Redistricting News & Analysis

Minnesota Redistricting: Land of a Couple Interesting Races

by Jacob Rubashkin April 7, 2022 · 11:58 AM EDT

In Minnesota, reapportionment cut a little too close for comfort. Had New York State counted just 89 more people in the 2020 Census, it would have retained its 27th seat — and Minnesota would have lost its eighth seat.

But that didn’t happen, and the Land of 10,000 Lakes will…

Rhode Island Redistricting: Open Seat Opportunity

by Jacob Rubashkin March 28, 2022 · 11:04 AM EDT

Last year, Rhode Island appeared poised to lose its second congressional district due to reapportionment, and Democrats were girding for a primary melee between Reps. David Cicilline and Jim Langevin for the remaining at-large seat.

But thanks to stronger-than-expected census numbers the Ocean State retained both…

Mississippi Redistricting: Minimum Magnolia Modifications

by Jacob Rubashkin March 21, 2022 · 1:24 PM EDT

Mississippi was one of just three states to see its population decrease from 2010 to 2020, according to data released by the Census last year. But unlike the other two states that lost population over the decade (Illinois and West Virginia), Mississippi’s loss was not great enough to cost it…

Fight for the House Starting to Take Shape

March 18, 2022 · 2:30 PM EDT

By Nathan L. Gonzales and Jacob Rubashkin

Election Day is less than eight months away and a handful of states still haven’t finished drawing new congressional lines. But even with that uncertainty, the fight for the House majority is getting more clear. 

The overall trajectory of the midterm elections remains…

North Carolina Redistricting: Redistricting Re-Do

by Bradley Wascher March 18, 2022 · 2:29 PM EDT

After North Carolina’s first and second proposals for a new congressional map were struck down, the court-ordered third map finally made it official. The state’s redrawn districts will now create opportunities for Democrats to pick up seats in 2022, even if Republicans have the national environment in their favor.

North…

Hawaii Redistricting: Blue Islands in a Blue Ocean

by Nathan L. Gonzales March 18, 2022 · 2:28 PM EDT

Hawaii is one of the only states with more than one House seat where congressional district lines don’t matter all that much. 

At the most basic level, Hawaii is a very Democratic state. Joe Biden won it by 30 points, 64 percent to 34 percent, in 2020 and the GOP…

Arkansas Redistricting: Little Rock Cracked

by Jacob Rubashkin March 16, 2022 · 11:56 AM EDT

In 2011, the last vestiges of the Democratic legislative majority in Arkansas drew a congressional map aimed to send at least two Democrats in Congress even as the party was in freefall. 

The plan backfired, and after the 2012 elections, Republicans held all four of the state’s seats.

But later…

Wisconsin Redistricting: Just One Badger Battle

by Jacob Rubashkin March 15, 2022 · 10:41 AM EDT

With a Democratic governor and a GOP-controlled legislature, redistricting in Wisconsin was destined to be settled by the court system — especially given how acrimonious the relationship is between Gov. Tony Evers and Republicans in Madison.

But most of the drama was taken out of the redistricting process several months…

Pennsylvania Redistricting: Keys to the Keystone

by Jacob Rubashkin March 11, 2022 · 12:25 PM EST

With a Democratic governor and GOP-controlled legislature, Pennsylvania’s redistricting process was bound for the courts from the beginning. Democrats even filed lawsuits preemptively in the commonwealth to prepare for that possibility.

After Gov. Tom Wolf vetoed the legislature’s map, the courts stepped in. First, a conservative lower court…

South Carolina Redistricting: Palmetto State Palm Reading

by Bradley Wascher March 10, 2022 · 12:43 PM EST

South Carolina’s new congressional map, approved in late January, will likely entrench Republicans’ electoral advantage for the next decade.

Compared to the outgoing districts, the new lines saw minimal changes — a conscious decision on the part of GOP mapmakers — with the most noticeable differences in the…