New Mexico Senate nom Nella Domenici earned up to $1 million renting out Connecticut home

Nella Domenici, the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in New Mexico, could be earning income from a home she owns in Connecticut. Her husband, Patrick McDonough, also listed Connecticut as his primary residence on political donations and social media accounts.

Domenici launched her bid for senate in January. Prior to entering politics, she had a career in the financial sector, most notably serving as CFO of the Connecticut-based venture capitalist firm Bridgewater Associates from 2015 to 2018.

Domenici is the daughter of former U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici, who represented New Mexico from 1973 to 2009.

In February, Domenici and McDonough listed their waterfront home in Stamford, Connecticut for rent at $40,000 per month. A listing on the real estate website Redfin describes the six bedroom property as a “former Vanderbuilt summer estate.”

The home is no longer listed for rent. Domenici’s campaign did not respond to questions about its current rental status. Domenici’s May 26 financial disclosure, however, states that she and McDonough earned between $100,001 and $1,000,000 in “rent/royalties” from the home.

According to publicly available records, Domenici and McDonough paid $34,198.25 in property taxes on the home in 2023.

Domenici’s campaign website boasts that she has owned a home in Santa Fe for more than twenty years. In March, McDonough penned an op-ed for the Albuquerque Journal voicing his support for charter schools that described him and his wife as “New Mexicans.”

“The real failing is in our lower-income neighborhoods,” McDonough wrote. “It is in these neighborhoods where outstanding charter schools can create options for frustrated parents who want their kids to enjoy the great American dream … Nella, I, and many other committed New Mexicans are doing something about it.”

The same month the op-ed was published, McDonough’s LinkedIn profile listed his location as Stamford. It has since been changed to Santa Fe.

According to FEC records, McDonough made eight donations to Republican political campaigns between March 2017 and Sept. 2022. All of the donations list Stamford as his place of residence.

Domenici is not the only Republican Senate candidate facing accusations of carpetbagging. In Wisconsin, Republican candidate Eric Hovde has come under fire for spending recent years living and working in California. In Pennsylvania, Republican candidate Dave McCormick, who was also an executive at Bridgewater Associates, has been scrutinized for his ties to Connecticut.

McDonough contributed $2,900 to McCormick’s failed U.S. Senate campaign in 2022.