Democrats Got Greedy on Redistricting

Judge James Hall

Democrats were crying in their political beer on Wednesday after retired Judge James Hall tossed aside every suggestion the Dems offered for redistricting the 70 state House districts. Judge Hall, a Democrat, after reviewing all of the proposals felt the one offered by Governor Susana Martinez was the most fair. Democrats who have controlled the House of Representative for decades currently hold 36 seats in the house while Republicans have 33. Andy Nunez of Dona Ana County is the lone independent in the legislature.

The Albuquerque Journal quoted Santa Fe attorney and angry Democrat house member Brian Egolf, “It is a major upending of the political balance.” Both Representative Egolf and fellow attorney Antonio "Moe" Maestas of Albuquerque were amongst the most vocal critics of the judge's ruling.

In the same Journal article House Minority Leader Tom Taylor of Farmington characterized the new plan as “more competitive” than current districts. “There’s no question that some of the sitting representatives, both D’s and R’s, are going to have to work a little harder,” he said.

After several reports and interviews of the players during the special session indicated that the Republicans were completely shut out of any discussions regarding redistricting maps, House Speaker Ben Lujan was more reflective than his colleagues on Judge Hall's ruling. Apparently the Speaker is still pouring over the maps. Lujan had this to say to the Albuquerque Journal, “The governor’s plan was never vetted anywhere. She didn’t make any attempt to introduce any kind of plan to be discussed during the special session.” Others told News New Mexico that every effort by the GOP to obtain input in the process was summarily rebuffed by the leadership in the House.

In the end most experts we spoke with suggested that the Democrats got greedy and tried to stack the deck. They seem to have counted on the notriously partisan Supreme Court to appoint an equally partisan judge that would let them draw the lines in ways that would benefit the party instead of the voters. Judge Hall spoiled their fun, sided with proposals that encouraged competition, and forced more elected officials to compete for votes instead of simply awarding themselves boundary advantages.

Democrats Got Greedy on Redistricting