United States Senate election in New Mexico, 2012

United States Senate election in New Mexico, 2012

November 6, 2012

Nominee Martin Heinrich Heather Wilson Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 395,717 351,260 Percentage 51.0% 45.3%

County results

U.S. Senator before election Jeff Bingaman Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich Democratic

The 2012 United States Senate election in New Mexico took place on November 6, 2012, concurrently with the 2012 U.S. presidential election as well as other elections to the United States Senate and House of Representatives as well as various state and local elections. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman decided to retire instead of running for re-election to a sixth term.^[1] Democratic U.S. Representative Martin Heinrich won the open seat.

Background

Incumbent Jeff Bingaman won re-election to a fifth term with 70.61% of the vote against Allen McCulloch in the 2006 U.S. senatorial election in New Mexico.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

• Hector Balderas, state Auditor^[2]
• Martin Heinrich, U.S. Representative^[3]

Withdrew

• Martin Chávez, former Albuquerque mayor and 1998 Democratic gubernatorial nominee (withdrew to run for U.S. House)^[4][5]
• Andres Valdez, anti-police brutality Social Justice activist^[6]

Declined

• Jeff Bingaman, incumbent U.S. senator^[1]
• Diane Denish, former New Mexico lieutenant governor and 2010 Democratic gubernatorial nominee^[7][8]
• Ben Ray Luján, U.S. representative^[9]

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Hector Balderas	Martin Heinrich	Other	Undecided
Albuquerque Journal/Research & Polling	May 21–24, 2012	741	± 3.6%	26%	51%	—	23%
Public Policy Polling	April 19–22, 2012	270	± 6%	27%	51%	—	22%
Public Policy Polling	December 10–12, 2011	309	± 5.6%	30%	47%	—	23%
Magellan Strategies	July 17–18, 2011	636	± 3.9%	21%	54%	—	25%
Public Policy Polling	June 23–26, 2011	400	± 4.9%	24%	47%	—	29%

Endorsements

Martin Heinrich

Federal officials Raúl Grijalva, U.S. Representative for Arizona's 7th congressional district[10] Statewide officials Patricia Madrid, former Attorney General New Mexico state senators Dede Feldman Tim Keller Cisco McSorley Jerry Ortiz y Pino New Mexico state representatives J. Paul Taylor Joni Guiterrez Bill O'Neill Jeff Steinborn Mimi Stewart Danice Picraux Eliseo Alcon Eleanor Chavez New Mexico Mayors David Coss, Mayor of Santa Fe Joe Maestas, former Mayor of Española Bob Rosebrough, former Mayor of Gallup Source:[11] Unions American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees International Association of Machinists International Brotherhood of Teamsters New Mexico Building and Construction Trades Council New Mexico Communication Workers for America Service Employees International Union United Steelworkers of America United Transportation Union United Food and Commercial Workers Organizations NARAL Pro-Choice America[12] Planned Parenthood[13] Sierra Club Defenders of Wildlife League of Conservation Voters Council for a Livable World National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare Source:[14]

Hector Balderas

Statewide officials Diane Denish, former New Mexico Lieutenant Governor New Mexico state senators Mary Kay Papen Phil Griego Cynthia Nava Carlos Cisneros David Ulibarri Richard Martinez Bernadette Sanchez New Mexico state representatives Jim Trujillo Antonio Lujan Joseph Cervantes Miguel Garcia Mary Helen Garcia Lucky Varela Thomas Garcia New Mexico Mayors Steve Brockett, former Mayor of Alamogordo Robert Vialpando, Mayor of Los Lunas Tony Jaramillo, Mayor of Socorro Darren Cordova, Mayor of Taos Danny Cruz, Mayor of Springer Source:[15]

Results

Democratic primary results[16]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Martin Heinrich	83,432	58.9
	Democratic	Hector Balderas	58,128	41.1
Total votes			141,560	100

Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

• Greg Sowards, businessman^[17]
• Heather Wilson, former U.S. Representative^[18]

Withdrew

• Bill English, businessman^[19]
• John Sanchez, Lieutenant Governor of New Mexico^[20]

Declined

• Janice Arnold-Jones, former State Representative^[18]
• Gary Johnson, former Governor (ran for President)^[21]
• Steve Pearce, U.S. Representative and nominee for the U.S. Senate in 2008^[22]

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Bill English	John Sanchez	Greg Sowards	Heather Wilson	Other	Undecided
Albuquerque Journal	May 21–24, 2012	504	± 4.4%	—	—	20%	66%	—	14%
Public Policy Polling	December 10–12, 2011	300	± 5.7%	3%	20%	6%	55%	—	16%
Magellan Strategies	July 17–18, 2011	799	± 3.5%	2%	21%	5%	56%	—	16%
Public Policy Polling	June 23–26, 2011	400	± 4.9%	4%	24%	8%	52%	—	12%
Magellan Strategies	April 26–27, 2011	801	± 3.5%	—	17%	2%	59%	11%	11%

