Top NM Democrat says CD2 will be redrawn (Revenge for voters who feared for their jobs voted Dem poser out)

The Albuquerque Journal ^ | November 6, 2020 | Susan Montoya Bryan

[CedarDave]

A day after Republicans won back New Mexico’s only conservative-leaning congressional district, a top state Democrat said its boundaries will be redrawn in redistricting that will be guided by super majorities in the Democrat-controlled Legislature.

New Mexico House Speaker Brian Egolf, an architect of the state’s progressive Democratic wing, made the announcement Wednesday after GOP nominee Yvette Herrell beat Democratic U.S. House Rep. Xochitl Torres Small in part because of a Republican turnout surge in the 2nd Congressional District.

“So this is the last election for New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District with a map that looks like it looks now,” Egolf said. “So next time it’ll be a different district and we’ll have to see what that means for Republican chances to hold it.”

State Republican Party Chairman Steve Pearce criticized the plan and suggested that Egolf should instead focus on New Mexico’s dismal educational outcomes, lack of jobs and economic opportunities, crime rates and other problems.

“All he can think about are political tricks to make sure his weak candidates can win a district where Republicans are already outnumbered,” Pearce said.

The sprawling district borders Mexico, stretches from remote western ranches to oil pump jacks near Texas and has been won by Democrats only twice in four decades. The Democratic incumbents failed both times to win reelection.

Registered Democrats outnumber Republicans in the district, but Herrell unseated Torres Small as Republicans cast ballots at far higher rates.

[CedarDave]

In NM RadDems control all state government. The winner of CD-2 was a pub to replace a Dem poser who is actually a RadDem enviro-activist (she was a staffer for retiring RadDem Senator Tom Udall. Herrell won because workers in NM-2 feared losing their jobs under a Biden administration, and not just because Biden/Harris might ban fracking. Unlike Texas, Oil and gas production in New Mexico is mainly on Federal and State lands. And the NM State Land Commissioner is also a RadDem.

More info on O&G in NM below.

[Roman_War_Criminal]

Why would any sane corporation want to do business in NM?

[CedarDave]

New Mexico: 85% of oil production in New Mexico is on federal and state lands. The breakdown is 50% federal, 35% state.

80% of natural gas production in New Mexico is on federal and state lands. The breakdown is 60% federal and 20% state.

NM LFC Fun Facts, Oil and Natural Gas Production

• Over 62,000 jobs could be lost by 2022
• $1.1 Billion in state revenue could be at risk
• Oil production would decrease by 47%
• Natural gas production could decrease by 46%

  State by State Impacts of a Federal Leasing Ban

  Also see:
  A Federal Leasing and Development Ban Threatens America’s Energy Security and Economic Growth, Undermines Environmental Progress

[CedarDave]

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[rigelkentaurus]

Surprised that the NM government isn’t using the Stalin solution to a large number of political enemies. Embargo all food from entering the district until everyone is dead. No need to redraw the district that way.

[Rusty0604]

Thanks for posting.

[TexasM1A]

Man that’s a damned shame, too bad there wasn’t an event that recently happened where they could have changed that.

But at least they can get some weed.

[StAnDeliver]

Egolf will regret that statement. League of Latin American Citizens v. Perry and other precedent permits both redistricting experts and Egolf's mens rea to influence SCOTUS deliberations regarding deliberate gerrymandering.

The irony is that the GOP/Plaintiff will probably have to allege that Egolf's gerrymandering disenfranchises -- get this -- GOP Latinos.

[LegendHasIt]

Can we Secede, Or maybe have Texas Annex us? (Maybe they could give El Paso and Las Cruces back to Mexico, while they are at it.)

[CedarDave]

New Mexico has only two things going for it economically. The first is oil and gas production which provides 40% of all state income. The second is tourism.

Nationally, oil and gas is threatened by both a fracking ban and in New Mexico a federal leasing ban. Also in New Mexico the RadDem progressives in ABQ and Santa Fe hate oil and gas and love putting additional regulations (like complete methane capture) which will drive small producers out of business. They also tried to ban fracking but state economists warned what would happen. So they held their nose and take the money.

They have also followed California by banning fossil fuel use for electrical energy production. NM has to be totally on renewables in 25 years. A so-called green energy company just bought out NM Public Service Company and will make it a renewable energy supplier instead of using coal and natural gas for generation.

As far as tourism goes, NM lockdown policies require a full 14-day quarantine for anyone who leaves the state and returns, even if they have a negative Covid-19 test. Exceptions only for OOS medical treatment and parental visits. Same requirements apply to visitors - 14-day quarantine in your hotel or relatives home (interstate travelers excepted, but don’t take any scenic trips).

So no one visited this year, tourist shops and restaurants in ABQ, Santa Fe and Taos pretty much empty unless you chance getting a warning from local or state police. Down here in SE NM lots of Texas plates as the oil industry doesn’t respect state lines so MLG has focused on this area for lockdown - no in school education, restaurants have to be covid19 certified safe, contact tracing with names and phone numbers of restaurant and business patrons, etc.

Under Trump and before covid19, NM had a somewhat bright economic future. Now it’s looking like it will be as bleak as California.

[CedarDave]

The Journal article had this to say about redistricting:

And there’s little recourse in federal court to challenge plans that blatantly shape districts to help a certain political party.

The U.S. Supreme Court in 2019 ruled that partisan gerrymandering of congressional and legislative districts is none of its business.

However, Justice Elena Kagan in a dissenting opinion quoted retired Justice Anthony Kennedy, saying partisan gerrymandering at its most extreme “amounts to ‘rigging elections.'”

[truthluva]

mark

[CedarDave]

The China plague is hitting El Paso hard, probably because of the daily volume of workers crossing the border each day. Dona Ana County has the second highest number of cases after ABQ's Bernalillo County: 12,828 vs. 7,627.

Not the Juarez border crossing, but El Paso residents lined up to be tested for Covid-19

[Jess Kitting]

The China plague is hitting El Paso hard

The building in that picture looks somewhat like the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet, China.

[IYAS9YAS]

But at least they can get some weed.

Medical card only. It isn’t legal here in NM for the masses... yet.