Link: ABQjournal NM: Former Official Faulted for Ads.
SANTA FE— Former New Mexico Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron spent $6.4 million in federal money to produce and run public service announcements for TV and radio— often featuring herself— in advance of the 2004 and 2006 elections. The dollar figure comes from an ongoing federal audit of the Secretary of State's Office. It was disclosed on Monday by Mary Herrera, the current secretary of state. The $6.4 million amounts to roughly a third of all federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA) money sent to New Mexico to assist in planning and running the 2004 and 2006 federal elections, according to federal officials and Herrera's spokesman. "I would have used the money differently," Herrera said in a prepared statement later, not specifying how. Vigil-Giron, now seeking the Democratic nomination for the Albuquerque-based 1st Congressional District seat, defended the ads and their frequency. They educated voters and spurred voter registration, she said Monday. "You don't know how many people have stopped me to say, 'Thank you so much for teaching us how to vote,' " Vigil-Giron said. Vigil-Giron also criticized Herrera for disclosing the spending figure. "This is political hay on her part," Vigil-Giron said. "I really do believe she needs to get on with her administration and quit nitpicking my administration. This is old, old news."
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