has to do is be patient. we will destroy ourselves. they dont have to lift a finger
Thank you. Perfectly stated.