Sununu to Veto New Hampshire Redistricting Plan Approved by Legislature
By 270toWin Staff
March 17, 2022, 3:07 PM ET
The New Hampshire state Senate has approved - with no changes - a redistricting plan previously approved by the state House. The plan makes each of the state's two districts more partisan. District 1 becomes more favorable for a GOP pickup; the party has not won a U.S. House seat here since 2014.
Although both legislative chambers are Republican-controlled, fellow GOP Gov. Chris Sununu says he will veto the plan. He had previously asked the Senate to modify the House map to make both districts more competitive.
The Remaining States
Including New Hampshire, four states, with 44 total districts, have not completed redistricting. Florida's 28 districts account for almost 2/3 of the total.
It is possible that Ohio, with 15 districts, will be added back to this list in the days ahead. After the originally-enacted plan was thrown out by the State Supreme Court in January, the Redistricting Commission approved a new map on March 2.
According to FiveThirtyEight, the new plan "is barely fairer than the map that was struck down." On March 16, the Court invalidated new redistricting plans for the state House and Senate, perhaps foreshadowing an upcoming ruling on the congressional plan.
| State (Districts) | Comments |
| Florida (28) | The state is gaining a district. The GOP-controlled Legislature passed an unusual plan that includes both 'primary' and 'secondary' maps, with the secondary map included as back-up should a court invalidate the primary map. The major difference is in the treatment of District 5, a Black Opportunity district that stretches across much of the northern part of the state. Gov. Ron DeSantis wants this district made more compact, effectively eliminating the only Democratic-held district north of the Orlando area. The primary map somewhat accedes to this by consolidating the district around Jacksonville. However, it doesn't go as far as DeSantis wants; he has said he will veto the plan after it reaches his desk. The Legislature can override with a 2/3 vote. Failing that, the state courts could end up drawing the final map. There is also a federal lawsuit that has been filed. |
| Louisiana (6) | Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) vetoed the map approved by the Republican-led Legislature. An override effort is expected; a 2/3 vote in each chamber is required. The rejected plan largely maintained the status quo including, notably, a single majority-Black district. Democrats, including Edwards, favor the addition of a second majority minority district given that Blacks now comprise about 33% of the state's population. |
| Missouri (8) | The Missouri Senate has not taken action on a map, passed by the state House, that largely maintains the status quo 6-2 Republican edge. Some conservatives in the Senate have pushed for a more aggressive map that would 'crack' Kansas City. This would likely yield a 7-1 map, as that scenario would make it much more difficult for Democrat Emanuel Cleaver to hold his seat. On March 11, a voter group filed a petition that requests the courts to step in and draw the map. |
| New Hampshire (2) | See discussion at beginning of article. |
