Redistricting 2010: GOP Poised To Win Congress Redistricting Edge, Too

[onehandle]

Source: AP, Huffington Post

WASHINGTON — The Republicans' expected gains next week go way beyond Congress. The GOP could capture new Senate or House majorities in a dozen to 18 states – along with critical new power to redraw district maps and influence elections for a decade to come.

Three of the biggest prizes are New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania. All three states are expected to lose seats in Congress as a result of the 2010 census, and that's sure to ignite boundary fights. A party's congressman on the wrong end of redistricting can find the district he's represented for years no longer exists.

Democrats have hopes, too. They aim to take away state Senate control in Michigan and Kentucky and the House in Texas and Tennessee. Texas would be a particular victory, since it seems likely to have four more seats to divvy up under the new census. But none of the analysts contacted by The Associated Press predicted the Democrats would succeed in any of those states.

Both houses in Florida, a state that's expected to gain two seats in Congress, are likely to remain under GOP control.

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/26/redistricting-2010-gop-po_n_773891.html

[No Elephants]

1. Do you REALLY want Rethugs to have an advantage until at least 2021?

[xxqqqzme]

2. Not mentioned in the piece -

California is about to lose it's rethuglican governor.

[OneBlueSky]

3. New York always takes a beating on these redistrictings . . .

whether we lose a few or gain a few, the results are always a real mish-mash of districts of the most ridiculous shapes and geographies . . . the folks drawing these maps must have a real sense of the absurd, because that's how our districts always end up looking . . .

I'm in the 19th, where John Hall is apparently neck-and-neck with some Republican doctor who loaned her own campaign $500,000 . . . the 19th is one of the most absurdly drawn districts in existence -- parts of towns on both sides of the Hudson, from Poughkeepsie on the east bank all the way down to Rockland County on the west . . . makes no sense at all . . .

[MX96391]

6. Gerrymandering should be illegal

Redistricting should not be political. I'm sick and tired of gerrymandered districts. There's no reason whatsoever to do that.

[cstanleytech]

4. They really need to redo who does the redistricting.

Maybe say have a department that reports to the Supreme Court do it and its staffed mostly by randomly picked civil servants who can serve for no more than 3 years within a 10 year period in the department.

[The Stranger]

5. Ah the Poor Democrats, outwitted once again.

This was the Republican plan all along.

[JCMach1]

7. The software is too damn good... if for example you wanted a mickey mouse shaped Repug district in

Central Florida, the software can easily make one for you... :(

This is how the Repug legislature has maintained control in Florida and other places...

[groundloop]

8. If anybody here needs a reason to get out and vote......