Elections have consequences. Especially in a redistricting year. And Michigan Democrats are learning that the hard way.
The Republican Party of Michigan has proposed how it would like to see the redistricting process go, Roll Call reports. And unsurprisingly, the party has done what it can to keep as many of Michigan’s seats in the House of Representatives safely in Republican hands.
Due to population loss in the last decade, Michigan will be stripped of a House seat, and Republicans have re-shaped the state’s districts in a way that two districts represented by Democrats will become one. This sets the stage for a tough election between Democrats Sander Levin and Gary Peters.
The two released a join statement calling on Michigan’s state legislature (controlled by Republicans) and Gov. Rick Snyder (a Republican) to reject the proposal. “We’ve talked it over and we both deeply feel that our priority must be to get these maps changed for the betterment of democracy…This is indefensible,” Levin told reporters.
Meanwhile, one Michigan political analyst told Roll Call that the new map was fair. Republicans have been “surprisingly generous,” said Bill Ballenger, “compared to what they might have tried to do.”
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Under the new plan, five Republican representatives will see more GOP voters moved into their district, while others who already represent solidly Republican areas won’t see much change.
The legislature hopes to vote on the new map soon, getting it to the governor’s desk for a signature before Independence Day.