Santa Fe, NM — Yesterday, two Democrat lawmakers –Senator Harold Pope & Representative Cristina Parajón–officially resigned from the Fair Districts Task Force. This working group is commissioned to provide redistricting recommendations for consideration by the New Mexico Legislature. The task force is composed of state lawmakers, representatives from the Governor's office, the Secretary of State, and various members of the public.
These two Democrat lawmakers cited gerrymandering in other states as the primary purpose for their resignations. In an email sent to the task force, Senator Harold Pope (D-Albuquerque) even claimed that "our neighbors and fellow Americans are trapped in districts carved up for partisan advantage." But the irony is this: New Mexico voters, 46% of whom voted for Republican President Donald Trump less than a year ago, have been denied anything except exclusive Democrat Party representation in our federal and statewide offices, and counties which have historically voted for Republican candidates were "carved up" by Democrats during the state's most recent redistricting efforts.
In response to this obvious political posturing, Senator Jay Block (R-Rio Rancho), a member of the Fair Districts Task Force, issued the following statement:
"I literally laughed when I read the hypocritical statements from these two radical Democrats who, unsurprisingly, turn a blind eye to the blatant gerrymandering in New Mexico. Senator Pope actually had the audacity to claim that Texas leaders are using their power to 'systematically disenfranchise communities of color and redraw maps that protect their own political survival.' Where was his concern when his own party—led by a white, male Speaker of the House—targeted several Republican districts in New Mexico, particularly those held by two minority women: former State Representative Jane Powdrell-Culbert (a black woman) and former Congresswoman Yvette Herrell (a Native American woman)? He also conveniently fails to mention that four of the new districts in Texas are actually majority-minority Hispanic districts.
This isn't about diversity… it's clear they only care about advancing their radical ideology and exercising control over New Mexicans. This immature and lackluster stunt only draws attention to the need for transparency in our state's redistricting. Instead of merely seeking attention, these deceitful out-of-touch Democrats ought to focus on finally bringing fairness to our state's corrupt political maps. But they won't. As a result, New Mexico continues to be a prime example of blatant gerrymandering which denies almost half of our state's voters a voice and fair representation. Senator Pope is seeking higher office but he continues to put his party's radical ideology over his duty to represent New Mexicans, raising questions about whether he deserves a promotion if he can't even fulfill the oath of office of his current position."
