Here in sharp relief is the immense rural-city divide that represents the New Mexico politics of our time.

The counties colored red have approved "Second Amendment Sanctuary Resolutions which "prohibit the enforcement of certain gun control measures perceived as violative of the Second Amendment such as universal gun background checks, assault weapon bans and red flag laws."

A novice looking at that map might easily infer that New Mexico is a deep Red state. Of course, the reality is the opposite--NM has gone deep Blue with all executive offices, the legislature and the state's congressional delegation controlled by Democrats.

While 27 of the 33 counties have approved the sanctuary resolution, five counties have not, and therein lies the rub (Los Alamos County not pictured did not pass a resolution).

Those five counties, Bernalillo, Dona Ana, Santa Fe, Taos, Los Alamos and San Miguel. have a population of of 1,126,000 (according to July 1, 2019 Census estimates). That is 53 percent of the state's estimated population of 2.1 million.

This is a deeply frustrating map for anti-gun control advocates as well as the Republican Party which supports their cause. It clearly shows why the Red Flag gun law was approved by the legislature this session. No doubt the matter will head to court to determine the legality of the resolutions and also if a county sheriff refuses to enforce the new law.

Rural New Mexico has been slammed this century by anemic economic conditions and an inexorable population move to the cities here and out of state. That trend shows no signs of abating. The state's Blue standing seems likely to stay as national Republicans have announced no plans to target the open US Senate seat or seriously contest the presidential race (although Trump, as he did for a short while in 2016, continues to tease the prospect of vying for NM).

One thing this map probably doesn't mean, however, is that MLG and the legislature will aggressively pursue more restrictive gun laws. They have passed backed background checks for gun buyers and the Red Flag law that have enraged tens of thousands. While the new laws command strong majorities in the cities, rural New Mexico has been good at provoking intense opposition that could impact voter turnout and make life uncomfortable for Democrats in legislative districts they control only narrowly.

That's some comfort for the Second Amendment crowd but when it comes to gun control the horse has left the barn. While that horse roams the meadows of only a narrow patch of New Mexico that's where the political power resides.

DEFENDING XOCH

Reader Stan Fitch reacts to the news that southern Dem Congresswoman Xochitl Torres Small is leaving the door open to placing a high level nuclear waste disposal site in Lea County in SE NM:

Please mark me down as one of the Democrats who supports the approach of  Rep. Torres Small relative to the interim nuclear waste storage facility proposed for southeast New Mexico. Science and the scientific method should always be used to inform policy, not the other way around. I am confident that renowned Democrat Harold Runnels, who served his constituency well as congressman of the second congressional district years ago, would agree with the approach of Torres Small. Otherwise  if we allow superstition and hysteria to rule policy, society will take a significant step back, not forward.

The rest of the Democrats in the state's congressional delegation oppose the Holtec nuclear project.

As for Runnels, he was a conservative Dem who represented the southern district in the US House for ten years. He died in 1980.

CLAIRE'S AD

Comments from southern GOP congressional hopeful Claire Chase draw fire from reader Richard Flores:

She is saying House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Reps. Xochitl Torres-Small and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, are "career politicians." Granted, Nancy Pelosi is a career politician in the same way that Steve Pearce is a career politician and former Senator Pete Dominici was a career politician. But, putting Xochitl and Alexandria in the same category is nonsense. Using the same criteria, and in the very unlikely event that Claire Chase wins the southern district, would Claire Chase also qualify as a career politician while serving in her first term?

Chase is opposed for the GOP nomination by former State Rep. Yvette Herrell and Las Cruces businessman Chris Mathys.

THE BOTTOM LINES

Attorney Kerry Kiernan has dropped out of the race for the Dem nomination for the seat held by Shammara Henderson who was appointed to it recently by MLG. Attorney Jane Yohalem is apparently still in the race.

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(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2019