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.

A trial court previously determined that while the map favors Democrats, it did not reach the threshold of being an "egregious" gerrymander, according to the Associated Press. The New Mexico Supreme Court on Monday issued an order concurring with the lower court's decision.

Newsweek reached out to the Republican Party of New Mexico for comment via email on Monday.

Democratic lawyer Marc Elias, who has represented the party in redistricting cases, celebrated the ruling in a post to X, formerly Twitter.

"Nope, still not tired," he wrote in response to someone asking if he was "tired of winning."

Several states have redrawn or are considering redrawing their congressional maps ahead of the 2024 elections, giving both major political parties mixed results. Democrats and Republicans have accused each other of unfairly drawing maps in states they control to maximize their power in the federal government.

North Carolina Republicans secured a major win for their party after redrawing the congressional map to favor the GOP. The congressional delegation is split 7-7, as the state is seen as having a narrow Republican advantage. The new map will feature 10 Republican-leaning districts, three leaning toward Democrats, and one competitive seat.

Democrats gained a seat in Alabama after a court ruled the GOP-drawn map was a racial gerrymander that diluted the power of Black voters. Democrats are also likely to benefit from a court-ordered redraw in Georgia after a judge overturned that map, also as a racial gerrymander.

Louisiana Republicans were also reordered to redraw their map after a court ruled its current map is a racial gerrymander, and lawmakers have until January 15 to do so.

Wisconsin's Supreme Court is considering striking down its map, which critics say unfairly favors Republicans, as Trump carried six of its eight congressional districts despite losing the state.

New York Democrats are also seeking to redraw the state's map, though it remains unclear whether this will occur before the 2024 elections.