Female Republican candidate and daughter of GOP legend smashes fundraising record in Republican New Mexico Senate race, four years after Biden carried state by 10 POINTS

Senate hopeful Nella Domenici shattered a Republican Senate fundraising record in New Mexico with her $1.25 million cash haul in the first three months of the year.

Domenici announced her GOP Senate bid to unseat New Mexico Democratic Senator Martin Heinrich on January 17. 

According to her campaign, her first quarter fundraising total is the highest of any Republican Senate candidate ever in the state for the first quarter of an election year. The previous record for a Republican was set in 2012 with $760,000.

The Republican Senate hopeful and former Bridgewater Associates executive received contributions from more than 1,100 donors.

Domenici is the daughter of late Senator Pete Domenici who was the longest serving Senator of New Mexico in the state's history with six terms before he retired in 2009.

Nella Domenici announced she was running in the New Mexico Republican Senate race in January. She is the daughter of late GOP Senator Pete Domenici.

Late Senator Pete Domenici with then-President George W. Bush in 2002. Domenici was the longest serving Senator of New Mexico

Domenici jumped in the race focused on rising costs, rampant crime and concerns the U.S. border is 'wide open.'

She has the backing of the National Republican Senatorial Committee and expected to win the state's Senate primary on June 4. 

If she receives the GOP nomination, she will face an uphill general election battle against Democratic Senator Martin Heinrich. 

Cook Political Report rates the New Mexico Senate race as 'solid Democrat.' 

Democratic Senator Martin Heinrich as served in the Senate since 2013. He ended 2023 with more than $3.5 million cash on hand as he runs for reelection in November

Heinrich has served in the Senate since 2013. Before that, he represented New Mexico's first congressional district since 2009.

In 2018, he won re-election by more than 23 points amid a blue wave in response to Donald Trump's election.

Heinrich has not released his fundraising totals for the first quarter of the year, but he raised $781,851 in the final three months of 2023 and more than $6.9 million for the entire election cycle. 

He finished the year with more than $3.5 million cash on hand.

The Federal Election Commission filing deadline for the first quarter of the year is April 15.

In 2020, President Biden won New Mexico by more than ten points. That same year, Democratic Senator Ben Ray Lujan won his race by more than six points. 

Democratic Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham also won reelection during the 2022 midterms by more than five points.