NM-01: Heinrich to Take On White

Julie and Martin Heinrich savor last night's win

I'm pumped that Martin Heinrich won decisively in the Dem Congressional primary in New Mexico's First District yesterday, garnering 44% of the vote in a four-way race. Heinrich defeated two competitors with strong name recognition in the state, with Rebecca Vigil-Giron and Michelle Lujan Grisham getting about 23% each. Robert Pidcock trailed badly with only 8%, despite floating generous loans to his campaign to run TV ads in the final days before the election.

Now it's on to the general election, where Martin will face Bush-clone Darren White for the seat. This race, viewed as one of the premier Congressional contests in the nation, is gonna be a barnburner. Are  you ready to pitch in and make sure NM-01 turns Blue?

We do have some serious momentum on our side. As in races in other parts of the country, more Democrats voted in the NM-01 primary than Republicans -- even though the Republicans had a competitive U.S. Senate primary. A grand total of 49,516 Democrats cast their ballots in the First Congressional District race, while only 44,299 Republicans did the same. And if we do what we all know we need to do between now and the general election, we can do much better than that in turning out motivated Dems in November.

Heinrich (R) at podium at Pre-Primary Convention in March

In an email, Heinrich had this to say about his victory:

I couldn't have done it without you and Julie and I are truly humbled by your support.

... I want to take this opportunity to thank Rebecca Vigil-Giron and Michelle Lujan Grisham for a hard fought race. They are both good Democrats who are committed to bringing an end to the war in Iraq, providing health care to all Americans and rebuilding our economy. When it comes to our core values, we have much in common.

I'm proud to say that we ran a positive race focused on the issues that matter to New Mexico's families.

Last night was a great night to be a Democrat. Nationally and locally, our party is coming together. We're united and ready to defeat Republicans like Darren White, who represent the failed policies of George Bush and Dick Cheney.

If you haven't yet gotten involved in Martin's campaign, now's the time to make the plunge. If you were involved in his primary race, it's time to celebrate, take a deep breath, and dive right back into the work at hand. Visit Heinrich's website, consider donating some bucks and renew your pledge to volunteer some time to help get rid of the vestiges of the Bush agenda in NM-01 once and for all.

We've said BYE-BYE (go ahead, click) to Heather Wilson, and now we need to make sure Darren White doesn't take her place. It's a time for cleansing ....

DFA-Democracy for New Mexico has endorsed Martin Heinrich for Congress.

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