March 28 Congressional Redistricting Update

As Maryland returns to the list after a court ruling, five states have yet to complete congressional redistricting. The Legislature in Florida, Louisiana, and New Hampshire have each passed redistricting bills. However, they have each run into a roadblock from the governor's office.

In Missouri, Republican infighting in the state Senate was finally overcome late last week, with a compromise map emerging. That gets the process going again. With a Tuesday deadline for candidate filing, it is possible the state House acts quickly to get the bill to the governor's desk.

State (Districts) Comments
Florida (28) The state is gaining a district. No recent activity. The GOP-controlled Legislature has passed an unusual plan that includes both 'primary' and 'secondary' maps. 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 threatened a veto. The secondary map maintains the general shape of District 5 - although makes it slightly less 'blue'. It is intended as a replacement should the primary map be invalidated by the courts as a violation of the Voting Rights Act.
Louisiana (6) On March 9, Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) vetoed the congressional map approved by the Republican-led Legislature. That map largely maintained the status quo. Democrats, led by Edwards, favor the addition of a second majority-minority district given that Blacks now comprise about 33% of the state's population. If the Legislature attempts to override, a 2/3 vote in each chamber is required.
Maryland (8) On March 25, a judge invalidated Maryland's previously enacted map, calling it a Democratic gerrymander in violation of the state Constitution. Overall, the map maintained the 7-1 Democratic edge. However, it shifted the partisan composition of the sole GOP-held seat significantly to the left, potentially putting it into play. 
Missouri (8) A deadlock in the Republican-controlled Missouri Senate was finally broken, and that chamber passed a map on March 24. The map maintains the current 6-2 GOP edge. It solidifies the GOP hold on District 2, the only somewhat competitive district in the state in recent cycles. Some conservatives in the Senate had pushed for a more aggressive map that would have 'cracked' Kansas City, giving the GOP a 7-1 edge. The Senate map also included an emergency clause that enables the new map to be effective as soon as it is signed into law - and thus usable for the August 2 primary. The state House is expected to take up the Senate bill during the week of March 28. 
New Hampshire (2) Gov. Chris Sununu (R) will veto the congressional map sent to him by the Republican-controlled Legislature. On March 22, he submitted his own plan to the leaders of both legislative chambers. Sununu favors a plan that keeps both districts competitive, while the map approved by the legislature makes each of the state's two districts more partisan. It made District 1 more favorable for a GOP pick-up; the party has not won a U.S. House seat since 2014.
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