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Tuesday, July 05, 2011
Martin Heinrich Raises $485,000 for U.S. Senate Run This Quarter, $700,000 on Hand
The Martin Heinrich for Senate campaign announced today that, "In his first statewide campaign Martin Heinrich showed an impressive reach, gathering contributions from 2,200 individuals during the latest fundraising period between the beginning of April to the end of June 2011." The campaign said their fundraising report will show that he raised approximately $485,000 in the second quarter and has just over $700,000 cash on hand.
The campaign also said that the "latest fundraising tallies also confirm Martin’s strong online following with more than $72,000 raised through the Web."
“I am humbled by the number of individuals, labor unions, and grassroots organizations who are powering this campaign with their support and dedication to providing a better future for New Mexico,” Heinrich said in a statement released today. “The working class values I was raised with are what drive me to work hard every day on behalf of the people of our great state, and I will continue my efforts to build the largest grassroots campaign New Mexico has ever seen.”
The detailed fundraising report will be filed with the Federal Election Commission by July 15, 2011.
To see a collection of our posts on the 2012 U.S. Senate race in New Mexico, visit our archive.
July 5, 2011 at 01:40 PM in 2012 NM Senate Race, Rep. Martin Heinrich (NM-01) | Permalink
Comments
More evidence that DC insiders are trying to decide our Senate race.
Powerful Party Insiders Throw Fundraisers for New Mexico Senate Candidates
Thanks to the pending retirement of Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., New Mexico will have an open Senate seat come fall 2012. Although the primary election has yet to happen, the seat looks likely to be filled by a representative from New Mexico’s 1st district, either the current or the former. Rep. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., and former Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M., are both candidates to replace Bingaman and will likely receive the nomination of their respective parties. The last FEC quarterly reports from their campaigns show comparably sized accounts and both have been busy with fundraisers in recent weeks, some of which have been hosted by influential party operatives.
On the night of July 6, Wilson will join at least 25 hosts at Capitol Hill Tower for a Wine Tasting Reception. Twelve of those hosts are registered lobbyists, including Joe Moser, a former legislative assistant and legislative director to Wilson from her days in the House. Also listed on the invitation are Loren Monroe and George Ramonas, both of whom were once staffers to former New Mexico senator Pete Domenici. The wine tasting is scheduled to be a small dollar event with listed contributions from $100 to $500.
A few weeks earlier on June 16, Wilson scheduled a reception at the Army Navy Golf Club. The event was hosted by a group of retired air force generals including former director of the NSA and CIA Michael Hayden, as well as former Secretary of the Air Force Michael Wynne. Wilson herself is a graduate of the Air Force Academy. The suggested contribution for the event was $500 for an individual and $1,000 for a PAC.
While Rep. Heinrich may not have the military connections of his likely opponent, he has done some fundraising with otherwise well-connected lobbyists. On May 24, Heinrich was the beneficiary of an evening reception at the rooftop at 1101 Pennsylvania Ave NW. Ten lobbyists were scheduled to host the event, including former staffers of Sens. Max Baucus, D-Mont., and Herb Kohl, D-Wis, as well as former Sen. Tom Daschle and Rep. Rahm Emmanuel among others. The price to attend the reception was a low $250 for an individual and $500 for a PAC.
Posted by: vieja | Jul 5, 2011 3:01:35 PM
Shocking that people Heinrich has gotten to know in Congress are supportive of his election to the Senate? Right. The reason Balderas isn't getting that kind of support is that nobody knows him in Congress because he has been nit picking local matters as auditor while Heinrich has been dealing with national issues and building his reputation both in the Congress and at home.
It's really impressive that labor is backing Heinrich so strongly at a time when many Democrats are seen as abandoning unions and workers. It says that labor trusts Heinrich and not Balderas.
Posted by: Esq. | Jul 5, 2011 3:13:18 PM
I have to laugh that whenever there is an article on here about this race Hector Balderas has his handful of cronies plant negative comments about Heinrich. I guess that's what you have to do if you have no real credibility as a Senate candidate and a weak campaign organization.
Heinrich's campaign is organized, factual and professional as it always is. That's how he won the CD1 race last year. It shows when a challenger is a rank amateur in comparison.
