SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A Senate panel has advanced a bill that could influence who succeeds U.S. Rep. Deb Haaland in Congress if she is confirmed as secretary for the Interior Department. The bill would convert the party nomination process from a central committee vote to a special primary election. The bipartisan bill got a welcomed reception from a panel of state legislators on Monday. A large field of Republican and Democratic candidates are vying to succeed Haaland in the 1st Congressional District that encompasses Albuquerque. State legislative analysts estimate that the special primary election would double the $3 million cost of the required special general election.