Endorsements

Heather Wilson

Federal officials Pete Domenici, former U.S. Senator (R-NM) Manuel Lujan, Jr., former U.S. Secretary of the Interior and former U.S. Representative for New Mexico's 1st congressional district William T. Redmond, former U.S. Representative for New Mexico's 3rd congressional district Ari Fleischer, former White House Press Secretary for George W. Bush Statewide officials John Sanchez, Lieutenant Governor Jack Stahl, former Lieutenant Governor New Mexico state senators Minority Leader Stuart Ingle Minority Whip Bill Payne Steven Neville Bill Sharer Clint Harden John Ryan Mark Boitano Gay Kernan Vernon Asbill Sander Rue Bill Burt Sue Wilson Beffort Carroll Leavell Rod Adair New Mexico state representatives Minority Leader Tom Taylor David Chavez Bill Gray Jim Hall Conrad James Dave Doyle Nora Espinoza Nate Gentry Jimmie Hall Jane Powdrell-Culbert Larry Larranaga Bill Rehm Dianne Miller Hamilton Jim Smith James White Tim Lewis Dennis Roch Anna Crook Shirley Tyler Tom Anderson Zachary Cook Alonzo Baldonado Paul Bandy James Strickler Don Bratton Don Tripp Cathryn Novich-Brown Bob Wooley New Mexico Mayors Richard J. Berry, Mayor of Albuquerque Scott Eckstein, Mayor of Bloomfield and Commissioner of San Juan County Tommy Roberts, Mayor of Farmington Bryan Olguin, Mayor of Peralta Louis Huning, former Mayor of Los Lunas Bill Standley, former Mayor of Farmington Gary Kanin, former Mayor of Corrales Source:[23]

Results

Republican primary results[16]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Heather Wilson	63,631	70.0
	Republican	Greg Sowards	27,214	30.0
Total votes			90,845	100

General election

Candidates

• Martin Heinrich (D), U.S. Representative
• Heather Wilson (R), former U.S. Representative
• Jon Barrie (Independent American Party), alternative medicine practitioner and Air Force veteran^[24]

Debates

• Complete video of debate, C-SPAN, October 17, 2012
• Complete video of debate, C-SPAN, October 25, 2012

Fundraising

Candidate (party)	Receipts	Disbursements	Cash on hand	Debt
Martin Heinrich (D)	$3,883,992	$2,174,712	$1,763,753	$89,424
Heather Wilson (R)	$4,048,847	$2,416,328	$1,632,517	$0
Jon Barrie (I)	$705	$1,150	$0	$445
Source: Federal Election Commission[25][26][27]

Top contributors

^[28]

Martin Heinrich	Contribution	Heather Wilson	Contribution
League of Conservation Voters	$108,634	Elliott Management Corporation	$29,413
JStreetPAC	$67,860	Mewbourne Oil Co	$25,000
University of New Mexico	$24,221	Kelly PAC	$15,000
Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP	$23,000	Blue Cross & Blue Shield	$14,050
Council for a Livable World	$20,044	Devon Energy	$13,250
National Rural Letter Carriers' Association	$19,000	Murray Energy	$12,800
Comcast Corporation	$11,250	Yates Petroleum	$12,600
Presbyterian Healthcare Services	$11,150	Livingston Group	$12,249
Intel Corp	$10,500	Publix Super Markets	$11,000
American Optometric Association	$10,250	Westport Construction	$10,500

Top industries

^[29]

Martin Heinrich	Contribution	Heather Wilson	Contribution
Lawyers/Law Firms	$322,120	Retired	$355,880
Retired	$270,598	Oil & Gas	$217,500
Lobbyists	$156,480	Leadership PACs	$206,225
Environmental organizations	$145,365	Financial Institutions	$163,888
Leadership PACs	$100,000	Lobbyists	$113,549
Health Professionals	$95,729	Lawyers/Law Firms	$106,852
Pro-Israel	$83,860	Real Estate	$95,990
Public Sector Unions	$67,000	Misc Finance	$72,407
Democratic/Liberal	$64,300	Business Services	$72,078
Casinos/Gambling	$58,550	Mining	$69,200

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Martin Heinrich (D)	Heather Wilson (R)	Other	Undecided
Albuquerque Poll Journal	October 23–25, 2012	662	± 3.8%	50%	42%	3%	6%
Public Policy Polling	October 23–24, 2012	727	± n/a%	52%	44%	—	3%
Albuquerque Poll Journal	October 9–11, 2012	658	± 3.8%	48%	39%	4%	9%
Rasmussen Reports	October 8, 2012	500	± 4.5%	52%	39%	4%	5%
Public Policy Polling	October 2–3, 2012	778	± n/a%	51%	41%	—	8%
We Ask America	September 25–27, 2012	1,258	± 2.85%	52%	41%	—	7%
Public Policy Polling	September 7–9, 2012	1,122	± 2.9%	50%	41%	—	9%
Albuquerque Journal	September 3–6, 2012	667	± 3.8%	49%	42%	—	8%
Rasmussen Reports	August 21, 2012	500	± 4.5%	48%	41%	5%	7%
Public Policy Polling	July 13–16, 2012	724	± 3.6%	48%	43%	—	9%
Public Policy Polling	April 19–22, 2012	526	± 4.3%	48%	43%	—	9%
Rasmussen Reports	April 3, 2012	500	± 4.5%	46%	42%	7%	6%
Rasmussen Reports	February 14, 2012	500	± 4.5%	45%	43%	5%	7%
Public Policy Polling	December 10–12, 2011	500	± 4.4%	47%	40%	—	13%
Public Policy Polling	June 23–26, 2011	732	± 3.6%	47%	42%	—	11%
Public Policy Polling	February 4–6, 2011	545	± 4.2%	50%	39%	—	11%

