Conservation Voters New Mexico (CVNM)

Background

Conservation Voters New Mexico (CVNM) is the state affiliate of the League of Conservation Voters, an organization that promotes the campaigns of political candidates that support left-of-center environmentalist policies.  ³ CVNM promotes the increased usage of weather-dependent energy, biofuels, and geothermal energy while opposing the use of conventional fuels. ²

CVNM advocates for connecting “the people of New Mexico to their political power to protect our air, land and water” through voter mobilization, local political candidate support, and advocating for supported left-of-center policies.  ¹ CVNM is also associated with the CVNM Action Fund, a “nonpartisan, coordinated” group that “works to elect pro-conservation candidates,” and the CVNM Verde Voters Fund PAC, which directly supports the campaigns of local “pro-conservation” candidates. ⁴

CVNM supports policies and legislation based on the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), claiming that environmental issues are “social justice issues.” ⁵ According to its website, DEI “is an expectation” at the organization, and the group addresses “systems of oppression” that were “inherited.”  ⁵  CVNM also claims that “rural, Indigenous and/or communities of color” have been discriminated against in elections by being “denied access to the ballot box.” ⁶ The group supported the 2023 Voting Rights Protection Act, which included voting access provisions such as restoring “voting rights of anyone convicted of a felony who is not currently incarcerated.” ⁷

In July 2025, CVNM Climate and Energy Advocate Justin Garoutte released a statement released to news group Source New Mexico, criticizing the second Trump administration Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) decision to reverse the EPA’s previous “endangerment finding” that “climate change was a threat to human health.”  ⁸

CVNM had previously supported environmentalist and similar policies set by the Biden administration including the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the American Rescue Plan Act. ⁹

Activities

Conservation Voters New Mexico (CVNM) develops an annual “conservation scorecard” to show which legislators aligned with CVNM’s supported environmentalist policies and which legislators did not. ¹⁰ The scorecard gives each legislator a number between 0% and 100%, with 100% indicating that the legislator was most aligned with CVNM priorities. ¹¹ In 2025, all New Mexico legislators on the Senate and House “Champions” list were Democrats. ¹²

According to the group’s website, CVNM focuses on promoting its environmentalist advocacy with local legislators, endorsing and campaigning for political candidates that align with CVNM’s priorities, setting a legislative agenda, and lobbying for organization-aligned policies. ¹⁰

In 2025, CVNM’s parent organization, the League of Conservation Voters, was listed as an organizer for the nationwide October “No Kings” protests, which opposed the second Trump administration.  ¹³  LCV’s website claimed that “Trump incites fear and advances policies that harm and divide us” while advertising the protests as a chance to “join the majority of Americans who oppose the Trump administration’s actions.”  ¹³

Financials

In 2023, Conservation Voters New Mexico (CVNM) reported total revenue of $1,361,339 and received $1,354,751 in contributions and grants. The group had total expenses of $1,790,300 and total assets of $1,056,066. CVNM did not receive any government grants in 2023. ¹⁴

In 2023, CVNM gave $20,000 both to the New Mexico Senate Democrats and the Speaker Fund for political campaigns.  ¹⁴

In 2023, the group also targeted its funds towards endorsing mission-aligned candidates, lobbying for environmentalist legislation, and public education.  ¹⁴

CVNM is partnered with other advocacy groups such as the Semilla Project, Vote Solar,  the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Environmental Defense Fund, Common Cause New Mexico, ProgressNow New Mexico, and the League of Conservation Voters. ¹⁵

Leadership

Demis R. Foster is the executive director of Conservation Voters New Mexico (CVNM) as of 2025. ¹⁶ Before CVNM, Foster was the Sante Fe Director of the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance. ¹⁷ CVNM paid Foster $132,656 in 2023.  ¹⁴