A potentially competitive Senate general election battle is now officially underway in New Mexico, where it’s been 22 years since a Republican won in the former swing state that now leans blue.
The last Republican politician to win was Senator Pete Domenici, who was re-elected in 2006 to a sixth two-year term.
22 years later, his daughter, businesswoman Nella Domenici, aims to end that losing streak.
The Associated Press predicted Domenici would win Tuesday’s Republican Senate primary in New Mexico.
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Nella Domenici is running for U.S. Senate in New Mexico. His 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 Military Institute of New Mexico during a visit to Roswell on January 22, 2004. . (Document)
Domenici, who has the support of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which is the GOP’s campaign arm in the Senate, was the only major declared candidate in the primary.
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Domenici will use his powerful political brand and high profile in New Mexico to challenge Democratic Sen. Martin Heinrich, who is running in November for a third six-year term. Heinrich did not face any major challenges during Tuesday’s competitions.
Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM) listens during a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on federal incentives for electric vehicles January 11, 2024 in Washington, DC (Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images)
DAUGHTER OF THE LAST SENATOR REPUBLIC OF NEW MEXICO CANDIDACY FOR YOUR FATHER’S FORMER SEAT
Domenici also presents his CV. She has decades of experience in the financial industry at Bridgewater Associates, where she served as CFO of Credit Suisse and Citadel Investment Group.
In recent cycles, New Mexico, once a general election battleground, has shifted to the left and is no longer considered a swing state.
President Biden carried the state by 10 points in 2020.
Additionally, Heinrich was re-elected in 2018, which was a blue wave cycle, by over 30 points.
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