Results

United States Senate election in New Mexico, 2012
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Martin Heinrich	395,717	51.01	-19.81%
	Republican	Heather Wilson	351,295	45.28	+16.17
	American Independent	Jon Barrie	27,649	3.6
	Write-In	Write-In	617	0.08%
Majority			44,458	6.1%
Turnout			775,278

See also

• United States Senate elections, 2012
• United States House of Representatives elections in New Mexico, 2012

References

1. Cillizza, Chris (February 19, 2011). "Bingaman won't run for Senate in 2012". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 19, 2011.
2. Trygstad, Kyle (April 26, 2011). "Balderas Enters N.M. Senate Race Against Heinrich". Roll Call. Retrieved May 13, 2012.
3. Trygstad, Kyle (April 2, 2011). "Heinrich Makes N.M. Senate Bid Official". Roll Call. Retrieved May 13, 2012.
4. Haussamen, Heath (June 29, 2011). "Chávez is running for Congress; Denish isn’t". NMPolitics.net. Retrieved May 13, 2012.
5. Catanese, David (June 29, 2011). "Chavez sets up primary for Heinrich seat". Politico. Retrieved May 13, 2012.
6. "Andres Valdez Out of U.S. Senate Race". Associated Press. Albuquerque Journal. February 14, 2012. Retrieved May 13, 2012.
7. Catanese, David (July 6, 2011). "Diane Denish endorses Balderas". Politico. Retrieved May 13, 2012.
8. Trygstad, Kyle (July 6, 2011). "Denish to Endorse Balderas in N.M. Senate Primary". Roll Call. Retrieved May 13, 2012.
9. Catanese, David (April 25, 2011). "Ben Ray Lujan won't run for Senate". Politico. Retrieved April 25, 2011.
10. Trygstad, Kyle (December 6, 2011). "Martin Heinrich Nabs Raúl Grijalva’s Support in Senate Race". Roll Call. Retrieved May 13, 2012.
11. "Individual Endorsements". Martin Heinrich for Senate. Retrieved May 13, 2012.
12. "NARAL Pro-Choice America PAC Announces New Endorsements in Key House, Senate Contests to End War on Women". NARAL Pro-Choice America. April 3, 2012. Retrieved May 13, 2012.
13. "Planned Parenthood Action Fund Endorses Martin Heinrich for U. S. Senate". Martin Heinrich for Senate. February 21, 2012. Archived from the original on October 1, 2012. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
14. "Endorsements". Martin Heinrich for Senate. Retrieved May 13, 2012.
15. "Endorsements". Balderas for Senate 2012. Retrieved May 13, 2012.
16. "Canvass of Returns of Primary Election Held on June 5, 2012 – State of New Mexico" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Mexico. Retrieved August 3, 2012.
17. Haussamen, Heath (December 16, 2010). "Sowards announces candidacy for Senate". NMPolitics.net. Retrieved December 16, 2010.
18. Haussamen, Heath (March 7, 2011). "Wilson formally enters U.S. Senate race". NMPolitics.net. Retrieved May 13, 2012.
19. "Republican Candidate Bill English Withdraws from New Mexico U.S. Senate Race, Endorses Sowards". Tea Party Tribune. January 11, 2012. Retrieved May 13, 2012.
20. Trygstad, Kyle (February 9, 2012). "Republican John Sanchez Drops New Mexico Senate Bid". Roll Call. Retrieved May 13, 2012.
21. Burns, Peter (February 18, 2011). "Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson will not run for Senate". The Washington Examiner. Retrieved February 18, 2011.
22. "Pearce re-election committee has balance of $682K". Las Cruces Sun-News. April 17, 2012. Retrieved May 13, 2012.
23. "Endorsements". Heather Wilson for United States Senate. Retrieved May 13, 2012.
24. Peters, Joey (January 5, 2012). "Independent With Libertarian Bent Announces Bid For US Senate". Santa Fe Reporter. Retrieved May 13, 2012.
25. Heinrich Campaign Finances
26. Wilson Campaign Finances
27. Barrie Campaign Finances
28. Top Contributors 2012 Race: New Mexico Senate, Center for Responsive Politics
29. Donors by Industries (opensecrets.org)

External links

• Elections from the New Mexico secretary of state
• Financial information from OpenSecrets.org
• Outside spending at Sunlight Foundation
• Candidate issue positions at On the Issues

Official campaign websites

• Jon Barrie for U.S. Senate
• Martin Heinrich for U.S. Senate
• Heather Wilson for U.S. Senate