Redistricting In Tennessee
Jackson Baker, who my writing crush of years and years continues, writes a detailed account of what is happening with the Tennessee GOP’s takeover of the Hill.
Of note:
First, the composition of the 95 county election commissions in Tennessee — mandated by state law to be 3-2 in favor of the majority party — will now be Republican-dominated, not Democratic-dominated. That switch in domination could affect literally hundreds of borderline procedural matters across the state.
More importantly: If the current numbers hold when the next legislative election in 2010 is concluded, the Republicans — greatly assisted by Republican national committeeman John Ryder of Memphis, a gifted lawyer and one of the GOP’s arbiters on reapportionment issues — will handle post-census redistricting, both for the state legislature and for Tennessee’s nine congressional districts.
Reportedly, the Republicans have in mind to alter boundaries so as to enhance Republican prospects in Middle Tennessee congressional districts currently held by Democrats Lincoln Davis and Bart Gordon. Closer to home, modifications in Democrat John Tanner’s District 8 could swap out some of Tanner’s working-class vote in the northern Memphis suburbs for posher East Memphis precincts now held by 9th District congressman Steve Cohen.
But who knows? Maybe at some point between now and then, President Obama can be induced to make a visit or two to Tennessee, giving Democratic cadres the same boost that a gallantly flailing-away McCain did on the GOP’s behalf on November 3, 2008.
Tanner is pretty popular with the working-class vote in his district right now. The question is with redistricting a huge possibility, how would he translate in Cohen’s current house?
I honestly don’t think so well, in my humble opinion.
[...] » Redistricting In TennesseePosted 65 minutes [...]
There’s no question that the three non-urban Democrats, Tanner, Gordon and Davis, would be the major targets.
One plan I have heard would take Frayser and North Memphis away from Tanner to give to Cohen. Then, they would move the 7th completely out of Shelby, and give Tanner all of Republican East Shelby County, which could cause one of the two Shelby Republican Senators (Norris or Stanley) to take a run at Tanner. Since Norris already has Tipton, Lauderdale and parts of Dyer in his district, he would be the most likely candidate.
Wow, Ok this translates into a major shift in the grassroots county level. I don’t think my home base area even has enough Republicans around to shift the election commission jobs. What a shocking break in old school generational politics. Most of the people I know on the Election Commission are 2nd and 3rd generations in those posts.
Interesting. I’m not sure this is the kind of change that I was voting for.
This illustrates the importance of getting even one of those seats back next time. If we get a 50-49 split the Dems way and keep them all together, then the Repubs in the Senate will at least be forced to compromise all of the residtricting plans.
Yepsolutely. The first thing the new top dogs do is check out how they can ensure they stay where they are – or at least make it harder for the other dawgs.
Poor Ole Tennesseean`s ya gotta love em. They make less money than most states. Yet like chickens, they vote for Harlan Sanders to represent them. They are blinded by gun law and abortion, and the republicans have done nothing to change either in Tennessee ! A race to the bottom ? Probably.