Posted by: Heinrich #1 | Jul 5, 2011 3:22:02 PM
This Roll Call headline says it all:
HEINRICH BEGAN JULY WITH TWICE AS MUCH CASH AS BALDERAS
https://www.rollcall.com/news/Martin-Heinrich-2nd-quarter-fundraising-207018-1.html?pos=hbtxt
Posted by: Guess What? | Jul 5, 2011 3:32:17 PM
Golly folks! Tone it down, will ya? Look, we all have our preferred candidate, and while debate is healthy, we need to keep it civil.
Let's focus on the issues and on the actual performance of each candidate. In response to Guess What, Politico.com's post says it all: "Democratic State Auditor Hector Balderas beat the expectations game, taking in $400,000 in just two months, compared to Rep. Martin Heinrich's $485,000 haul over the full three month period. For the outsider Balderas, it puts to rest whether he'll have the resources to compete.
Posted by: Javier | Jul 5, 2011 4:27:49 PM
Funny: When Heinrich gets money from figures on the national scene, Balderas people say that doesn't count because they are "DC insiders." But when real DC insiders like Roll Call and National Journal say something about Balderas, they are suddenly knowledgeable pros, not DC insiders. Can't have it both ways!
I want to focus on the issues but Balderas hasn't taken a stand yet on any of them. We're waiting.
Posted by: Heinrich #1 | Jul 5, 2011 4:53:49 PM
Hector raised a healthy number too. over $400,000.00 in 60 days. My vote is for Hector.
Posted by: Preciliano Martin | Jul 5, 2011 5:24:46 PM
Heinrich# 1: No one is having it both ways. It's dangerous to take too much DC money otherwise who is one accountable to? I'm not saying Rep. Heinrich takes too much money from DC (the July 15th reports will show where everyone's money is coming from). As far as national blogs and publications, I was just responding to the one that you cited (Roll Call). Don't be so angry. It's ok - we have two good candidates. We should be celebrating the fact that at the end of this primary, we will have one heck of a nominee. Cheers!
Posted by: Javier | Jul 5, 2011 5:32:50 PM
My personal effort to help Hector. New Mexico Needs Hector
Posted by: Preciliano Martin | Jul 5, 2011 5:58:19 PM
Establishment excuse #99 of why Balderas shouldn't run for Senate- "he can't raise the money" ...CHECK. Next establishment myth to debunk- "he doesn't know the national issues.". Let the man run already naysayers...he is 60 days into this.
Posted by: Val | Jul 5, 2011 7:51:10 PM
"It's ok - we have two good candidates."
We do? That'd be something new and different.
The Democratic Party of New Mexico has put up a bunch of truly awful candidates in the past. (Insert obligatory Emilio Naranjo reference). Names such as Eric Serna, Patricia Madrid, Joe Romero and many others suggest that if we have even one passable candidate in this race, it'd be unusual.
Got any actual evidence to support your claim, or is it just the usual "rah rah all democrats are wonderful" kinda crap?
Personally, I'm so disgusted with the DPNM that I'm perfectly prepared to turn in a blank ballot in the primary and in the general. I'll cast a ballot, but I'm past the point where I'll vote for a lousy candidate.
Posted by: Michael H Schneider | Jul 5, 2011 8:54:49 PM
I look forward to seeing who gave to each candidate. My guess is that many people maxed out their primary contributions to Hector and they won't be able to give more until the general if Balderas makes it.
Posted by: Al | Jul 6, 2011 9:03:04 AM
Seems to me that the expectations for Balderas keep getting moved. 2 months ago, the question was whether he could raise enough money in his first quarter to remain competitive. He did it. Now the question is whether that money was low hanging fruit. Really? Can we move on and accept the fact that neither Heinrich or Balderas are going to drop out of this race anytime soon? Let the two battle it out. Let's see who can win the hearts and minds of New Mexicans!
Posted by: Javier | Jul 6, 2011 2:31:22 PM
Of course expectations change as a race progresses. Is that surprising to you? They will keep changing and more and more will be expected of both candidates especially the one who is untested with national media, savage attacks from the right wing or in debates for example. It is a long road to winning the nomination and we'll see how it goes.
Posted by: Al | Jul 6, 2011 3:03:11 PM
