The Iowa legislature will vote next Thursday on the second plan for redrawing the boundaries for Iowa’s congressional and legislative districts.
Republicans would have a voter registration edge in all four congressional districts. An initial review of the districts proposed for seats in the Iowa House indicate up to 38 incumbents could face a race against another incumbent. In the Iowa Senate, it appears up to 20 incumbents are living in the same proposed district as another state senator.
The 32 Republicans in the Iowa Senate rejected Plan 1 for redistricting on October 5. Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver issued a written statement this morning thanking the non-partisan Legislative Services Agency for reviewing the concerns Republicans had with the first plan and quickly producing this second set of maps. House Speaker Pat Grassley Tweeted that Republicans are reviewing the new plan to see if it’s fair for the people of Iowa.
Plan 2 for redistricting outlines a new first congressional district that starts along the Mississippi River, from Fort Madison up to Clinton and Maquoketa, and sweeps over to include the southern edge of the Des Moines metro. Warren County and its county seat of Indianola, are on the eastern edge of the proposed first congressional district. A total of 20 counties are included as are the cities of Fairfield, Iowa City, Newton, Oskaloosa and Pella. Nearly half of the residents in the proposed first congressional district who are registered to vote are Republicans and about 47 percent are Democrats. None of the four Iowans currently serving in the U.S. House live in the district, so it could be an open seat race in 2022 if the legislature approves the map.
The proposed second congressional district covers 22 counties in the northeast quadrant of Iowa. It includes the cities of Decorah and Dubuque as well as Waterloo, Cedar Rapids, Grinnell and Mason City. Fifty-one percent of the residents currently registered to vote in the district are Republicans, while 45 percent are Democrats. Republican Congresswoman Ashley Hinson of Marion lives in the proposed second district and she’s already launched her campaign for a second term in the U.S. House.
The outline for a proposed third congressional district that includes the Ottumwa home of Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks and the West Des Moines home of Congresswoman Cindy Axne. Miller-Meeks won her seat in the U.S. House by six votes in 2020 and has already announced she intends to seek reelection. Axne says she’s weighing whether to run for a third term in the House or run for governor. The proposed third congressional district covers 21 counties and includes Winterset as well as Grundy Center on its north side. Along the southern border it stretches from Clarinda to Bloomfield. Current records indicate Republicans would have a nearly two percent voter registration edge over Democrats in the proposed third district.
The proposed fourth congressional district covers 36 counties and includes all the counties that border the Missouri River. Republican Congressman Randy Feenstra of Hull lives in the proposed fourth district and he announced this week he’s running for a second term in the U.S. House. The proposed district includes the cities of Council Bluffs and Sioux City on the west and, on the east, Ames and Marshalltown. Republicans have a significant voter registration edge over Democrats in the current fourth district. In the new district that’s proposed, 61 percent of registered voters are Republicans.
The Shenandoah city limits spread across Page and Fremont Counties, so if the plan is approved Shenandoah residents who live in Page County would be in the third congressional district and those who live in Fremont County would be in the fourth district.