State Republicans released their proposal for the redistricting of Minnesota’s eight congressional districts. The main surprise is the way they redraw the 7th and 8th districts. Instead of two northern districts drawn east and west, you have a new MN-8 that cuts across all of northern Minnesota. The veteran western Minnesota DFL Rep. Collin Peterson is in this district. MN-7 becomes a central Minnesota district that includes incumbent GOP freshman Rep. Chip Cravaack. (The map is here)
A similar proposal was floated ten years ago only to be shot down by the courts. That might happen this year as well, but this is the starting point of the discussion.
Two stray observations:
- This plan would make it easier for we northerners to reorganize as the State of Superior, a favorite topic of mine. I’m kidding, of course. Sort of.
- This new MN-8 proposal is very much reflective of the old Great Northern Railway “Zone of Plenty,” a region that built our modern nation a century ago.
I like it. Seems like a fair, non-partisan proposal.
I wouldn’t like it if I were a DFLer. Peterson is a pretty safe seat and they have high aspirations of knocking off Cravaack. Why give Cravaack a safe seat?
I live in the proposed district 7 and am currently represented by Colin Peterson. The way proposed district 7 is drawn, with the heavily Republican counties north of the cities, and heavily populated Republican stronghold Stearns county along with the Hwy 10 corridor, there is no way a Democrat would ever win in this district again.
Proposed district 8 is a simple concession to Democrats, being that they would win it back anyway, and Peterson is very much a conservative on many issues.