National Democrats have made their first advertising buy for the New Mexico Senate race, allocating funds to support incumbent Sen. Martin Heinrich. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee purchased approximately $96,000 worth of ad time in New Mexico, running from tomorrow until the end of the month.
Heinrich, who is seeking a third term in traditionally blue New Mexico, is up against Republican challenger Nella Domenici, who has strong ties to the state as the daughter of former New Mexico GOP Senator Pete Domenici.
Despite limited activity from outside groups in the New Mexico race so far, the DSCC's ad buy could be seen as a defensive measure or a response to growing concerns among Democrats about the competitiveness of the race.
On the Republican side, the National Republican Senate Committee has already spent around $1.4 million on the race in a joint ad buy with Domenici. Their ads, which began running in August, have focused on criticizing Heinrich's record on immigration and crime.
Since the beginning of 2024, Democrats have outspent Republicans on advertising for the New Mexico Senate race, with a total expenditure of $7.3 million compared to the Republicans' $6.2 million. Most of the advertising spending has come from the candidates themselves, with Heinrich's campaign spending approximately $5.9 million and Domenici's campaign spending about $4.6 million, excluding the joint ad buy with the NRSC.
