United States Senate elections in New Mexico, 2012
 |
New Mexico's 2012 elections U.S. Senate • U.S. House • Other executive offices • State Senate • State House • State ballot measures • Candidate ballot access |
 |
2014 →
|
 |
Martin Heinrich  |
Jeff Bingaman |
 |
Lean Democrat (Prior to election) |
 |
Voters in New Mexico elected one member to the U.S. Senate in the November 6, 2012 elections. Democratic candidate Martin Heinrich won the election.
| Candidate Filing Deadline | Primary Election | General Election |
|---|---|---|
Primary: New Mexico had a closed primary system, meaning only registered members of a particular party could vote in that party's primary.
Voter registration: Voters had to register to vote in the primary by May 8. For the general election, the voter registration deadline was October 9.[1]
- See also: New Mexico elections, 2012
Incumbent: The election filled the Class 1 Senate seat, which was held by Jeff Bingaman (D). First elected in 1982, Bingaman was not running for re-election in 2012.
Candidates
Note: Election results were added on election night as races were called. Vote totals were added after official election results had been certified. Click here for more information about Ballotpedia's election coverage plan. Please contact us about errors in this list.
General election candidates
June 5, 2012, primary results
|
|
|
|
Election results
General election
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |  Martin Heinrich |
51% | 395,717 | |
| Republican | Heather Wilson | 45.3% | 351,260 | |
| Independent American | Jon Ross Barrie | 3.6% | 28,199 | |
| Total Votes | 775,176 | |||
| Source: New Mexico Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election" | ||||
Democratic primary
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Martin Heinrich |
58.9% | 83,432 |
| Hector Balderas | 41.1% | 58,128 |
| Total Votes | 141,560 | |
Republican primary
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Heather Wilson |
70% | 63,631 |
| Greg Sowards | 30% | 27,214 |
| Total Votes | 90,845 | |
Race rating
Cook Political Report
Each month the Cook Political Report released race ratings for President, U.S. Senate, U.S. House (competitive only) and Governors. There are seven possible designations:[6]
|
Solid Democratic
|
Tossup |
Lean Republican
|
| Cook Political Report Race Rating -- New Mexico Senate | |
|---|---|
| Month | Rating |
| October 4, 2012[7] | |
| September 13, 2012[8] | |
| August 21, 2012[9] | |
| July 12, 2012[10] | |
| May 31, 2012[11] | |
| May 10, 2012[12] | |
| March 22, 2012[13] | |
| March 1, 2012[14] | |
| January 26, 2012[15] | |
| December 22, 2011[16] | |
| December 1, 2011[17] | |
Sabato's Crystal Ball
The University of Virginia's Center for Politics published an article called Sabato's Crystal Ball on March 22, 2012, detailing the eight races in the Senate in 2012 that would decide the political fate of which party ended up with control in 2013.[18] The seat rated a toss-up that the Sabato's Crystal Ball believed was most likely to end up Democratic was the Senate seat in New Mexico. The article noted that the state had generally been leaning Democratic and did not become a race with much interest until the incumbent Jeff Bingaman announced he would retire rather than seek re-election in 2012.[18] The Republican challenger Heather Wilson was expected to give Republicans a "fighting chance in a tough state for them."[18]
Polls
| Martin Heinrich vs. Heather Wilson | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Heinrich | Wilson | Other candidate | Undecided | Margin of error | Sample size | |||||||||||||
| GBA Strategies (October 30,2012) | 51% | 41% | 6% | 0% | +/-4.0 | 600 | |||||||||||||
| Public Opinion Strategies (October 29, 2012) | 43% | 44% | 6% | 7% | +/-4.38 | 100 | |||||||||||||
| Research & Polling Inc. of Albuquerque (October 23-25, 2012) | 50% | 42% | 3% | 6% | +/-3.8 | 662 | |||||||||||||
| Albequerque Journal (September 3-6) | 49% | 42% | 0% | 8% | +/-3.8 | 667 | |||||||||||||
| Public Policy Polling (September 7-9) | 50% | 41% | 0% | 9% | +/-2.9 | 1,122 | |||||||||||||
| Rasmussen (August 23,2012) | 48% | 41% | 5% | 7% | +/-4.5 | 500 | |||||||||||||
| AVERAGES | 48.5% | 41.83% | 3.33% | 6.17% | +/-3.9 | 608.5 | |||||||||||||
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. | |||||||||||||||||||
Race background
Endorsements
Martin Heinrich (D) was endorsed by the Sierra Club, New Mexico AFL-CIO, National Education Association, and Planned Parenthood Action Fund, among others.[19] A longer list of endorsements was available on his website. Greg Sowards (R) received an endorsement by Representative Rand Paul[20] and Hector Balderas (D) was endorsed by two local firefighters unions, five AFSCME locals, and The Santa Fe New Mexican, among others.[21] A full list of endorsements was available on his website (dead link).
