Judge rules against Republican challenge to New Mexico redistricting map
NEWS RELEASE FROM THE NM GOP: Judge Fred T. Van Soelen issued his verdict on RPNM’s redistricting case.
He wrote, “the Defendants’ intentions were to entrench their party in CD 2, and they succeeded in substantially diluting their opponents’ votes…,”
Then based solely on the past election with incumbent Yvette Herrell, who has very high name recognition and identification, Judge Van Soelen shockingly ruled that the vote dilution did not rise to the level of an egregious gerrymander.
The Republican Party of New Mexico Chairman and former Congressman Steve Pearce issued the following statement:
“Today’s decision was bigger than Republican or Democrat. It struck at the heart of our Republic, the form of government that allows all beliefs to have a voice.
Judge Van Soelen agreed that there was partisan gerrymandering in the district map for CD2, but we disagree with his ruling that it was not an egregious gerrymander. Our legal team presented a clear case that the legislature intended to and, in fact, did egregiously gerrymander the congressional maps to shift the second district by 18 points in favor of Democrats.
Text messages provided during discovery from Senate President Pro Tempore Mimi Stewart reveal her bragging, ‘The People’s Map was 51.8%. That’s not enough for a mid term (sic) election.’ In order to get a big enough Democratic swing, she claims, ‘we adjusted some edges, scooped up more of abq and are now at 53%.’
The Democrat expert witness also testified that the Democrat lawyers instructed him to design 1,000 maps that resembled the gerrymandered map that the legislature drew.
The legislative redistricting map and all 1,000 of his so-called “random” maps split Lea and Eddy counties, thereby “cracking” the conservative vote in the southeast part of the state. The witness admitted under oath that he had never been instructed to divide a state in the fashion he had been directed to in New Mexico.
The gerrymandered districts disenfranchise the votes of all conservative voters: Hispanic, Native American, Black and all other pro-family, pro-parent, pro-gun, pro-life voters, farmers, and oil and gas workers. Democrat, Republican, and Independents alike have lost their voice. New Mexico’s primary industry is undermined, and jobs are at stake.
The Republican Party of New Mexico believes the fight is too important to accept this setback without contest.