A poll that a New Mexico think tank commissioned as part of a new push for legislative ethics reform found that only 43% of New Mexico residents trust state lawmakers to do what is right all or most of the time.
New Mexicans’ lack of trust in the state Legislature echoed multiple times in responses to different questions that BSP Research posed during survey interviews between late July and early August of 800 New Mexico registered voters.
Gabe Sanchez, a University of New Mexico political science professor and director of research at the polling firm, described the survey during a presentation Wednesday morning as likely the largest-ever poll of New Mexicans’ views of legislative ethics reform.
The firm surveyed 345 men and 455 women. Of the respondents, 271 identified as Hispanic and 420 identified as white. The firm’s methodology notes that responses were weighted to ensure demographics of those surveyed match the U.S. Census’ New Mexico statistics, which describe the state as 49.4% Hispanic and 50.6% female.
Think New Mexico, a nonpartisan think tank that has previously pushed for legislative reforms to healthcare, education and the state pension fund, commissioned the poll as it pushes for lawmaker ethics reforms at the upcoming legislative session next year.
The think tank recently released a report that calls on the Legislature to strengthen lobbyist disclosure requirements; improve conflict-of-interest policies for lawmakers; and close loopholes that enable funders of out-of-state political action committees to avoid being identified.
Think New Mexico’s ethics reform effort comes as the Legislature undergoes several “modernization” pushes, including the hiring of paid district legislative aides and opening of district offices.
And, on the Nov. 3 general election ballot, voters will decide whether lawmakers can collect a salary.
The poll that Think New Mexico commissioned found that 64% of New Mexicans support salaries for lawmakers only if they are required to comply with mandatory ethics reforms. Tying ethics reforms to salaries was similarly popular regardless of whether respondents were Democrats, Republicans or independent, according to the survey.
In total, 81% of New Mexicans surveyed said they supported holding lawmakers to a higher ethical standard.
Think New Mexico’s lobbyist reform proposals were also very popular, with three-quarters or more of those surveyed supporting requirements that lobbyists publicly report how much clients pay them, which elected officials are benefiting from a specific lobbyist’s spending and which bill lobbyists are lobbying for or against.
New Mexico currently does not require lobbyists to disclose that information, though the Legislature did pass a billin 2025 containing those disclosure requirements. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham later vetoed the bill.
Finally, 84% of those surveyed supported requiring lawmakers to publicly report when they have a financial conflict of interest with a particular bill. The reform’s sheer popularity struck Sanchez, a longtime pollster.
“When you’re a pollster like myself, and you see 84% of the population supporting a particular issue, that’s not common,” Sanchez said Wednesday. “It tells you strongly that the overwhelming public, regardless of their demographics and their partisanship, supports these issues.”
