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SANTA FE — Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg is headed to New Mexico this weekend for two private fundraisers.

Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, will be in Santa Fe on Sunday for a pair of brunches, both at private homes.

Buttigieg’s campaign will provide donors with a specific address and time. A donation of $1,000 or more gets you a picture with the candidate.

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An announcement on gaysantafe.com notes that Buttigieg has ties to New Mexico. Both of his parents taught at New Mexico State, and his mother is a regular visitor to Santa Fe, the announcement says.

Buttigieg would be the first openly gay presidential nominee from a major political party if he wins the Democratic primary next year.

His visit to Santa Fe comes after Jill Biden — wife of Joe Biden, the former vice president now running for the Democratic nomination for president — attended a fundraiser in the Albuquerque area last month.

CHARGES REFILED: Demesia Padilla, a former state taxation and revenue secretary, once again faces felony charges of embezzlement.

A grand jury in Sandoval County issued an indictment this week accusing Padilla of two second-degree felonies — embezzlement and computer access with intent to defraud or embezzle.

A Santa Fe district judge dismissed similar charges against Padilla earlier this year, ruling that the Attorney General’s Office had failed to provide any evidence that the alleged crimes happened in Santa Fe County.

State prosecutors said at the time that they would refile the charges in a different district.

Padilla is accused of embezzling more than $25,000 from Harold’s Grading & Trucking, a company based in Sandoval County.

In Santa Fe, she still faces a felony charge of engaging in an official act for personal financial gain.

Prosecutors are also appealing the dismissal of some other charges.

Padilla has pleaded not guilty and accused the AG’s Office of misconduct in the handling of the investigation.

Padilla served as the taxation and revenue secretary under then-Gov. Susana Martinez for about six years. She resigned in 2016 after state investigators raided the agency’s Santa Fe office.

Dan McKay: dmckay@abqjournal.com