(NewsNation) — NewsNation/Decision Desk HQ has called the race for the U.S. Senate seat for New Mexico in favor of Sen. Martin Heinrich. See all New Mexico race results here.
Incumbent Democratic Sen. Martin Heinrich faced businesswoman and Republican challenger Nella Domenici in his bid for a third term in the U.S. Senate.
Heinrich has had a long career in public office, serving two terms as a senator, two terms in the U.S. House and a four-year term as an Albuquerque city councilor. Heinrich, who is considered to be more moderate left, won reelection in 2018 with about 54% of the vote in a three-way race against Republican Mick Rich and Libertarian candidate and former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson.
The Democrat centered his 2024 campaign on making local food production systems more resilient, creating policy that invests in AI while establishing guardrails on the emerging technology, protecting civil liberties and instituting measures to prevent firearms from being trafficked across the southern border, among others.
Meanwhile, Heinrich’s Republican challenger Domenici is the daughter of former U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici, who served from 1973 to 2009 and was the last Republican elected to the U.S. Senate in New Mexico.
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A former chief financial officer of Bridgewater Associates, Nella Domenici is a first-time politician. The senate race is her first foray into public office after spending her career in the finance private sector.
Domenici is the daughter of former US Senator Pietro “Pete” Domenici who served in the Senate for over three decades. With her recognizable last name and legacy, Domenici has leaned into her family background during her campaign. She has made border security a focus of her campaign, saying it was imperative to increase funding for U.S. Border Patrol, finish building the border wall and reinstate former President Donald Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” policy. She is also a proponent of an “all-of-the-above approach to energy” production in the U.S. and does not support a federal abortion ban.
Domenici faced criticism for avoiding questions related directly to Trump. In July, she allegedly canceled an interview with an Albuqerque-based radio show after questions submitted by the show to her team in advance were about Trump. After Trump was convicted of 34 felony counts in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels, Domenici issued a statement to note it was “a sad day in our country when Americans see our justice system weaponized.”
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Less than a month before Election Day, The Hill/ Decision Desk HQ Election Center forecasted that Heinrich had a 94% chance of winning his third term in the U.S. Senate. According to Open Secrets, Heinrich also led Domenici on campaign fundraising — raising $9.9 million and spending $5.8 million to her $3.6 million raised and $1.4 million spent.
President Joe Biden won New Mexico by 10 points in 2020 and a Republican has not held a Senate seat there in 15 years. A total of 34 Senate seats are up in 2024 with 23 being held by Democrats and independents. Republicans can retake control of the upper chamber of Congress by winning two seats from Democrats or by winning the 2024 presidential election and flipping just one other seat. As a result, the outcome of this race will affect the balance of power within the Senate in 2025.