Campaign contributions
Candidates for Congress were required to file up to seven main reports with the Federal Election Commission during the 2012 elections season. Below are candidate reports.
Martin Heinrich
| Martin Heinrich[22] Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| April Quarterly[23] | April 13, 2012 | $1,369,967.70 | $491,047.80 | $(307,022.46) | $1,553,993.04 | ||||
| Pre-Primary[24] | May 24, 2012 | $1,553,993.04 | $330,186.43 | $(722,546.58) | $1,161,632.89 | ||||
| July Quarterly[25] | July 13, 2012 | $1,161,632.89 | $1,088,428.57 | $(486,308.10) | $1,763,753.36 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $1,909,662.8 | $(1,515,877.14) | ||||||||
Heather Wilson
| Heather Wilson[26] Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| April Quarterly[27] | April 14, 2012 | $1,064,519.89 | $760,151.52 | $(377,043.52) | $1,447,628.26 | ||||
| Pre-Primary[28] | May 21, 2012 | $1,447,628.26 | $617,837.32 | $(611,635.88) | $1,453,829.70 | ||||
| July Quarterly[29] | July 12, 2012 | $1,453,829.70 | $1,006,946.69 | $(828,258.55) | $1,632,517.84 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $2,384,935.53 | $(1,816,937.95) | ||||||||
Wilson raised $2.2 million in the third quarter and had $1 million on hand.[30]
Election history
2008
On November 4, 2008, Tom Udall was elected to the United States Senate. He defeated Steve Pearce (R).[31]
| United States Senate, New Mexico General Election, 2008 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Tom Udall |
61.3% | 505,128 | |
| Republican | Steve Pearce | 38.7% | 318,522 | |
| Total Votes | 823,650 | |||
2006
On November 7, 2006, Jeff Bingaman was re-elected to the United States Senate for a fifth term. He defeated Allen W. McCulloch (R) and Orlin G. Cole (Republican Write-in).[32]
| United States Senate, New Mexico General Election, 2006 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Jeff Bingaman Incumbent |
70.6% | 394,365 | |
| Democratic | Allen W. McCulloch | 29.3% | 163,826 | |
| Republican (Write-in) | Orlin G. Cole | 0.1% | 359 | |
| Total Votes | 558,550 | |||
See also
- United States House of Representatives elections in New Mexico, 2012
- United States Senate elections, 2012
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ New Mexico Secretary of State, "Voter Registration FAQ," accessed June 30, 2012
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Roll Call, "Balderas Enters N.M. Senate Race Against Heinrich," accessed January 6, 2012
- ↑ NMPolitics.net, "Sowards announces candidacy for Senate," accessed January 6, 2012
- ↑ Roll Call, "Republican joining NM Senate primary," accessed January 6, 2012
- ↑ New Mexico SOS "Candidate List," accessed September 19, 2012
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "Our Accuracy," accessed December 12, 2011 (dead link)
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2012 SENATE RACE RATINGS," October 4, 2012
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2012 SENATE RACE RATINGS," September 13, 2012
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2012 SENATE RACE RATINGS," August 21, 2012
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2012 SENATE RACE RATINGS," July 12, 2012
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2012 SENATE RACE RATINGS," May 31, 2012
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2012 SENATE RACE RATINGS," May 10, 2012
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2012 SENATE RACE RATINGS," March 22, 2012
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2012 SENATE RACE RATINGS," March 1, 2012
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2012 SENATE RACE RATINGS," January 26, 2012
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2012 SENATE RACE RATINGS," December 27, 2011
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2012 SENATE RACE RATINGS," December 1, 2011
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 Center for Politics, "Tilting the Toss Ups – the Eight Races That Will Decide the Senate" accessed April 9, 2012
- ↑ Martin Heinrich campaign website, "News," accessed May 26, 2012
- ↑ Real Clear Politics, "Rand Paul Backs Sowards in N.M. Senate Race," May 2, 2012
- ↑ Hector Balderas campaign website, "Endorsements," accessed May 26, 2012 (dead link)
- ↑ FEC Reports, "Martin Heinrich Summary Reports" accessed August 21, 2012
- ↑ FEC Reports, "April Quarterly" accessed August 21, 2012
- ↑ FEC Reports, "Pre-Primary" accessed August 21, 2012
- ↑ FEC Reports, "July Quarterly" accessed August 21, 2012
- ↑ [query.nictusa.com/cgi-bin/cancomsrs/?_12+S8NM00168 FEC Reports, "Heather Wilson Summary Reports" accessed August 21, 2012]
- ↑ FEC Reports, "April Quarterly" accessed August 21, 2012
- ↑ 'FEC Reports, "Pre-Primary" accessed August 21, 2012
- ↑ FEC Reports, "July Quarterly" accessed August 21, 2012
- ↑ Sean Sullivan Twitter Post
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 4, 2008"
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 2006"
