- ELECTION 2020-HOUSE-NEW MEXICO
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham boasted that voters were turning out in droves Tuesday and electing Democrats up and down the ticket. But that didn't happen in a key congressional district where oil and gas development provides thousands of jobs and underpins New Mexico's state budget. Amid the blue wave, Republican Yvette Herrell marked a decisive victory to unseat Democratic incumbent Xochitl Torres Small in a campaign centered on jobs, personal liberties and reopening businesses shuttered by the coronavirus pandemic. Aside from Herrell's win, political observers suggest that margins in presidential and Senate races would have been larger if New Mexico voters had aligned more with Democrats.
- ELECTION 2020-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico is sending a Latino politician to the U.S. Senate for the first time since the 1970s with the election of Democratic U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján. But Republicans reclaimed the conservative-leaning congressional district in southern New Mexico. Voter participation across the state shattered a prior record with more than 915,000 ballots cast. County election boards on Wednesday resumed their work so they could could count several thousand absentee and provisional ballots. In New Mexico's conservative 2nd District, GOP congressional challenger Yvette Herrell defeated U.S. Rep. Xochitl Torres Small. The district on the border with Mexico is a center for U.S. petroleum production.
- ALBUQUERQUE HOMICIDE
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Albuquerque police say officers responding to a report of a shooting in progress early Wednesday morning found a woman dead and a man gravely wounded, A brief statement released by the Police Department said the woman was found dead outside an apartment and the wounded man was found inside the unit with an apparent gunshot wound. The statement said the wounded man was taken to a hospital "where he is not expected to survive his injuries." No identities were released and the statement said detectives were in the initial stages of investigating circumstances of the incident.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW MEXICO
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has proposed a $25 million stimulus package for the state's tourism industry. The proposal on Monday comes after the most recent employment report said the state's leisure and hospitality industry has lost 24,500 jobs this year, about a 24.5% decrease from a year ago. The governor's office says the pandemic has cost the industry $4.3 billion this year. The U.S. Travel Association and Tourism Economics estimates that without substantial funding, it may take up to seven years for the industry to return to the levels of spending it experienced before the coronavirus.
- IMMIGRATION-PUBLIC BENEFITS-LAWSUIT
CHICAGO (AP) — A Trump administration immigration rule that would deny green cards to immigrants who use public benefits like food stamps is back in effect while a U.S. appeals court considers the case. The Election Day move was the latest twist in the legal battle over the controversial rule. Government attorneys on Tuesday appealed a federal judge's decision to strike down the rule. The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals put a hold on the ruling, allowing the restrictions to proceed. Under the policy, immigration officials could deny permanent residency to legal immigrants over their use of food stamps, Medicaid or other public benefits.
- ELECTION 2020-MONTANA-REPUBLICAN ROUT
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Election Day left no doubt: Republicans now run Montana. Democrats stood firmly atop Montana's political scene just a short decade ago with control of the governor's mansion, both U.S. Senate seats and every other statewide post but one. As of Wednesday, Sen. Jon Tester is the last Democrat of the bunch still standing. The Republican's Election Day rout is likely to cement Republican power in Montana for years to come. Tuesday's GOP sweep was decisive: Gov-elect Greg Gianforte beat Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney while Gianforte's friend and former employee, Sen. Steve Daines, won another six-year term over Gov. Steve Bullock.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW NEXICO
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico has set a new record for the number of COVID-19 cases reported in a single day. State health officials reported an additional 1,141 cases Tuesday, bringing the statewide total to 49,240 since the pandemic began. New Mexico has been dealing with a surge for weeks now despite having some of the toughest public health restrictions in place, including mandates that call for face coverings and limited interaction with others. The death toll related to the virus also has increased to 1,045 and hospitalizations topped 400 to reach a new high Tuesday. Officials have been concerned about added pressure on the health care system.
- NAVAJO-COAL POWER PLANT
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The Navajo Nation would expand its investment in coal-fired electricity generation as part of a plan to acquire more shares in one of the Southwest's last remaining coal power plants. The tribe's Navajo Transitional Energy Co. has negotiated an agreement with New Mexico's largest electric utility to take on the utility's share of the Four Corners Power Plant in 2024. If approved by state regulators, the transaction would preserve jobs at the plant and the adjacent tribally-owned mine for several more years. Many of the workers are Navajo. The deal would also allow the New Mexico utility a faster exit from coal.