NM Senate- Progressive challengers defeat five conservative Democrats

[TrendsareUsuallyReal]

For those wondering, Arthur Smith's loss and Sanchez's loss are the only ones that have a real impact on the November races. Smith's district was Trump +9 in southern New Mexico, but is pretty swingy. It went for Torres-Small at the Congressional level by about 5 points in 2018. Sanchez's seat was a 14-vote Trump win in 2016.

[TrendsareUsuallyReal]

Looking at legislator's ACU ratings - it seems, that the word "conservative" must be used here in strictly relative sense (as all 5 have 20-30 ratings by ACU standards). Real conservatives in the past usually had 80+ from ACU... At least - 70. Former Democratic congressman from New Mexico Harold Runnels, for example, had lifetime ACU rating 79 (a couple percentages higher, then his Republican counterpart, btw..)

yeah, this is a disappointing sign of the Democrats' continued leftward lurch excluding moderates, not some toppling of conservative scions

You are using ACU as a barometer of conservatism when they routinely rate far right Republicans as lefties

[TrendsareUsuallyReal]

Maybe now Democrats will be willing to draw NM-02 into a Lean/Likely Dem seat. Instead of the North-South divide, make it East-west

[TrendsareUsuallyReal]

Really the only seat where throwing out the conservative in favor of the progressive was questionable was SD-35, but even then, that guy was pushing 80 years old and if there was ever a year to try to get a younger Democrat in a seat that tough, it’s this year

[TrendsareUsuallyReal]

Really the only seat where throwing out the conservative in favor of the progressive was questionable was SD-35, but even then, that guy was pushing 80 years old and if there was ever a year to try to get a younger Democrat in a seat that tough, it’s this year

I would say - 3 seats. Trump won 2 in 2016, and third was very narrow Clinton with very substantial Libertarian vote.

The second one Trump won was only by 13 votes or something and no other Republican has come close to doing as well in that seat at any level in the Trump era. Same thing for the marginal Clinton seat. It’s clear that she was just a poor fit for these areas