Showdown in New Mexico Senate battle as Domenici, Heinrich, win primaries

A potentially competitive general election Senate battle is now officially underway in New Mexico, where it has been 22 years since a Republican has won in the one-time swing state that now leans blue. 

The last GOP politician to win was Sen. Pete Domenici, who in 2006 was re-elected to a sixth two-year term.

Fast-forward 22 years later, and his daughter, businesswoman Nella Domenici, aims to end the losing streak.

The Associated Press has projected that Domenici will win Tuesday’s Republican Senate primary in New Mexico.

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Nella Domenici is running for U.S. Senate in New Mexico. Her late father, former Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., is seen with President George W. Bush before addressing an audience of law enforcement officials and cadets from the New Mexico Military Institute during a visit to Roswell on Jan. 22, 2004. (Handout )

Domenici, who has the backing of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which is the Senate GOP’s campaign arm, was the only major declared candidate in the primary.

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Domenici will use her powerful political brand and ample name recognition in New Mexico as she challenges Democrat Sen. Martin Heinrich, who is running in November for a third six-year term. Heinrich faced no serious primary challenge in Tuesday’s contests.

Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) listens during a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on Federal Electric Vehicle Incentives on Jan. 11, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images)

DAUGHTER OF NEW MEXICO’S LAST REPUBLICAN SENATOR RUNNING FOR FATHER’S OLD SEAT

Domenici is also showcasing her resume. She has decades of experience in the finance industry at Bridgewater Associates, where she served as chief financial officer, Credit Suisse and Citadel Investment group.

In recent cycles, New Mexico, which was once a general election battleground, has shifted to the left and is no longer considered a crucial swing state.

President Biden carried the state by 10 points in 2020.

Additionally, Heinrich won re-election in 2018, which was a blue-wave cycle, by more than 30 points.

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