New Mexico to revisit re-redistricting?

[mndemocrat_29]

Here's the article:

http://www.rollcall.com/pub/49_40/politics/3259-1.html

[revcarol]

1. The second Congressional district is drawn for Republicans.

It reaches from almost the top of the eastern part of the state across the bottom to the SW corner of the state. It was specifically drawn to include all of the repugs who favor wholesale development of oil/gas interests EVERYWHERE OVER THE INTERESTS OF CONSUMERS AND ENVIRONMENTALISTS.The current occupant is a repug oil/gas developer who outspent his Democratic opponent about 5:1.
It was also purposely drawn to gather most of the repug whites into one district and minimize Hispanics.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

2. Well then in light of Texas, Colorado, and California....

Gov. Bill Richardson should use the Democratically controlled legislature to get the Dem's another district afterall, this is a Democratic Leaning state! Why should it have more Repugs then Dem's in congress??? This is the same logic used by the Repugs to get the redistricting process through in Texas!

[achildleftbehind]

3. Correction

"This is the same logic used by the Repugs to get the redistricting process through in Texas!"

Except in the case of Texas, it was faulty logic.

[NewJerseyDem]

6. It will be more difficult

First of all, I don't know how much the state really leans to the left but it could be hard to get this approved by the courts. The legislature already has done redistricting unlike in Texas where the courts passed the original plan.

[punpirate]

4. In the case of New Mexico...

... it's a bit more complicated than just Congressional redistricting. A couple of years or so ago, as part of the census changes, the state Repugs hired one of their own state senators to do the redistricting plan (since he is in business as a demographer). The real problem, though, was that when the Republican plan was brought up for a vote, the Democrats thought it was their redistricting plan and voted it through handily. Of course, everyone realized the mistake immediately afterwards, but it was too late--the Republican governor, unlike with other legislation, signed it quickly.

That the Legislature later voted another $33,000 to pay the same state senator to defend the plan in court is just stupidity compounded.

Cheers.

[aquart]

5. Tee hee.

The definition of a Republican is not getting that what's sauce for the goose can also make haute cuisine of the gander.

[UnapologeticLiberal]

7. That would be really dumb

We have to take the high road here or we will have no credibility fighting in court over Texas and using the incident to show that the GOP is trying to illegitimately grab power. One or two seats in New Mexico just ain't worth sacrificing our credibility.