Munoz resigns from ALEC

State Senator George Munoz, D-Gallup, resigned from American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, last week.

The state Senator was the lone New Mexico Democrat with ties to the ALEC according to Sourcewatch.

Munoz left the group on the same day that two New Mexico Democrats joined in a press call that urged Democrats across the nation to resign from the group.

ProgressNow New Mexico reported on Munoz’s resignation letter.

Munoz’s campaign wrote the following letter:

Dear State legislautre,

Senator Munoz has removed himself from the American Legislative Education [sic] Council, due to the results in other states. Senator Munoz feels that ALEC is not right for New Mexicans. His exposure to the organization on a social level and the negative results in other states provides a basis calling on his fellow legislatures [sic] to withdraw support of ALEC. In that matter senator Munoz is removing himself from the American Legislative Education [sic] Council.

Munoz faces competition in the Democratic primary in the form of McKinley County Commissioner Genevieve Jackson and Charles Rountree. Munoz is attempting to get Rountree removed from the ballot for not turning in enough valid signatures on his nominating petitions.

Sen. John Sapien, D-Bernalillo, has been accused by some of being an ALEC member because he attended an ALEC dinner during the 2012 session. Sapien denies ever being a member of the national conservative group with extremely close ties to corporations.

Fifteen members of the stae House and seven members of the state Senate are members of ALEC. All are Republicans.