Census data realigns congressional districts in key political states

By Sandhya Somashekhar and Aaron Blake
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Republican-leaning states in the South and West that experienced a population boom over the past decade will gain political clout, while some historically Democratic states in the Rust Belt will lose it, according to Census Bureau figures released Tuesday aimed at ensuring proportional representation in the House.

Eight states will gain congressional districts, including five that backed Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) for president two years ago. The big winner was Texas, a state that routinely backs Republicans for president. Its population has swelled by about 21 percent since 2000 and as a result will add four House seats.

The gains come at the expense of some states whose growth has been stunted by the decline of manufacturing. Many of them have been historically Democratic; of the 10 states losing seats, eight backed President Obama in the 2008 presidential election. New York and Ohio took the biggest hits, losing two congressional seats each.

Much of the population spike in states that gained congressional districts, such as Texas and Arizona, is due to an influx of Hispanics, who tend to vote Democratic. But it is viewed as a net benefit for Republicans because the growth occurred in Republican-leaning states, and because so many state legislatures shifted to Republican control in November. In most states, it is the legislature that is in charge of the politically charged job of redrawing congressional boundaries.

(More here.)