New Mexico voters oust incumbents from Legislature with positive implications for paid family leave

By MORGAN LEE
Associated Press

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico voters have ousted several incumbents from the Democratic-led Legislature in the state’s primary election amid tensions over paid family leave initiatives and a reckoning with accusations of sexual harassment. Ballots were being tallied Wednesday after voters picked their partisan favorites to reshape a Democratic-led Legislature, with all 112 seats up for election in November. The primary results held implications for Native American communities, the state’s oil production region and the #MeToo movement. Former school board member and educator Jon Hill of Las Cruces defeated state Rep. Willie Madrid of Chapparal in a district that borders Texas and traverses the Organ Mountains.