Washington Post Features NM Senate race; Heinrich Has New TV Ad

The Washington Post this morning took a front-page look at the New Mexico Senate race, and especially Republican candidate Heather Wilson’s chances with Hispanic voters. Read full version of Washington Post report.

Post reporter Krissah Thompson traveled to the state to take the temperature of the race. Here’s the lead:

Heather Wilson is one of the best Republican candidates, and is running one of the best campaigns for the Senate, anywhere in the country, the experts say. Her bid is built around her biography, her deep understanding of local issues and her history of political independence.

But the former congresswoman faces long odds in her quest to return to Washington because the politics and demographics of her state are stacked against her. Her essential problem is that New Mexico is 47 percent Hispanic, and those voters tend to vote Democratic, particularly in presidential election years. Barack Obama won New Mexico with 57 percent of the vote in 2008.

Meanwhile, Rep. Martin Heinrich, Wilson’s Democratic opponent, is up with a new TV ad today. The feel-good, autobiographical ad touts Heinrich’s affinity for building things, including, presumably, coalitions of voters to help him get elected to the Senate in November.

You can view the ad here.