Representative Martin Heinrich
Party: Democrat
State: New Mexico
What you need to know: Heinrich has encouraged President Obama to begin withdrawing U.S. troops from Afghanistan.
Democrat - Challenger
Endorsed for U.S. Senate by Council for a Livable World
Representative Martin Heinrich, a young, bright and charismatic candidate, is running for Senate in New Mexico for retiring incumbent Senator Jeff Bingaman’s seat.
New Mexico has hosted a number of extremely close elections, and this race is not likely to be an exception. President George W. Bush won the state by 6,000 votes out of 756,000 votes cast. Four years before, Al Gore, Jr. won an equally narrow victory.
Rep. Martin Heinrich, a mechanical engineer by training, was born in Fallon, Nevada, the son of an electrician and a factory worker. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Science and Engineering from the University of Missouri and moved to New Mexico in 1995. His first run for office came in 2003 when he was elected to the Albuquerque City Council. His signature issue there was successfully raising the New Mexico minimum wage. In 2006, he was appointed New Mexico’s national resources trustee, where he built a strong relationship with environmentalists.
“Strengthening nuclear threat reduction efforts remains our first line of defense to reduce the risk of nuclear terrorism. Failure to secure or remove bomb-grade materials where they are most vulnerable will unnecessarily increase the likelihood that terrorists or countries hostile to the United States will acquire a nuclear weapons capability.”
In 2008, he ran for an open House seat, and won handily 56%-44%. In 2010, he won more narrowly by fewer than 8,000 votes, but ran an effective campaign in the face of a Republican tide that swept many Republicans to victory in the state and country.
In the House, he serves on the House Armed Services Committee and the Committee on Natural Resources. A member of the Strategic Forces Subcommittee, last year he worked to build support for ratification of the New START agreement and this year was a leader in building bi-partisan support for full funding for nuclear non-proliferation programs.
He wrote: “Strengthening nuclear threat reduction efforts remains our first line of defense to reduce the risk of nuclear terrorism. Failure to secure or remove bomb-grade materials where they are most vulnerable will unnecessarily increase the likelihood that terrorists or countries hostile to the United States will acquire a nuclear weapons capability.”
Heinrich supports ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty and the Kissinger-Schulz-Nunn-Perry vision of moving toward a world free of nuclear weapons. He also opposes building a new generation of nuclear weapons.
On the Committee on Natural Resources, the Representative has worked on clean energy issues as part of a drive for energy independence.
Additionally, Heinrich has pressed President Obama to begin withdrawing U.S. troops from Afghanistan. Congressman Heinrich received a perfect 100% on the Council’s voting scorecard.
Heinrich’s path to the nomination has one roadblock: New Mexico State Auditor Hector Balderas, a Democrat, is running. Balderas, 37, is a former prosecutor and state legislator. However, a March 2011 New Mexico poll showed Heinrich far ahead of Balderas.
A pollster for an environmental group wrote: “This poll clearly shows that Congressman Heinrich is the candidate best positioned to win the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in New Mexico in 2012. He has a solid lead in a field that includes other well known candidates, and his support is both broad and deep.”
Thus far the two candidates have maintained a positive tone in the campaign.
The Republicans competition, on the other hand, has started off negative and continues downhill. Lieutenant Governor John Sanchez and former Representative and Senate candidate Heather Wilson have been attacking each other. Sanchez has charged:"I don't believe that she is a conservative Republican. I think clearly, her record as a congresswoman is indicative of that."
Wilson has 90% name recognition in the state; Sanchez will likely run a self-funded primary race. A third candidate, underdog businessman Greg Sowards who previously ran for the House has attacked both his opponents. His slogan is “Short. Bald. Honest.”
President Obama has not dipped below 50% approval in New Mexico and now is at 60%. Polling has found that Heinrich has 70% name ID, though most is concentrated in the northern and central parts of the state. Heinrich’s primary objective is to raise name recognition in the southern part of the state throughout the primary season.
A February 2011 poll showed Heinrich 11 points ahead of Wilson, but the contest is sure to be close. Heinrich had $350,000 in his campaign treasury at the end of March, but he expects to need $2-$3 million for the primary and $7 million for the general election.
If Martin Heinrich is elected to the U.S. Senate, he will be positioned to be an active leader on our issues for many years. Council for a Livable World has a history of helping to elect new candidates who can make a difference in the Senate, such as little-known state senator from Illinois named Barack Obama and a 29-year old Joe Biden in his first statewide contest.
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Martin Heinrich for Senate
Council for a Livable World
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