County clerk, lawmaker vie to become top elections official

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Bernalillo County Clerk Maggie Toulouse Oliver and Republican state lawmaker Nora Espinoza are competing Tuesday to become New Mexico's secretary of state, a post left open after a corruption scandal. The winner will fill the last two years of Dianna Duran's term as top administrator overseeing elections and campaign finance disclosures. Duran resigned and was convicted on embezzlement and money laundering charges last year, acknowledging that she used campaign funds to fuel a gambling spree. Duran's case reignited the debate about weaknesses in New Mexico's campaign finance laws and led more lawmakers to face accusations of sidestepping the laws by failing to report donations and misusing election funds. Espinoza has promised to concentrate on concerns of voter fraud by cleaning up registration rolls and backing proposals to require photo identification at the polls. Toulouse Oliver, a Democrat, has campaigned on her experience overseeing elections and voter rolls in the state's most populous county. She has emphasized the need to expand voter registration and participation using new technologies. Toulouse Oliver has had her eye on the secretary of state's office for years. She lost to Duran in 2014 and applied to fill the vacant seat after Duran resigned. She launched her second campaign after Republican Gov. Susana Martinez appointed Brad Winter, an Albuquerque city councilor who had no plans to seek the post permanently. In the tough race, labor unions and two national groups helped Toulouse Oliver outpace Espinoza in campaign donations. Emily's List, which supports the campaigns of Democratic women, and iVote, a political organization backing liberal candidates in secretary of state races nationwide, each donated $10,800 — the maximum allowed from a single donor. Toulouse Oliver used some of her campaign cash to buy ads in early October. Espinoza began rolling out her television ads in mid-October, outspending her Democratic opponent more than 2-to-1. Espinoza, a former teacher, has been a member of the state House of Representatives for the past decade. Toulouse Oliver, an Albuquerque native, studied political science at the University of New Mexico, where she received a master's degree. She worked on the campaigns of Democratic candidates and was statewide director for the League of Conservation Voters, an environmental advocacy group. The Bernalillo County Board of Commissioners appointed her county clerk in 2007.