Senate draft of proposed redistricting (click to enlarge)
U.S. Congressional boundaries in all states must be adjusted every decade by state legislatures based on census data. In this regard, a redistricting plan released by the Georgia Senate’s Republican majority makes critical boundary additions designed to flip the 6th Congressional District represented by U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, D-Marietta, back to Republican control.
Specifically, the map makers place solidly conservative Forsyth County inside the 6th District, keeps GOP-leaning east Cobb County and north Fulton County, and eliminates Democrat-dominated northern DeKalb County.
The GOP map also reduces the territory of the 7th Congressional District represented by U.S. Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux but, at first glance, it’s hard to say if the district could become competitive. While the district loses Forsyth County, it appears part of heavily Republican north Georgia’s 9th Congressional District dips down into northern Gwinnett County near where Bourdeaux lives. But that could change.
“This map not only meets principles of redistricting, but we are proud to present a map that regardless of political party, Georgians can be proud of,” Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan says. “Ensuring that any maps we produce are fair, compact, and keep communities of interest together will continue to be of upmost importance.” It’s not clear if state House Speaker David Ralston and his majority caucus agree with every map change but, based on what InsiderAdvantage hears from GOP sources, the two GOP-controlled bodies are basically in sync with one another. (The special General Assembly redistricting will begin work on Nov. 3, where over the next three weeks districts will be agreed upon and voted out.).
Dave Williams of Capitol Beat provides this report on other congressional districts:
“The 2nd Congressional District in Southwest Georgia, which now includes only part of Muscogee County, would expand to take in the entire county, as well as portions of Harris and Houston counties now part of other districts. But perhaps the most dramatic changes would take place further east, where some districts would in essence swap counties. The 8th Congressional District in the south-central portion of the state would add Coffee, Jeff Davis and Wheeler counties while losing Wilkinson and Wheeler counties and parts of Houston and Lowndes counties.”
“The 10th District would lose northern Columbia County, southern Baldwin County and all of McDuffie and Warren counties, while moving further north to gain Elbert, Jackson and Madison counties, and absorb all of Athens-Clarke County. Currently, the 10th District does not include the northern portion of Athens-Clarke. “The 12th Congressional District, which borders the 10th to the south, would shift northward to take in the part of Columbia County it does not contain now as well as all of McDuffie, Jefferson, Washington and Wilkinson counties. On its southern end, the 12th would lose Coffee, Jeff Davis, Appling and Wheeler counties.”
Currently, the 2nd District is represented by a Democrat, the others by Republicans.
