Martin Heinrich's Chances of Keeping His New Mexico Senate Seat Less Than a Week Before The Election

Democrat Martin Heinrich continues to be in a seemingly comfortable place as he seeks reelection in the New Mexico Senate race less than a week from Election Day.

The latest update of the Real Clear Politics' polling average shows the incumbent ahead by 10 percentage points, leading with 48.3% of the support compared to Republican Nella Domenici's 38.3%.

No polls have been released since mid-October, possibly an implicit conclusion by both parties about Heinrich having the race locked down. The Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan forecaster, considers the race a "Solid Democrat" one, all but guaranteeing Heinrich will keep the seat he has been holding for over a decade now.

The last poll was conducted by Research & Polling and the Albuquerque Journal between October 10 and 18 among 1,024 likely voters, showing the incumbent with a double-digit advantage, getting 51% of the support to Domenici's 40%. It is a slightly smaller lead than the two previous surveys, which showed him ahead by 13 and 12 percentage points, respectively, but still comfortably above the margin of error.

Heinrich is considered to be a more moderate left of center Democrat, and he first took office in 2013. In 2018, Heinrich won reelection with about 54% of the vote in a three-way race against Republican Mick Rich and Libertarian candidate and former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson.

Prior to his Senate tenure, he joined the AmeriCorps, worked as a mechanical engineer, managed nonprofits and founded a public affairs consulting firm.

He also was appointed in 2006 to be New Mexico's Natural Resources Trustee, spent four years on the Albuquerque City Council, and represented New Mexico's 1st Congressional District in the U.S. House from 2009 to 2013.

Domenici, on the other hand, has not previously held a public office, spending the majority of her career in the finance industry, working for large companies like Bridgewater Associates, Citadel and Credit Suisse First Boston. She also has a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center, and a graduate degree from the Harvard Business School.