By The Diary
New Jersey could join the initiative to redraw the maps of congressional districts that is being seen in several states in the countrysix months before the “midterm” elections.
New Jersey Democrats maintain a 9-3 lead over Republicans in the House of Representatives at the National Capitol. The Governor – former congressman – Democrat Mikie Sherrill declared to the cnn last week that she would be willing to work with the state legislature on a possible redrawing of New Jersey’s districts. This statement came in response to recent President Donald Trump’s calls for Republican-majority states to -the so-called “reds”- Redesign your own maps.
Yesterday the Democratic Congressman (NJ) Josh Gottheimer, speaking on the program PIX on Politics Day to daystated that his party should consider all options. “They [los republicanos] “They have opened Pandora’s box with this issue,” Gottheimer said. «They should never have done this in the middle of the decade; However, they did it, and now—by the way— “We have to fight fire with fire.”
But he Republican State Senator Declan O’Scanlon calls this policy ridiculous and unfair, and maintains that it would result in the disenfranchisement of New Jersey voters. “Everyone should oppose this,” he said. «Both Democrats and Republicans. This shouldn’t be about gerrymandering. (gerrymandering) to obtain political benefits; “It should be about ensuring fair representation for every voter in our state.”
The technique of geopolitical redesign in the US is known as “gerrymandering”, a term coined in 1812, when then-Massachusetts governor Elbridge Gerry drew an electoral district that stretched like a salamander (salamander, in English) to secure a seat for his party (Jeffersonian).
“Right now we are swept up in a nationwide movement to redraw electoral maps at the state level by the middle of the decade,” said Micah Rasmussen, a political science professor at Rider University. «No one is blameless. “Both parties feel that they must arm themselves, because if they do not do so, they would be at a clear disadvantage.”
Rasmussen explains that even if the New Jersey state legislature – and ultimately voters – decided to approve a new map, it would It would not come into force until 2028. And he affirms that it is possible that, with a new map, the state will be able to change at least one seat to the desire of the Democrats; He also believes that it is also possible that the Democrats recover a seat this November, with the trusty map.
“There are some Democrats in the state legislature who privately say, ‘Don’t do this; We already have a shot at winning Tom Kean’s district in this year’s upcoming election, and we have a longshot in the race for Jeff Van Drew’s seat; Therefore, we may not gain much benefit from redrawing this map,” Rasmussen warned.
At present, several states have enacted or are in the process of modifying their district maps. congressional elections for the November elections, following a Supreme Court decision that limits challenges based on the Supreme Court’s Voting Rights Act. Among the key states that are updating their maps to favor Republicans are Texas, Florida, Missouri, Louisiana, North Carolina, Utah and Ohio; For their part, states governed by Democrats, such as California and Virginiathey are also redesigning their maps.
- Congressman Tom Kean Jr. has been absent for weeks due to a mysterious “health problem”: concern in NJ and DC