Unassuming, dressed in sweatpants and wearing white running shoes, early, just past 7 a.m., and looking for that first cup of coffee from Artesia’s Kith + Kin, Nella Domenici, with hopes of knocking Sen. Martin Heinrich out of the U.S. Senate, pulled up a chair in the middle of an all-male group and listened.
“She’s a great listener,” said one of the men. “Her father was the same way — approachable.”
The group discussed construction work, lack of an available workforce, local projects, and most likely some political concerns. They strayed from their normal chatter of fishing, national and state politics, sports — mostly college football — and a recommendation of a good book or two. Sitting nearby as Domenici listened to the group was Artesia Republican, State Rep. Jim Townsend, who is now running for the State Senate. On this day he wasn’t as usual answering questions. He, too, was a listener.
Domenici, 63, is the Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate seat from New Mexico, now held by Heinrich, who is in his second term and seeking a third. She and her husband, Pat, live in Santa Fe where she says they have had a house for almost 20 years. The couple began living there full time four years ago.
Later in the morning, Domenici was still listening but also talking. She is assertive and direct and has opinions on subjects of political interest such as abortion and former President Donald Trump, problems at the border, and on the importance of the oil and gas industry to New Mexico and to the nation. She frequently emphasizes she is an “independent thinker.”
Her career has been in business working for several financial companies in investments, mergers and acquisitions, and as a chief financial officer. She has served on several national boards. She says she is transitioning from, “being an executive in business to being- hopefully- an executive in government.”
She points with considerable pride to the work she and her husband have done promoting charter schools in New Mexico, some in the poorest neighborhoods in Albuquerque. She is a founder of Excellent Schools New Mexico.
She carries with her the famous name and lineage of her father, the late Sen. Pete Domenici, New Mexico’s longest-serving senator who served from 1973 until his retirement in 2009. He died at 85 in 2017. The family moved to Washington, D.C., when she was 12 because she said her father could not afford a home in two cities. But, she says, her father was the most influential politician in the state, and she never lost touch with New Mexico.
Sen. Domenici was well-known for his ability to build consensus among politicians from both parties. He mingled well with “the people,” whether speaking in English or Spanish. He delivered projects and money to their hometowns.
Nella Domenici appears to have followed his example of connecting personally with voters and she said she will be traversing the state to show, if elected, she will not be distant. She will be present.
A mere eight weeks into her campaign, she has been much sought after for press interviews. Wednesday in Artesia was her first radio interview and first newspaper interview. She explained that she has not avoided the press but wanted to be certain her other priorities such as campaign staff organizing were in place.
“One of my priorities, of course, is to be a good public communicator,” she said. “I have a deep desire to meet with the people of New Mexico at all levels, to meet them in person.”
Frequently describing herself as an independent thinker, she said results of statewide polling gave her the impetus to run against Heinrich who is often described as distant and Domenici said, “removed.” During her earlier radio interview, she said she was told that Heinrich had not visited the station for an interview in the last 12 years he has been in the U.S. Senate.
Domenici said she believes she can beat her opponent because Heinrich is out of touch and, “New Mexico is at a tipping point right now.” She cited education, crime, fentanyl addiction, inflation, problems at the border and an unreceptive environment for business as the prime issues in the election and said many are the lingering results of COVID and its poor handling by New Mexico state government.
While she said Heinrich, “wants to kill this oil and gas industry…” and “hurting his state, hurting his country,” she said, “The top issue is not the carbon footprint anymore.” It’s the other issues she highlighted.
“I represent change,” she said, “and I will be able to focus on many of these problem areas.”
Asked her stance on abortion, Domenici responds forcefully, “I very, very much want to focus on how to reduce abortions.”
Citing this as an example of her independent thinking, she said she has examined what she calls the root issues of the subject, and her focus will be on “unintended pregnancies.”
“One out of every three unintended pregnancy resulted in abortions,” said referring to statistics she has studied.
Asked if her answer was pro-choice or anti-abortion, she said her answer is to “reduce abortions,” through more efforts on birth control.
Trump?
Domenici said she was not “looking for his endorsement… and “not anticipating giving him an endorsement.” She said she has both agreed and disagreed with Trump.
“The only endorsement I care deeply about is the endorsement of the voters of the state.”
While in Artesia, Domenici met with a group of about 35 to 50 citizens at the Artesia Chamber of Commerce and then traveled to Hobbs for meetings there Wednesday evening and Thursday.