Kentucky, Mississippi Added to House Map; Update on Redistricting in Remaining States

By 270toWin Staff

January 23, 2022, 4:38 PM ET

New shapes for Kentucky and Mississippi have been added to the House Interactive Map. Kentucky's map was enacted after the legislature overrode Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear's veto. In Mississippi, the new plan awaits the signature of Gov. Tate Reeves, but there's little reason to think that won't happen.

16 other states, with 157 total districts have yet to complete congressional redistricting. Florida and New York, with 54 combined, make up more than 1/3 of the total.

This includes Ohio, where the State Supreme Court invalidated the plan previously signed into law.

State (Districts)	Comments
Connecticut (5)	Redistricting commission was unable to pass a new map, punting the responsibility to the State Supreme Court. The Court appointed a special master, who recently submitted his proposed map. It represents only minor changes from the map currently in use.
Florida (28)	The state is gaining a district. The state Senate overwhelming approved its proposed map last week, essentially ignoring Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) who submitted his own map earlier this month. The Senate map left things fairly status quo from a partisan perspective, while DeSantis' map was much more aggressive in favor of his party. The House has yet to approve a map. While DeSantis doesn't have a direct say in how the lines are drawn, he can veto what eventually is passed by the legislature.
Hawaii (2)	A new map, whenever finalized, will likely only change to incorporate population shifts. In any case, both districts are expected to remain safely Democratic.
Kansas (4)	Big picture, the only issue is what happens to District 3, currently held by Democrat Sharice Davids. Several maps have been proposed, including one recently passed by the state Senate. The Senate plan is the most aggressive one thus far in shifting District 3 toward the GOP.
Louisiana (6)	The Republican-controlled legislature will meet in special session beginning February 1. According to FiveThirtyEight, the state is the only one remaining without at least one proposed map.
Minnesota (8)	The legislature has until February 15 to pass a new map. They are more likely than not to miss that deadline, at which point a five-judge panel will take over the process. That panel has already held hearings and may be able to act fairly quickly if needed.
Missouri (8)	A map that largely maintains the status quo 6-2 Republican edge was recently passed by the state House. Some conservatives in the state Senate are pushing for a more aggressive map that would 'crack' Kansas City such that Democrat Emanuel Cleaver would have a difficult time getting reelected.
New Hampshire (2)	The Republican-controlled state House approved a map that would make District 1 more favorable for the party. The Senate has not yet taken action; GOP Gov. Chris Sununu has asked that chamber to modify the House map to make both districts more competitive.
New York (26)	The state is losing a district. Unable to reach agreement, the bipartisan redistricting commission submitted two maps along party lines. These were rejected by the state legislature. The commission has until later this week to submit a new proposal. Whether that happens or not, it is likely that the legislature will ultimately draw its own maps. With Democrats controlling the entire process, a very aggressive map favoring the party is possible. The New York Times reports that "as many as half a dozen seats [hang] in the balance".
Ohio (15)	The state is losing a district. Ohio returns to the incomplete list after the State Supreme Court invalidated the enacted plan, calling it an unconstitutional Republican gerrymander. The legislature was given a month to draw a new map not dictated by partisan considerations.
Pennsylvania (17)	The state is losing a district. The Republican-controlled legislature is at odds with Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf. As reported by Spotlight PA, "If Wolf and the legislature do not agree on a final plan by Jan. 30, Commonwealth Court said it will take over the process as part of an ongoing lawsuit and select a map from those submitted by parties involved in the case."
Rhode Island (2)	Commission has approved a map with little change from the current one. It is not binding on the Democratic-controlled legislature. It will be interesting to see if there is an attempt to shore up District 2, which has a small chance of becoming competitive given the retirement of long-time Rep. Jim Langevin.
South Carolina (7)	Both branches of the legislature have passed similar maps; differences need to be reconciled. The Republican 6-1 edge is likely to be maintained, with efforts made to shore up District 1 for the party; that was won by Democrats as recently as 2018.
Tennessee (9)	The House and Senate have both passed maps; minor differences need to be reconciled. Both maps 'crack' Nashville into three districts, which will make it very difficult for Democrat Jim Cooper to hold his seat. The map will likely yield an 8-1 GOP edge in the 2022 election.
Washington (10)	Legislature has a couple more weeks to alter commission-approved map. By law, any changes can't affect more than 2% of the population of each district, and must be approved by a 2/3 majority in each chamber.
Wisconsin (8)	In November, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers vetoed the map passed by the Republican-controlled legislature, passing the process to the State Supreme Court. The Court held a daylong hearing earlier this month to consider various proposals.