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Friday, June 30, 2006

Redistricting Gone Wild; GOP Wins The Battle, But May Have Lost The War



Source: PoliticalWire

The Supreme Court's 7-2 decision to allow states to change congressional districts may have far reaching effects and come back to bite Republicans who cheered the decision.

The Court now decided states can rewrite boundaries whenever they want, not just after every Census every 10 years.

Where Republicans in control missed the boat on this one is the fact that this ruling now goes both ways.

Redistricting set-up to help Republicans keep control of Congress in Texas and Ohio will now also happen in states where Dems control the governorship and state legislatures, including: Illinois, New Mexico, New Jersey, and New York.

This very GOP wishlist item may be the very ruling that tips the balance of power in Congress, giving the Dems a true majority.

One has to love the irony of this ruling, the thing the Republicans hoped for the most may end up being the party's own poisonous undoing.

"Look for several states to rejigger congressional districts in the wake of the Supreme Court's 7-2 ruling upholding the Texas legislature's 2003 decision to draw a new map," advises Kiplinger Forecasts. "The Court made it clear that states can rewrite boundaries whenever they want, not just after the Census every 10 years. That means the congressional landscape in Washington can change every time one party gains control over a state's government. Although the Supreme Court's decision is a big victory for Republicans, and specifically for former Senate Majority Leader Tom DeLay of Texas, who engineered the redistricting, redistricting by other states may have the GOP ruing the day."

"New maps may well put more Democrats in the House of Representatives, possibly enough to tip the balance of power from Republicans to Democrats. We expect Illinois, New Mexico, New Jersey and New York to wind up with Democrats in control of both the governor's mansion and the state legislature after the November elections. So redistricting in those states might shift enough seats to the Democratic column to give that party a majority."


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