Martin Heinrich retained his U.S. Senate seat on Tuesday night, defeating Republican challenger Mick Rich and Libertarian Gary Johnson to earn a second term.
According to a poll by the Albuquerque Journal, Heinrich was predicted to win by 21 percent. Libertarian candidate and former Governor of New Mexico, Johnson was only predicted to earn 16 percent of the vote.
With 876 precincts reporting, Heinrich was leading with 53 percent of the vote. Rich was in second with 31.60 percent and Johnson was a distant third with 15.36 percent, according to the New Mexico Secretary of State website.
A former Albuquerque city councilor, Heinrich also served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2008 to 2012 before he stepped down in order to run for his Senate seat.
While the Democrats took control of the U.S. House of Representatives, they lost three seats in the Senate, securing GOP control in the upper house.
Heinrich did not want to comment on the night that Democrats had nationally, but shared his thoughts on his campaign and the results for his party in New Mexico.
“I think that the type of campaign that I ran here in the state of New Mexico resonated with New Mexicans,” Heinrich said. “That’s how I try to focus my efforts, because that’s who I work for. I think this was an incredibly successful midterm for Democrats here.”
Heinrich said the focus the party put on jobs, renewable energy and education initiatives such as universal preschool, was what allowed them to see the success that they had on Tuesday, winning the majority of the major races, such as Congressional District One and Governor. He also said that making college or vocational school more affordable and attainable for lower and middle class students is something that he would work on in his coming term.
Rich eventually called Heinrich to concede and offer him his congratulations. He said he was satisfied with his campaign and had the support of his family.
“I went out and I asked the people what they want...It wasn’t my agenda, it was New Mexico’s agenda,” Rich said.
Rich plans on focusing on his family and then take a look at his future political options, he said. Rich said he wouldn’t have done anything differently and said he believed that he worked with what he had, adding he has no regrets.
Heinrich said that Rich’s strategy of moving to the right and appearing with controversial figures such as Steve Bannon, the former executive chairman of far-right website Breitbart and the former chief strategist for President Donald Trump, was not something that would resonate with voters. He said that New Mexicans expect their leaders to work together, across the aisle, to do things for the people.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
“The future is bright, and never give up on what the future holds,” Rich said
Johnson said that although he joined the race late in the game, he would not have done anything differently. He added that he is looking forward to the upcoming ski season.
Cameron Goeldner is a senior reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @Goeldfinger.
Megan Holmen is the assistant news editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at assistant-news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @megan_holmen.
