SANTE FE, N.M. — State Rep. Roger Montoya, a Democrat representing the state’s 40th House District, is facing a primary challenge from former Rep. Joseph Sanchez, a “self-described moderate” running against the incumbent lawmaker hailing from Velarde, N.M. A newly-raised political action committee, the Working Together New Mexico PAC, sent a direct mailer this week to Northern New Mexico constituents of Montoya’s calling him a “radical California-style politician” who starred in pornographic films during his college years.
“While working in Los Angeles, Roger entered the adult-film industry, appearing in multiple pornographic films before moving to New Mexico,” the mailer states. The mailer features a grainy and unflattering photo of Montoya, asserting that he’s not qualified to serve as a lawmaker anymore and arguing Sanchez should return to the Democratic New Mexico House of Representatives for the local house district.
The Sante Fe New Mexican reported that Montoya did star in gay porn films during college.
“I am not proud of that choice, as I was young, and naïve,” he said in a statement on his Facebook page in 2020. “But those experiences helped me to understand the exploitation young people face. Over the past three decades, I have brought people together from all walks of life to tackle some of our state’s most pressing issues. I’m proud of helping people in rural New Mexico deal with life-threatening illnesses during the AIDS and COVID pandemics.”
“I am proud of the non-profits I’ve founded and the work they are doing today to inspire our community, to provide food and shelter to our homeless, to feed and nourish, and address chronic substance abuse,” Rep. Montoya added in his statement, via Facebook and Out.
At that time in 2020, the Democratic Party of New Mexico chair Marg Elliston described the criticism of Montoya as “a hypocritical attempt to distract the voters of this district from the fact that Roger Montoya is by far the most qualified candidate in this race and the best person to fight for New Mexico’s hard-working families.”
New Mexico Republican Party chair Steve Pearce described Rep. Montoya’s “behavior” as “unbecoming of any candidate or elected official.” Montoya, however, won the November election and now currently represents the 40th House District.
Out also reported that Pearce spoke of a double standard, given the state’s nominee during the 2020 election, former Republican President Donald Trump, made cameo appearances in multiple Playboy films during the time from 1994 to 2001. Rudy Guiliani, the former mayor of New York City and once Trump’s personal attorney, stated in 2018 that people who participate in porn businesses aren’t credible.
The Sante Fe New Mexican reported more recently that Montoya described the mailer as nothing more than a hit piece. As the mailer was being sent, Montoya said he was engaging with humanitarian relief by delivering food and supplies to people who are affected by the wildfires around the Las Vegas and Mora communities in north-central New Mexico along Interstate 25, en route to the state capital in Sante Fe.
Montoya disclosed his porn past before he was elected in 2020. People who have responded to the most recent New Mexican article on the hit piece against Montoya said that appearing in porn doesn’t disqualify him from running for reelection. One user commented that the mailer is a “pathetic mudslinging attempt against a man who has proven to be a rare, dedicated public servant surrounded by leeches.”
