How NM's Redrawn Congressional Map Could Affect Future Elections

New Mexico in Focus (A Production of NMPBS)

This week on the podcast, Lou DiVizio updates some state headlines including a grand jury indictment of a Las Cruces Police Officer in the shooting of an unarmed black man accused of stealing a single can of beer from a gas station.

Last month, the New Mexico Supreme Court handed Republicans a defeat when the justices ruled that the state's redrawn congressional map was constitutional. The case began in early 2022, when the GOP filed a lawsuit alleging state Democrats drew new lines for District 2 in a way that weakened the voting power of residents, mostly in southern New Mexico. Last October, District Court Judge Fred Van Soelen found that Democrats intentionally tried to dilute Republican votes in District 2, but that those efforts did not "rise to the level of an egregious gerrymander." The Supreme Court agreed.

Host: Lou DiVizio

Correspondent: Nash Jones

Guests:

Dede Feldman, Democratic Former New Mexico State Senator

Justine Fox-Young, Republican Former New Mexico State Representative

Ed Chavez, Chair, Citizen Redistricting Committee

For More Information: NM Republican Party loses Supreme Court appeal over state congressional map – KUNM