Partisanship and New Mexico’s Legislature

As the 2020 New Mexico Legislature kicks off, it is a good time to ponder the State’s long history of partisan Democrat control. As the chart below shows (going back to 1931) New Mexico’s levers of power have overwhelmingly been controlled by Democrats for the last 90 years. In fact, 2/3rds of the past 90 years have seen complete control of the House, Senate, and Governor’s Mansion by Democrats.

When it comes to the depth of that partisan control, Democrats have generally had large majorities, but, in what perhaps might be the only significant sign of hope for the State’s beleaguered GOP, the partisan makeup of the Senate remains relatively balanced whereas the 2018 election saw dramatic gains back to historic levels for Democrats in the House.