Arizona’s independent redistricting commission on Wednesday unanimously approved new boundaries for congressional districts that are likely to shift the state’s congressional delegation in favor of Republicans.
The new boundaries create four solidly Republican districts, three where Democrats are likely to dominate and two that could be relatively competitive. Both of the potentially competitive districts look to lean toward Republicans based on their voting patterns in nine past elections reviewed by the commission.
Arizona’s congressional delegation currently has five Democrats and four Republicans.
“This is not the map that I would’ve liked,” Democratic Commissioner Shereen Lerner said, saying the two competitive districts could’ve been more balanced. But she said the final boundaries had improved from earlier drafts and expressed hope that the picture will improve over the next decade the maps are in effect.
Republican Commissioner Doug York said an earlier draft was better for the GOP, and he credited the commission with approving a map that wasn’t favored by either side.
The commission continued working on new boundaries for the state’s 30 legislative districts and was expected to make a final decision later Wednesday.
On the new congressional map, districts currently represented by Democrats Tom O’Halleran and Ann Kirkpatrick — the two most competitive in the state under the existing boundaries — moved in favor of Republicans. The new boundaries for O’Halleran’s rural district tilt it strongly toward Republicans. Kirkpatrick has already announced plans to retire.
Much of the area now represented by Republican David Schweikert is likely to become the most competitive district in the state. The regions now represented by Schweikert and Kirkpatrick will be the state’s two battleground districts.
The redistricting panel is made up of two Republicans, two Democrats, and independent Chair Erika Neuberg, who mainly backed Republican-favored versions of the maps through much of the recent deliberations. Redistricting is required every 10 years under the U.S. Constitution to adjust for population changes around the country.
Eric Holder, the former U.S. attorney general under Democratic President Barack Obama, said Tuesday night that the maps could draw a lawsuit.
“The Chair has a duty to ensure a fair process and not side with Republicans or push a partisan agenda,” Holder, who is leading Democratic efforts to influence redistricting around the country, wrote on Twitter. “Anything less than maps that are fair will be challenged.”
Maps drawn by the Arizona redistricting commissions based on the 2000 and 2010 censuses both were challenged in court.
The voter-created redistricting law, which removed the job from the Legislature and was supposed to limit partisanship, says commissioners should draw districts that are compact and contiguous, comply with the U.S. Constitution and the Voting Rights Act and respect communities of interest and city, county, or geographic lines or features.
The commission adopted draft maps in late October and then held a monthlong series of meetings across the state before starting its final set of meetings last week.
Republicans generally liked the district maps drawn after the 2000 census, and those done following the 2010 census were regarded as more favorable to Democrats, prompting strong criticism from Republicans.
Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
