Dark Money Group Unmasked by State Ethics Commission

Earlier this year a dark money group called “New Mexico Safety Over Profit” (NMSOP) was sued by the state Ethics Commission for refusing to comply with the state law that required them to disclose the sources of their funding. NMSOP was the public face of the opposition to Think New Mexico’s proposed reforms to the medical malpractice law during the last legislative session.

NMSOP was adamant that they would not reveal their donors, telling the investigative news outlet Searchlight New Mexico: “We certainly will not be disclosing our donors, nor do we have to.”

NMSOP has now done just that.

In order to settle the 73-page legal action filed by the New Mexico Ethics Commission, NMSOP is paying a $5,000 fine, the maximum amount authorized for violations of the Lobbyist Regulation Act, and releasing their full list of donors.

So who was secretly funding this dark money group?

As it turns out, 100% of their donors are trial lawyers, law firms, and one paralegal. Over 74% of their donors are current board members or past presidents of the New Mexico Trial Lawyers Association (which is itself listed as a donor). You can see the full list here.

Thanks to the New Mexico Ethics Commission, the public now knows that NMSOP is a front group for the trial lawyer’s lobby, which is focused on protecting the financial interests of its members. Reforms that Think New Mexico has proposed—like capping attorney’s fees in medical malpractice lawsuits—would put more money in patients’ pockets but would reduce the amount of money going to their attorneys.

Think New Mexico Responds to Attack by Dark Money Group

A dark money group, New Mexico Safety over Profits (NMSOP), with deep ties to the New Mexico Trial Lawyers Association, attacked Think New Mexico in a recent opinion piece in the Santa Fe New Mexican.

That opinion piece is filled with some wild, over the top conspiracy theories (you can read it here, with our annotations and corrections). You can read our response in the Santa Fe New Mexican at this link.

You can also read the 73-page lawsuit against NMSOP that was filed by the New Mexico Ethics Commission over NMSOP’s refusal to disclose its donors, as well as an investigative piece by Searchlight New Mexico on NMSOP’s misleading practices.

Results Achieved During the 2025 Legislative Session

During the 2025 legislative session, Think New Mexico successfully championed the passage of five major reforms:

• Senate Bill 88, which creates a permanent trust fund for Medicaid. The fund will receive recurring revenue until it grows to $2 billion, allowing the state to increase the rates it pays providers to care for patients insured by Medicaid. Read more about this reform.

• House Bill 14, an omnibus tax bill that includes a repeal of the gross receipts tax on coinsurance, on top of the existing deduction for co-pays and deductibles. This will reduce state taxes on medical services by nearly $50 million annually. Read more about this reform.

• House Bill 157, which will raise the standards for principal training by creating a separate licensure track for school principals with enhanced mentoring and other support. Read more about this reform.

• House Bill 156, which ensures that New Mexico teachers will be trained in the best practices for how to effectively teach students how to read. Read more about this reform.

• Senate Bill 37, which enhances the Strategic Water Reserve, a water management tool that Think New Mexico first developed two decades ago to keep a little more water in New Mexico’s rivers. Read more about this reform.

Our New Project: Solving the Health Care Worker Shortage

Think New Mexico has just released a new report proposing a ten-point plan with 20 separate legislative recommendations to address the urgent crisis of New Mexico’s health care worker shortage! Click here to read more about the reforms we’re proposing.

If you like what you read and you’d like to be part of this effort to revitalize public schools in New Mexico, please contact your legislators and the governor and urge them to enact these reforms during the upcoming 2025 legislative session!

Think New Mexico Welcomes New Staff

We are excited to introduce our three newest staff members!

Katie Gutierrez is Think New Mexico’s Tax, Budget, and Economic Development Reform Director. Katie is from San Antonito, New Mexico, where her family has been farming for 12 generations. A PhD candidate in Economics at the University of New Mexico, she studies the impact of taxes and policy changes on people’s health and well-being, with a focus on reducing health disparities. Katie is a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Research Scholar alumna, a UNM Center for Social Policy alumna, and a former organizer with the United Graduate workers of UNM.

Marcus P. Lujan is Think New Mexico’s new Field Director. Marcus was born and raised in Santa Fe, where his family has lived for many generations. He served as his Class President at St. Michael’s High School, and is now an active member of the St. Michael’s Alumni Association. Marcus graduated with Honors from New Mexico State University, earning his Bachelor’s Degree in Government.

Dr. Alfredo Vigil, is Think New Mexico’s Healthcare Reform Director. Alfredo served as New Mexico Secretary of Health under Governor Bill Richardson. He grew up in Los Alamos and earned his B.S. and M.D. from the University of New Mexico. During his career, Alfredo has been a physician in private practice, served as the medical director of the Questa Health Center, Chief of Staff of Holy Cross Hospital in Taos, and CEO of El Centro Family Health in Espanola, as well as Board Chair of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

Think New Mexico’s 25th Anniversary Annual Report is now available!

In 2024, Think New Mexico is celebrating its first quarter-century! Check out our latest annual report for for a timeline of the results we have achieved through the years as well as updates on our policy reform initiatives. Click here to download the annual report.