Iowa Congressman Bruce Braley, a Democrat from Waterloo, says he hasn’t lost any sleep over the new redistricting map that’ll be released this morning. Iowa will lose one congressional seat based on the results of the 2010 Census.
Braley says he is not apprehensive at all because it is not something he has control over. He says he feels fortunate to live in Iowa where there is a non-partisian reapportionment system, as he says he’s talked to colleagues in both parties that will see “highly partisian” redistricting of their states.
Braley says the only thing that is certain is that his district will include 150-thousand more constituents as the district lines are shifted to evenly distribute the population. One of the new members of his district could be another congressman, but Braley says that’s part of the process.
“Nobody would ever suggest that that’s not a substantial development, but it is what it is,” Braley says. The first district that Braley now represents is in eastern Iowa, and the area has a history of seeing incumbents forced together by redistricting.
Braley says former congressmen Jim Leach and Jim Nussle were put into the same district, and Nussle and Dave Nagle were put in the same district. “Living where I do, and knowing my predecessor was affected twice by this, I certainly can appreciate that, but it is what it is,” Braley says.
The non-partisan Legislative Services Agency used the population data from the 2010 Census and redrawn the lines for what will be four instead of five legislative districts. The new district maps will be revealed around 8:30 today (Thursday).