CIBOLA COUNTY, N.M. — The two candidates seeking to become Cibola County Sheriff are heading into the final weeks of the general election with relatively modest campaign finance totals, according to reports filed with the New Mexico Secretary of State.
Incumbent Democrat Larry D. Diaz and Republican challenger Aaron Henry Baca will face each other in the Nov. 3 General Election. According to the Secretary of State’s Campaign Finance Information System: Baca has reported $2,125 in total contributions, while Diaz has reported $1,100. Where is the Money Coming from and Being Spent?
Baca’s campaign has reported $1,095.95 in expenditures and currently lists $1,029.05 in cash on hand. His campaign also reports $225 in debt.
Diaz’s campaign reports $1,100 in cash on hand and $1,000 in debt. The Secretary of State system lists his total expenditures as “N/A” in the summary provided.
Both candidates’ most recent filings were dated Sept. 13.
The contributor records also show that much of the money reported by both campaigns is connected directly to the candidates themselves.
Baca is listed as the source of $1,700 in contributions. Clean Slate Property Solutions LLC contributed $400, while Shipments Free Zone contributed $25.
Diaz is listed as the source of $1,000 of his campaign’s $1,100 in contributions. Bertha Torres contributed the remaining $100 listed among the campaign’s contributors.
Neither campaign reports any in-kind contributions.
The figures make the sheriff’s race financially much different from the House District 6 contest, where the Cibola Citizen previously reported a wide fundraising gap between the two candidates.
In the sheriff’s race, both campaigns remain comparatively small and report cash balances close to one another despite Baca having reported nearly twice as much in total contributions.
Campaign finance reports provide voters with a public record of how candidates raise and spend money during an election. Fundraising totals do not measure voter support or indicate how an election will be decided.
Diaz is seeking another term as Cibola County Sheriff. Baca is challenging him as the Republican nominee.
Voters will decide between the two candidates in the Nov. 3 General Election.
Campaign finance reports for both candidates are available through the New Mexico Secretary of State’s Campaign Finance Information System.
The Cibola Citizen was unable to acquire an updated photo of either candidate for this report.