Republican New Mexico Senate leader won’t seek reelection

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The top-ranked Republican in the New Mexico Senate won’t seek reelection this year as his party reckons with the first election since a redistricting plan from Democrats merged two GOP-led districts.

Senate Republican leader Greg Baca of Belen said his decision to leave the Senate by year’s end was informed by conversations with his family, prayer and attention to new political boundaries adopted by the Democrat-led Legislature in 2021.

“Careful observers of the progressive plan to pit two Hispanic Republicans against each other through redistricting may have seen this coming,” said Baca in a statement, while endorsing Republican state Sen. Josh Sanchez in the merged district. “In short, I refuse to allow the radical left to pit brother against brother.”

State legislative candidates raced against a Tuesday-evening deadline to submit signature petitions that can qualify them for the state’s June 4 primary and November general election.

Democrats outnumber Republicans nearly 2-1 in the state Senate, amid a wave of retirement announcements that could tilt the partisan balance next year. The entire Legislature is up for election in November.

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