After losses in Colorado, Illinois and a devastating scam pulled in California, Republicans have won redistricting battles in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
In New Jersey, an incumbent Dem will have to run in a majority Republican district, and several other Republicans shed Democratic communities in their districts, via Politico:
Democrats got a pre-Christmas lump of coal Friday, when a bipartisan New Jersey panel selected a GOP-drawn redistricting plan that imperils one House Democrat and shores up several Republicans.
Under the plan, Democratic Rep. Steve Rothman, a veteran member of the House Appropriations Committee, has been thrust into a Republican-oriented district with GOP Rep. Scott Garrett, severely diminishing his reelection prospects….
The map also solidifies the districts of two vulnerable junior Republicans, Reps. Jon Runyan and Leonard Lance. Runyan, a former professional football player who ousted the late Democratic Rep. John Adler in 2010, will shed the Democratic-oriented Cherry Hill from his 3rd District seat. Lance, a sophomore member, will see his northern New Jersey district lose a batch of Democratic-aligned areas.
In Pennsylvania, earlier this month the legislature accepted and the Governor signed into law a new map which solidifies several Republican seats and weakens some Democratic seats. It also forces two Democratic incumbents to face off against each other, including Jason Altmire a frequent guest on Fox News as the voice of the moderate Democratic view:
The congressional district that Jason Altmire now represents has been redrawn and changed substantially in a Republican-drawn redistricting plan that Gov. Tom Corbett signed into law Thursday.
The redrawn map of Pennsylvania’s 18 new congressional districts merges Democrats Rep. Jason Altmire (D-4) of McCandless and Rep. Mark Critz (D-12) of Johnstown into one legislative district—the new 12th district. That means that one of the two incumbents will be forced out in a primary leading up to the 2012 general election.
The northeast has been shedding population and districts, but at least it appears that the shrinkage mostly is hurting Democrats.
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Comments
I used to live in Rothman’s district, and boy will I be glad to see him go, especially if he’s replaced by Scott Garrett.