Democratic-led Legislature begins redistricting process

  SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Leading state lawmakers are laying plans for the next legislative session in January after an election that ushered in a new slate of progressive Democrats to the state Senate. A meeting of House and Senate leaders with legal counsel is scheduled Friday as the Legislature initiates the process of redrawing legislative district boundaries and discusses the executive powers that the governor commands in response to the coronavirus. Democrats retained substantial majorities in the Legislature in Tuesday’s election. At the same time, several conservative-leaning Democrats won’t return to the state Senate next year after primary election losses, including the Senate president and gatekeepers for tax policy and state spending decisions.