That's the other angle, keeping the commission but gutting its independence.

Here in Idaho it consists of 3 Republicans and 3 Democrats, but usually they deadlock and one of the Democrats caves after the GOP legislature starts to grumble. Still vastly preferable to said legislature gerrymandering the shit out of Boise.

Indie commission here, with a couple blues, a couple reds, and an independent chair. No real conflicts or animosity in years past, despite some of the members being former legislative firebrands. But we’re all curious to see how it goes now that MT gets a second seat.

How do you think it gets divided? East/west, or something different?

It can’t be quite that clean, because of the five largest cities, only Billings is in the eastern part of the state. Maybe if they could make a huge eastern district that included a couple big reservations, the gas and mineral rich area around Glendive, then Billings, Bozeman and Helena, they’d at least have two districts that would be representative of both left and right interests to the extent that I think we’d have to see relatively moderate candidates from either party.

Yeah, by east/west I was thinking more "continental divide" than "right in the geographic midpoint on the X-axis".

Yeah that's about what I'd imagine will happen. And I'd be suspicious of anything that didn't look like that.

We nailed it.

I was going to make some snarky comment like "owning your state's own practices to own the libs", but according to 538, while there are more rock solid projected GOP seats in Texas, there's going to be a net gain of Dem-leaning seats. Guess the OG gerrymanderers of the 21st century have reached their limit.

the proposed Illinois redistricting map is a gerrymandered joke. it also consolidates two congressional districts which will pit one of the few US House GOPers I respect (Adam Kinzinger) against an incumbent. the democrats in this state are a different kind of bad.

As we've discussed in this thread, one of the worst things about Rucho v. Common Cause is that it creates a collective action problem where Democrats, after seeing what Republicans have done in other states, feel like they can't unilaterally disarm, and thus return serve on being aggressive with the map drawing.

Back to the drawing board in OH, opening the door for possibly two more likely Dem reps.


Retirement/not-running-for-reelection in NY could be another gain for Dems.
https://www.cookpolitical.com/analysis/ ... -moderates