Republicans dealt blow in latest congressional map battle

Republicans were dealt a blow after New Mexico's Supreme Court upheld the state's congressional map, which the state GOP argued was overly favorable to Democrats.

New Mexico Republicans filed a lawsuit accusing the state legislature of remaking the map into a Democratic gerrymander, therefore violating the state's constitution. During the redistricting process prior to the 2022 midterms, lawmakers redrew the map to make New Mexico's 2nd Congressional District, previously viewed as having a Republican lean, more Democratic.


Democratic Representative Gabe Vasquez holds the seat. He defeated Republican Congresswoman Yvette Harrell by 0.7 percentage points in 2022, and President Joe Biden carried the seat by roughly 6 points in 2020. Former President Donald Trump won the district by nearly 12 points in the previous iteration of the map.

The state's high court rejected the GOP's lawsuit on Monday, handing Republicans their latest restricting loss after the party asked the court to redraw the map in a "partisan-neutral" manner, according to Democracy Docket.