There's no doctors in the House but there are two in the state Senate and one of them is working to come up with just the right prescription to fend off an unexpectedly strong challenge from his Republican opponent. 

Dr. Martin Hickey is seeking a second four year term from Senate District 20 in ABQ's far NE Heights. 

Republican engineer Wayne Yevoli is his foe, running on an anti-crime platform and with the help of an outside PAC calling Hickey a "phony" and a friend of "Big Pharma."

One of their mailers declares:  

Martin Hickey claims to be a doctor in slick TV ads and mailers. In reality, he has spent the last thirty years as a hospital and insurance executive. 

Hickey's campaign answers that Yevoli is an anti-abortion zealot and an unabashed backer of MAGA.

The race popped up on the radar when recent insider polling showed Hickey below 50 percent---getting 48 to Yevoli's 43. 

That conceivably puts the race in play with Hickey still having a clear edge, but it was only four years ago that Hickey took over the seat from longtime GOP Senator Bill Payne.

An ace in the hole for Hickey, a former CEO and Chief Medical Officer for Lovelace Health Systems, is the Democratic performance of the district which is 53 percent. 

Hickey is working furiously to bring himself up to that level, repeatedly mailing the district and cutting a digital TV ad touting his 46 years as a medical doctor. 

The other medial doctor in the Senate is Republican Greg Schmedes who is not seeking re-election. 

ATTACK PAC

The most strident attacks on Hickey are coming from the Our Values PAC financed mainly by oil money, including oil giant Chevron and longtime GOP activist and Roswell oil magnate Mark Murphy. 

They cite Senate Bill 135 in particular as a reason for dumping the doctor. The measure passed the Senate 38-2 and was signed by the Governor. Hickey and GOP Senator Mark Moores were the two no votes:  

SB 135 would ensure doctors can ask health insurers to cover medications without the patient having to first try a cheaper version, a strategy insurers use to save money called “step therapy.” The bill adds medications approved for treating substance use disorder, autoimmune disorders, behavioral health conditions and cancer to the list of drugs that cannot be subject to step therapy or prior authorization requirements. . .Hickey said he supported the bill but it could lead to more complications and drug-to-drug interactions. 

Thus the nickname "Heartless Hickey" coined by the PAC. 

Yevoli's baggage appears limited but with abortion and MAGA the Dems don't need a smoking gun.

Also, the ABQ Journal, very often Republican in their editorial endorsements, failed to endorse Yevoli and gave the nod to Hickey. 

Yevoli's background:

I am a Professional Engineer and own a small engineering firm in Albuquerque. I have over thirty-seven years of engineering and design experience, including design from conception through construction document preparation and observation My specific areas of expertise include heating and cooling systems.

Yevoli, who bills himself as a "political outsider," is a good fit for Republicans and independents in the district who are still settling in with Democrat Hickey.  

His fate in large part will depend on enthusiasm for Trump and Dems getting the blue flu and refusing the doctor's orders by not voting because of those negative hits.

The Dems are not taking any chances. The money race in the district has Hickey raising $272,000 (including a $24,000 personal loan) and Yevoli $115,000. But the Republican is getting that PAC support to help make up the difference.

We look forward to bringing you the results of this intense battle and all the others when we take to the microphones of KANW 89.1 FM and kanw.com on Election Night for our wall-to-wall coverage.  

ABOUT THE PAC

Hamblen and Barncastle Salopek

The oil-backed Our Values PAC involved in a number of legislative races on behalf of GOP candidates has raised $577,000 for the cycle, spent $429,000 and at last report had $172,000 on hand for the closing weeks.

Besides Yevoli, other GOP hopefuls they have been aiding include Nicole Chavez in ABQ District 31 in the far NE Heights and Samntha Barncastle Salopek in Las Cruces in her race against Dem Senator Carrie Hamblen.

Hamblen is seeking a second four year term after defeating local Las Cruces Dem legend Mary Kay Papen four years ago in the Dem primary. Papen is now endorsing Republican Salopek in the District 38 race. 

Hamblen has deep-seated progressive support in her district which leans firmly D and she has brought home ample capital outlay to the area. But a consultant with the Our Values PAC said of Salopek, a 39 year old water and agriculture attorney:

We see Sam as a rising start in the Republican party. She's young, smart, comes from a well-known and respected ranching family and is raising her own family, including a daughter with special needs. She would be a great addition to a state Senate that sorely needs new Republican faces.

Apparently a lot of R's agree. Salopek has raised $140,000 and spent $108,000, according to her latest report. That makes this a serious challenge for Hamblen, despite the 60 percent Dem lean of the district. But there are plenty of conservative Dems in those numbers as Papen demonstrated. 

Hamblen has raised $115,000 and spent $23,000 with over $90,000 left to close out the race.

The candidates discuss their views on the issues here. 

The Las Cruces Bulletin headlined their profile of the race: 

Hamblen's reelection bid faces stiff challenge from Barncastle Salopek

Hamblen vs. Salopek--another race for state political aficionados to keep their eye on come Election Night,

DEBATE VID

KOB-TV has now posted video of the Sunday morning US Senate debate between Sen. Heinrich and Nella Domenici held at ABQ's Congregation Albert and broadcast live. That video is here.

THE BOTTOM LINES

In an early draft Monday we had Senator John Pinto among those greeting VP Dem nominee Tim Walz at the Gallup airport Saturday. Sen. Pinto passed away in 2019. His granddaughter, Shannon Pinto, was elected to his seat and it was she who greeted Walz. Santa Fe reader Stuart Bluestone was among our readers who had some fun with the error:

Joe, I know Day of the Dead celebrations are drawing near, but I doubt even my old friend Sen. John Pinto was able to greet Gov. Walz at his stop in Gallup. 

Sen. Pinto lived to 94. 

Former ABQ GOP state Rep. Janice Arnold-Jones comes with the news that former ABQ GOP westside state Rep. Tom Anderson (2003-2015) has died at 91. No other details were immediately available.

This is the Home of New Mexico Politics.