3 lessons from the Ghost of Redistricting Past – By Nathan L. Gonzales (Roll Call) / Mar 17 2021
Road ahead could see disappearing districts, member vs. member races
ANALYSIS — While most of the recent redistricting coverage has focused on delayed census data, partisan control of the mapmaking and the inevitable legal fights, that only captures part of the chaos and complexities ahead this cycle.
Even after the lines are drawn, candidates and campaigns still matter. Some members are going to be forced into competitive races with colleagues from their own party or an incumbent from the other party. And other members could be electorally homeless when the cartographers have completed their work
Multiple, varying scenarios are not lost on current members on Capitol Hill.
“Not knowing where the new districts would be made it impossible to plan for a 2012 campaign,” former Democratic Rep. Jason Altmire said Tuesday, looking back to a decade ago when Pennsylvania lost a seat during reapportionment. “I knew I was politically endangered, but I didn’t know how or where. So I decided to keep doing my job in my current district, and let the chips fall where they may.”
Here are three important memories from past redistricting cycles that should serve as reminders or instruction for any 2022 election craziness.
CONTINUE > https://www.rollcall.com/2021/03/17/3-lessons-from-the-ghost-of-redistricting-past/
