LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) - One of the two Democrats seeking to unseat New Mexico Senate President Pro Tempore Mary Kay Papen in the upcoming primary has dropped out.
State Senate primary candidate Tracy Perry announced Monday she would suspend her campaign citing health reasons, the Las Cruces Sun-News reports.
Perry says surgery and recovery after suffering a broken back in October made it hard to continue.
The newspaper reported that Perry was endorsing Papen’s other Democratic challenger, Carrie Hamblen.
The 88-year-old Papen of Las Cruces is one of many conservative Democrats more liberal Democrats are seeking to unseat in the upcoming June 2 primary.
In 2019, Papen voted to defeat a repeal of New Mexico’s currently unenforceable abortion ban. Liberal Democrats have blamed Papen for blocking other progressive proposals around early childhood education.
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