Could Minnesota Lose a Congressional Seat after 2010?

Minnesota could lose a representative in Congress after the 2010 census, says a report by the Minnesota State Demographic Center entitled, "Halftime Highlights: Minnesota at Mid-Decade." According to a report published by State Sen. Kathy Sheran's office,

Even though Minnesota is gaining population at around the same rate as it did in the 1990s, it’s not growing as fast as some western and southern states. That means Minnesota could end up losing a seat in Congress after the 2010 census.

As of 2005, Minnesota was running over 300,000 people under the threshold to hold on to all eight of its seats in Congress....

Minnesota’s population grew by 5.8% between 2000 and 2005, but the growth was not widespread.... Thirty-four Minnesota counties are estimated to have lost population in the past five years, mostly in the southwestern and northern parts of the state.

Congressional redistricting has caused political havoc in the recent past, most notably with the Tom DeLay initiated plan to redistrict the State of Texas in 2003. "If Minnesota loses a seat," Sen. Sheran's newsletter notes, "it will lower its clout in Congress, as well as the electoral college, since its membership is based on the number of seats in Congress plus its two U.S. Senate seats."