Rep. Martin Heinrich has won the Democratic nomination for New Mexico's open U.S. Senate seat and will face former GOP Rep. Heather Wilson in the general election.
Heinrich defeated state Auditor Hector Balderas on Tuesday. The two-term congressman had 60 percent of the vote with almost half of the expected turnout in the race, according to unofficial results.
Wilson easily defeated Las Cruces businessman Greg Sowards for the GOP nomination, receiving 70 percent of the vote.
Heinrich was elected to the Albuquerque-area 1st Congressional District in 2008, when Wilson stepped down to run for the Senate. She lost in the GOP primary to Steve Pearce.
With Democratic Sen. Jeff Bingaman retiring after 30 years, New Mexico is expected to become a national battleground in the general election as Republicans seek to gain control of the Senate
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.