The daughter of New Mexico’s last Republican senator has made headlines by setting a new fundraising record for a GOP Senate candidate in the blue-leaning southwestern state. Nella Domenici, daughter of former Senator Pete Domenici, has raised over $1.25 million since launching her bid in mid-January through the end of last month, marking the largest fundraising total for a Republican U.S. Senate candidate in New Mexico history for the first quarter of an election year.
Domenici's campaign received donations from more than 1,100 individuals, showcasing broad support for her candidacy. In a statement, Domenici expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support and emphasized the need for change in New Mexico, criticizing incumbent Democrat Senator Martin Heinrich for prioritizing his progressive ideology over the state's best interests.
Heinrich, who is running for a third six-year term, has yet to announce his first-quarter fundraising figures. However, he raised nearly $4.5 million last year and ended 2023 with $3.5 million cash-on-hand in his campaign coffers. With her background in the finance industry and the legacy of her father, Nella Domenici brings a powerful political brand and a broad fundraising network to her campaign.
New Mexico, once a general election battleground, has shifted left in recent years, with President Biden winning the state by 10 points in 2020. It has been 15 years since a Republican held a Senate seat in New Mexico, and Heinrich won re-election in 2018 by a significant margin during a blue-wave cycle.
Domenici's candidacy has the backing of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, but she faces a challenging political landscape in a state that has trended Democratic in recent elections. Her record-breaking fundraising efforts signal a competitive race ahead as she seeks to unseat the Democratic incumbent in November.
