In the heart of Albuquerque, the longtime Democratic Senate District 15 seat is up for grabs between Republican candidate Craig Degenhardt and Democratic candidate Heather Berghmans.
Berghmans beat out longtime Democratic incumbent Daniel Ivey-Soto in the primary elections in June.
Berghmans said she’s committed to working on public safety, reducing gun violence and expanding early childhood care.
“The area that some lawmakers have been talking about and how to improve the career options for our early childhood care providers is an area I really would like to focus on,” she said.
Craig Degendhardt is a senior industrial designer and said his son, who is a foster parent, inspired him to run for office. He said that the state’s Children, Youth, & Families Department needs more attention.
“So that they have the proper training, the proper resources to be able to really take care of kids,” he said.
Degenhardt is also focused on helping the homeless and reducing crime by working with law enforcement.
He said he has the experience working on three continents, under different governments and with different people.
“My opponent is a younger woman with a young child, infant, actually, and she worked five years for the Democratic Party, which, there's nothing wrong with that, but this would be her first venture out,” he said.
Berghmans has been a policy analyst at the Legislature and was campaign finance director for a consulting firm working with the House Democratic Caucus.
“I believe that the best way to improve the lives of the whole state and everyone in New Mexico is by being a dedicated public servant,” she said.
She said she feels now is the right time and place for her to be in the Legislature.
“I am excited to be another voice in the Senate of the younger generation, and a woman's perspective,” she said.
At 36, Berghmans would be the youngest serving state senator if she wins.
Berghmans has raised $197,000 thousand dollars. with most of her funds coming from the Democratic party and fellow senators like Peter Wirth and Katy Duhigg as well as Emily’s List, a national organization focused on electing Democratic women.
Degenhardt trails far behind, raising close to $4,000 thousand dollars so far with his biggest contributors coming from his own campaign and local businesses.
Election Day is November 5 and you can find more election coverage, including our candidate guide, at KUNM.org.
Support from the coverage comes from the Thornburg Foundation.
