GOP Senate candidate runs on school choice in New Mexico — where reading scores are dead last in the nation

PHOENIX — Donald Trump’s unexpected rally in Albuquerque, NM, Thursday will bring added attention to the state’s under-the-radar Senate race — and hence to the under-the-radar issue of school choice.

Republican hopeful Nella Domenici, daughter of the late Sen. Pete Domenici, is a businesswoman who with her husband runs the state’s largest charter-school operation.

She told The Post the former president’s visit is a strong signal New Mexico could be in play based on the campaign’s internal data.

Energy is a major facet of the state’s economy. REUTERS

“I agree New Mexico’s in play, and the reason we’re in play is because I’m running against an incumbent, Martin Heinrich, who’s been a senator here for 12 years. And New Mexico has a long list of failures,” Domenici said, citing high levels of crime, drug usage and border issues in the Land of Enchantment.

She also noted the state’s abysmal literacy rates — New Mexico ranked dead last out of all 50 states plus DC in reading performance on the most recent nation’s report card.

But improving education has been on Domenici’s mind long before her run for Senate.

“My husband and I started something about seven-and-a-half years ago called Excellent Schools of New Mexico,” she said. “It either supports existing charter schools in very, very underserved areas, or it starts new charter schools in very underserved areas.”

“Everyone said we could never succeed here, and now we have 9,000 students, 14 schools in underserved areas, and students are outperforming their peers semester after semester. It’s extraordinarily inspiring,” she added.

New Mexicans are becoming more aware of alternative options for educating their kids, creating a big power shift to parents in the state, she said.

Domenici also believes energy policy is a critical issue in her state that doesn’t get enough attention, and that the full potential of the state’s energy reserves is yet to be tapped.

Heinrich is seeking another term in the Senate. AP

“New Mexico sits atop the Permian Basin, the same basin that Texas sits atop. And it’s the best oil basin, literally, probably in the world. And so right now there’s a lot being done by radical progressives to make it difficult for our state to fully unleash the benefits of the Permian Basin,” she said.

While public polling indicates a lead for both Vice President Kamala Harris and Heinrich, Domenici remains optimistic about her race, and the state’s political future.

“People think New Mexico’s a blue state, and it has a small group of radical progressives that don’t represent the whole state and they have too much power,” she said.

“it’s very, very exciting to think that maybe we can create a more balanced set of powers here so that New Mexicans’ priorities are really represented. Right now, they’re not.”