ALBUQUERQUE, OCTOBER 9 — The Republican Party of New Mexico is once again calling for Roger Montoya, Democratic House District 40 candidate, to remove himself from this legislative race amid reports of him using his charitable 501(c)(3) donor list to solicit contributions for his 2020 political campaign and lying about a tax lien on his Albuquerque Journal candidate questionnaire.
Montoya reportedly contacted donors from his non-profit group, Moving Arts Española, for political donations, which was only found out when he mistakenly tried to confirm a $400 donation with one former donor, Larry Sonntag, who had never given to Montoya’s political race. Sonntag filed complaints with both the IRS and the New Mexico Attorney General’s Office. Attorney General Hector Balderas has apparently not taken action on this, despite the complaint being filed on September 15, 2020.
Montoya also wrote “No” on the Albuquerque Journal’s candidate questionnaire, which asked, “Have you or your business, if you are a business owner, ever been the subject of any state or federal tax liens?” However, Montoya did have a tax lien in 2017, which he only paid off in 2019, according to documents obtained from the New Mexico Tax and Revenue Department.
“Montoya’s repeated unethical behavior—both now and in his past—shows a pattern of shady ethics, which do not reflect the values of voters in New Mexico’s 40th House District,” said Republican Party of New Mexico Chairman Steve Pearce. “What other skeletons does Mr. Montoya have in his closet? Do prominent New Mexico Democrats supporting his bid, including Speaker Brian Egolf, Gov. Michele Lujan Grisham, Sen. Martin Heinrich, and Rep. Deb Haaland, condone this behavior? Are we actually holding people accountable, or are our leaders and elected officials condoning further illegal activity?”
New Mexico voters deserve better than this, especially from those who seek offices of public confidence and trust. The clear-as-day pattern of recent and past unethical behavior disqualifies Mr. Montoya from this race, period.
