Jon Barela
Another Washington analyst has decided that the 1st Congressional District race between Democratic incumbent Martin Heinrich and Republican challenger Jon Barela is becoming more competitive.
Charlie Cook’s publication, the Cook Political Report, last week boosted the race’s rating from “likely Democratic” to “lean Democratic.” That’s the middle of three left-leaning rankings, with the most competitive being “Democratic toss up.”
If you subscribe, you can read about it here. According to a news release from Barela, Cook cited Barela’s “crossover appeal.”
“This is shaping up to be a competitive race,” Cook wrote.
Also last month, Washington analyst Stuart Rothenberg wrote that Heinrich is still the favorite in the race, “but the change in the national mood and an unusually appealing GOP challenger make this definitely a race to watch.”