Republican House Majority Leader Nate Gentry and several other legislative candidates began airing TV ads last week.
New Mexicans will see more than 11,000 political ads on TV this month at a cost of more than $2 million, according to a New Mexico In Depth analysis of contracts filed through Friday with the Federal Communications Commission.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham leads in spending with more than $419,000.
Super PAC Advance New Mexico Now is spending nearly $244,000 on ads in the Albuquerque area to attack Democratic Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez, of Belen.
Update: On Monday, two stations filed additional Advance contracts worth nearly $70,000 for ads in the final week of the election.
Sanchez is spending more than $126,000 on his own ads.
And Republican Nora Espinoza is outspending Democrat Maggie Toulouse Oliver in the Secretary of State’s race by about $202,000 to $193,000.
Here’s a look at all the spending on ads that are running from early October through Election Day:
Last week’s developments:
- Gentry is airing nearly $29,000 worth of ads on two Albuquerque TV stations. It’s likely other stations will file contracts for him this week. He faces Democrat Natalie Figueroa in House District 30.
- Democratic state Rep. Jeff Steinborn is airing more than $17,000 worth of ads on three TV stations in the Las Cruces area in his effort unseat GOP Sen. Lee Cotter in Senate District 36.
- Cotter is airing $7,200 in ads on two stations in the Las Cruces area.
- Democrat Liz Thomson is spending more than $16,000 on cable ads in the Albuquerque area as she vies with Republican Christina Hall in the open House District 24 seat.
- Democrat Ane Romero is spending more than $7,000 on cable ads in her effort to unseat Republican Rep. Sarah Maestas Barnes in House District 15.
Including primary and political issue advertising aired earlier in the year, the state’s political ad market is nearly $2.6 million with more than 18,000 ads run.