Oct. 14—Incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich and his Republican challenger, Nella Domenici, clashed on various policy issues Monday during their first televised debate — giving viewers a firsthand look at what has become one of the most contentious races in New Mexico.
Heinrich, who is seeking a third term, highlighted his efforts to expand health care for veterans, lower prescription drug costs and protect public lands while criticizing Domenici for what he characterized as her lack of transparency on issues important to voters.
Domenici, meanwhile, described Heinrich as a “radical progressive” who has failed New Mexico during his two decades in public office.
“Growing up the son of a lineman and a factory worker, I know firsthand the struggles that working families face, and I spent my career fighting to increase opportunities and fighting for the rights and freedoms that New Mexicans hold dear: the right to choose, the right to vote, the right to clean air and clean water and the right for our kids to just feel safe in their schools,” Heinrich said.
“My opponent, a multimillionaire hedge fund executive who has spent most of the last 50 years living on the East Coast, believes that she can buy this election with the support of extreme Republicans who would strip away those same rights and freedoms,” he added.
While Domenici “has a last name that’s very familiar in New Mexico,” Heinrich said, referring to his opponent’s late father, former U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici, “we know next to nothing about some of the most important issues and where she stands on them.”
Nella Domenici noted Heinrich “has been a leader in this state for 20 years,” and began examining his “report card.”
“New Mexico is No. 1 in crime, No. 1 in drug usage and No. 1 in doctors exiting our state. New Mexico is at the bottom of education, the bottom of economic development and the bottom of child well-being,” she said. “U.S. News and World Report, when they look at states holistically, ranks us as No. 49 — again at the bottom. Martin, that’s your report card, and that’s an F.”
Domenici said the state needs an independent leader, not a politician “owned by radical progressive thought.”
“I want to remind you I am a Domenici, and Domenicis always put New Mexico first,” she said.
The one-hour debate, recorded in advance and aired on KOAT-TV, touched on various topics, from inflation and gun violence to school vouchers and fracking.
But it was abortion rights and border security — issues Heinrich and Domenici have made cornerstones of their campaigns, respectively — that triggered the most spirited exchanges.
Asked whether she would support a bill that would guarantee abortion rights nationally, Domenici reiterated she wouldn’t support a federal ban on abortion.
“I will aggressively focus on unintended pregnancies, preventing births from occurring, preventing pregnancies from occurring,” she said.
Heinrich called her response a “nonanswer.”
“I can’t tell you what is in my opponent’s mind, but I can tell you what the practical impact of electing her to the United States Senate is,” he said. “If she is elected to the Senate from New Mexico, Republicans will hold the majority, and the first vote that she will take is a vote for Senate majority leader, and every one of those candidates vying to be Republican majority leader have committed publicly and forcefully to a national abortion ban.”
Domenici accused Heinrich of making “the most sexist comment” ever by a U.S. senator.
“For Martin Heinrich to think that I’m a weak woman who will take orders from a man and not stick to my own values, that’s a sexist, insulting, demeaning remark, and all of the women who hear that in this state should be upset,” she said. “I know thousands of them are because I’ve heard it loud and clearly from them.”
Near the end of the debate, Heinrich put Domenici on the spot, asking whether or not she would support Donald Trump for president in 2024 — a question she has dodged.
“I will be voting for our nominee,” she said. “The last four years under his leadership were much, much better than the recent four years” under Biden.
The two candidates agreed on little, though bipartisanship was an exception.
“I had a great role model; I had a great teacher,” Domenici said, referring to her father, who earned a reputation of working across the aisle during his tenure as New Mexico’s longest-serving U.S. senator.
Heinrich said he’s already proven he can work with Republicans.
“Bipartisanship is how you get things done in Washington, D.C., and I have the relationships and the track record to prove it,” he said.
Domenici, however, challenged Heinrich’s assertion.
“Martin Heinrich is an extreme, radical progressive,” she said. “His footprint in Washington is not the footprint of someone who’s a moderate, who’s a bipartisan, who’s a common-sense thinker.”
Asked about immigration and whether they would support continuing construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, as well as other security measures, Domenici said “absolutely,” calling the situation at the border a “major crisis.”
“Martin Heinrich specifically had 20 votes in 16 years against securing our border, against making sure that drugs, criminals and guns didn’t come through that border,” she said.
Heinrich called them “political show votes.”
“We had a bipartisan border security solution that was negotiated by one of the most conservative members of the Senate Republican caucus, and everyone in the middle was lined up to support that solution,” he said. “Donald Trump canned that deal. He destroyed that deal because he wanted an issue, not a solution.”
In response, Domenici said Heinrich failed to mention five Democrats had voted against that bill.
“He also has failed to mention that in that bill, 1.85 million illegal immigrants would be allowed to flow into our country — a form of amnesty, which would set a terrible precedent for people all around the globe to try to come into this country,” she said.
Heinrich, however, said it was “by far the tightest, most conservative border security deal” proposed in the last 25 years.
“It only came apart because Donald Trump did not want a success on the Biden administration’s watch,” he said.
In their closing statements, Domenici said New Mexico needs new leadership.
“Our state is failing,” she said. “His report card is an F, and we all live that report card every day.”
Heinrich said the election is about more than just policy differences.
“My opponent talks a lot about the need for change, but she won’t even tell you where she stands on some of the most critical issues,” he said. “She won’t even tell you what she would do with respect to a national right to abortion.”
The friction between the two candidates was on full display before the debate even started.
Just after 5 a.m., Heinrich took a jab at Domenici on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“My debate prep begins with breakfast,” stated a post on Heinrich’s personal account that included photos of elk carne adovada on two eggs and a tortilla.
“What do you think New York Nella starts her day with … eggs and caviar? … maybe a crepe?” wrote Heinrich, whose campaign has described Domenici as an “out-of-touch” multimillionaire who has spent little time in New Mexico over the last half-century.
Voter registration records show Domenici has been registered to vote in New Mexico since 2019, while Heinrich has been registered to vote in the state since 1996.
Republicans have called Heinrich a hypocrite for calling out Domenici, a third-generation New Mexican who contends Heinrich is the real carpetbagger.
Heinrich, who moved to New Mexico out of college, has been branded “Maryland Marty” by his detractors. Though he lives in Albuquerque, Heinrich previously had a home in Maryland. He now maintains a residence in Washington, D.C., for use when the Senate is in session.
Follow Daniel J. Chacón on Twitter @danieljchacon.
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