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First-term state Sen. Nicholas Paul steps down due to family health issues
Sen. Nicholas Paul, R-Alamogordo, speaks on the Senate Floor in this February file photo. Paul resigned from the state Senate on Tuesday, citing family health issues as the reason for his abrupt departure.
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SANTA FE — First-term Republican state senator Nicholas Paul on Tuesday stepped down from the seat he was elected to last year, citing family health issues as the reason for his abrupt departure.
Paul, an Alamogordo real estate broker and business owner, was one of three GOP senators who was not present for a two-day special session this month.
He said in a statement after submitting his resignation that representing Senate District 33 had been one of the greatest honors of his life.
“I’m deeply grateful to the citizens of Otero, Lincoln, and Chaves Counties for their trust and support,” Paul said. “Together, we’ve worked hard to make our communities stronger, and I will always remain committed to the success of the district and New Mexico.”
Paul won a three-way Republican primary last year in District 33, a GOP-leaning seat, after incumbent Sen. Bill Burt decided not to seek reelection. Paul was then unopposed in the general election.
During this year’s 60-day regular legislative session, Paul served on the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Senate Tax, Business and Transportation Committee.
He largely sided with fellow Republicans on key bills, including voting against a $10.8 billion budget bill and legislation establishing higher royalty rates for oil and natural gas drilling on state trust lands.
However, Paul joined roughly a dozen other GOP senators in supporting a bill creating a state-run psilocybin program for medical purposes. He also supported bills overhauling New Mexico’s mental health and substance abuse system and creating a new behavioral health trust fund.
In order to fill the vacant Senate seat, county commissioners in the three counties encompassed by the district will each vote on a successor in the coming weeks. Those names will then be sent to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who will make a final decision.
Meanwhile, the resignation of Paul is unlikely to alter the balance of power in the Senate, as Democrats now outnumber Republicans by a 26-15 majority in the chamber.
