New Mexico state lawmaker changes party affiliation from Democrat to 'decline to state'

New Mexico state Sen. Jacob Candelaria changed his party affiliation from Democrat to "declining to state," the Santa Fe New Mexican reported. He announced the switch Monday in the early moments of a special session of the state legislature.

The special session was called to address redistricting, which Candelaria said was the reason for his exit from the party.

"I don’t think that the decisions we make should be based on partisan ambitions, and it broke my heart to see already that the Senate maps deliberately dilute and gerrymander the west side of Albuquerque to preserve perceived partisan advantage for some members of the Democratic Party," Candelaria said. "You would strip representation from people that I represent, many of whom are Hispanic, simply because it benefits you at the ballot box."

Candelaria lamented the political triba... (Read more)

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