ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) – A New Mexico district judge on Monday adopted a bipartisan plan for revamping the boundaries of state Senate districts.

Under the plan, two Republican incumbents in southeastern New Mexico will be paired in the same district. The plan also lumps together two Democratic incumbents in Albuquerque.

Half a dozen plans were initially submitted to Judge James Hall at the beginning of the Senate redistricting hearing. Before the end, several parties had negotiated a compromise that had the support of Gov. Susana Martinez, other Republicans, a group of Democrats and Native Americans.

Lawyers for the Democratic-controlled Legislature opposed that plan.

Hall said in his 22-page ruling that the compromise plan satisfied the legal requirements of population equality and it preserved political and geographic boundaries to a reasonable degree.

He said the plan also protects Native American voting rights by creating three districts in northwestern New Mexico in which Native Americans of voting age make up more than two-thirds of the population.

That's the same under current conditions. However, Native Americans will gain one district in the western portion of the state in which their numbers are large enough to influence the outcome of a primary or general election.

Democratic Party Chairman Javier Gonzales said the map was based on “fairness and equality for every voter.”

Bryan Watkins, executive director of the Republican Party of New Mexico, also described the new districts as fair. He said the map is “drawn in such a way where we feel pretty motivated about Republicans' chances this year.”

The plan includes 17 districts that are solidly or lean in favor of Republicans based on past statewide election results in those areas, according to an analysis prepared by the Legislature's redistricting consultant.

Democrats currently hold a 28-14 majority in the Senate.

According to the latest Census figures, New Mexico's population has grown by more than 13 percent over the last decade. Most of that growth has occurred on Albuquerque's West Side and in Rio Rancho, where districts have become overpopulated.

In eastern New Mexico, the population grew more slowly and in some cases decreased.

The goal in redistricting is to equalize district populations as much as possible to ensure that each New Mexican's vote has equal weight. That's necessary to comply with the legal requirements of one person, one vote.

To adjust for New Mexico's population trends over the last decade, the compromise plan establishes two new Senate districts on Albuquerque's West Side. That means the districts of GOP Sens. Rod Adair of Roswell and William Burt of Alamogordo will be merged.

In Albuquerque, the districts of Democrats Gerald Ortiz y Pino and Eric Griego will be paired. Griego isn't seeking re-election and instead is running for Congress.