Governor's redistricting map gamble may pay off [View All]

[Rose Siding]

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...Republicans led by U.S. Majority Leader Tom DeLay rolled the dice for everything. Their map is designed to defeat seven Anglo incumbent Democrats. They did it by packing some black and Hispanic voters into minority districts and dispersing others among solid and safe Republican districts.

In widely circulated e-mail last week, a top aide for Republican Congressman Joe Barton of Ennis blurted out his view that the redistricting proposal was "the most aggressive map" he's ever seen.

If it holds up in court, the plan would yield a political bonanza for Republicans. Perry could become a darling of the national GOP. The partisan balance of the U.S. House of Representatives hangs on a perilously close swing of just 12 seats out of 435. Most congressional elections are not competitive. No more than 30 seats are usually in play during any election cycle.

For Republicans to pick up five to seven seats without an election would be huge. National Republicans would owe Perry more than a pat on the back for his persistence in pushing redistricting.

On the other hand, the redistricting plan comes with a number of constitutional and Voting Rights Act questions. Three lawsuits already were filed this week, and more will follow. The U.S. Supreme Court has already approved the current congressional districts, under which last year's election was conducted.

http://www.borderlandnews.com/stories/borderland/20031018-34269.shtml