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Allen West Redistricted: Democrats Target Allen West – GOP Targets Allen West – Details: Romney Involved?[/h]
January 30, 2012
By Maggie
The state of Florida gained two Congressional Districts (2 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives) after the 2010 census. The state goes from 25 Districts to 27. Districts are being redrawn by the GOP within the Florida Congress. Congressman Allen West’s District 22 will reportedly become overwhelmingly Democrat, making him “vulnerable” to a lost election in the coming 2012 elections. Democrats have formed a SuperPAC to defeat West. Rumors are rife that Mitt Romney is behind doing the same. See information about that below.
We have to ask why we would give a district away? The answer has to be that the GOP will pick up other districts to make up the loss – seemingly two, while possibly giving up CD22 . The other issue is why would a popular much beloved American hero and Representative be targeted, especially when the redistricting seems not to meet the intent of the Florida Constitution, although some in the Florida Congress disputes this.
Perhaps Republicans believe they have an opportunity to be successful running and supporting a moderate Republican, thereby ridding themselves of a pesky Tea-Party-Type Constitutionalist Congressman who has rubbed moderates the wrong way all over Washington, D.C. by threatening their personal power with, of all things, the Constitution.
According to West, of the two new districts, one will be on the west coast and one in the area of Orlando. Some of District 15 will become new District 27, an area now represented by a Republican – but, but…noxious former Congressman Alan Grayson has his eye on CD27. You remember him, and surely know we don’t want him back in Congress – so check out one of his challengers. On the west coast, District 5 (Republican) will be reduced, and Citrus, Sumter, and portions of Lake Counties will become District 26 (remember all of this is unofficial at this time). Since these areas were Republican-leaning before, we assume they will likely remain Republican.
Florida’s District 22 was considered slightly-Republican-leaning in 2010 but was represented by Democrat Ron Klein who went to Congress in January 2007 after winning the seat from a Republican. Then Lt. Col. Allen West won Klein’s seat in 2010 by a 9.4% margin.
Here is some scoop about what the redistricting means, and I should say, some of the ‘scoop’ likely contains opinion:
In the proposed plan, District 22 loses “large portions of northern Palm Beach (Dr. Rich Show – the best in-depth explanation of Florida law and district boundaries I have found).”The primary problem is that all of the Florida House and Florida Senate proposed maps for Congressional District 22 go through great pains to include western portions of Broward County in the new district while excluding large portions of northern Palm Beach County that would form a natural political and geographical boundary. Congressman West’s district should extend to the Palm Beach county line (a political boundary) or at least the geographical boundary of the Jupiter Inlet, as the existing District 22 almost reaches. It should not include these portions of western Broward County…
What does not make sense is that the 22nd Congressional District includes Plantation and Sunrise but excludes the northern parts of Palm Beach County, which would be a natural political and geographic boundary along the coast for what is mainly a coastal district.
It seems that all the proposed maps for Congressional 22 make strenuous efforts to include the cities of Plantation and Sunrise at the southern end of the district yet exclude coastal areas of northern Palm Beach County, which would constitute a natural political and geographic boundary…
Even if some effort was made to respect “communities of interest” with the proposed Congressional District 22, it is doubtful that the residents of Plantation and Sunrise have the same interests of those residents along the coast. It is also doubtful that the residents of the northern areas of Palm Beach County, whether Jupiter, Palm Beach Gardens or Royal Palm Beach, would have interests vastly different than those residents of the same county to the south of the Seminole Golf Course.
Political Watchman: There can be no doubt that the new redistricting rules for Florida are a twisted mess of litigation. Moreover, the language in the Amendments passed does nothing to ensure objective revision of the districts, choosing instead to allow for subjective and irrelevant assessment of congressional districts. Language such as this – “Legislative districts may not be drawn to favor or disfavor an incumbent or political party. Districts shall not be drawn to deny racial or language minorities the equal opportunity to participate in the political process and elect representatives of their choice.” – create a horrible precedent of ambiguity in the decision. “Racial or Language minorities”? After searching extensively through Florida state law, the staff of the Political Watchman hasn’t been able to find any case or place where there is a definition of what a “LANGUAGE MINORITY” exists. Thus the danger that now faces Florida’s redistricting.
A website designed to draw attention to what may be happening to Congressman West, and to provide contact information for you to make your voice heard, is Save District 22. The website suggests this plan for the redrawing:
Circled area with arrow at top is suggested addition to Save Allen West. The arrow at the bottom is suggested to be taken from District 22. The SaveAllenWest proposed area is in pink.
By removing the western portions of Broward County and replacing them with northeastern portions of Palm Beach County up to the Jupiter Inlet or Palm Beach county line that are in the existing Congressional District 22, the newly proposed District 22 will meet Florida’s constitutional requirements because it would be a compact coastal district that respects political and geographical boundaries.
See the proposed redistricted map here. See the current map of CD22 here.
According to Democrat Congressman Steve Israel (FL):“Florida 22 will be one of the most important districts in the country,” Israel said, referring to the district.
“A year ago we had a gale-force wind in front of us and now, a year later, we have a slight breeze behind our backs,” Israel said of Democrats. Redistricting in Florida, which still has some 600,000 more registered Democrats than Republicans, should help the Democratic Party pick up five to seven congressional seats, Israel predicted — perhaps somewhat too optimistically, since critics of the proposed maps note they protect incumbents.
Israel is the Chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which announced it’s targeted races with Allen West among them.
The Florida Senate claims bi-partisan support for its redistricting map. Call me crazy, but since the two new districts included area that went Republican in the last election, and since District 22 did the same, why would CD22 not maintain a very similar identity in geography, neighborhoods and income, allowing us to pick-up an additional Republican representative? The answer: West is persona non-grata to establishment Republicans.
Now to the Romney rumors. Florida House Speaker-desiginate Will Weatherford is working with the Romney campaign and has said there is no doubt West will be vulnerable. The following from the Shark Tank, which has been covering the West predicament: “After last night’s Republican Presidential debate, the candidates’ respective spinmeisters made their cases to the media as to why their guy won the debate. One of Governor Mitt Romney’s spokesmen was Florida Representative Will Weatherford, and during the course of his remarks in the “Spin Room”, he shed a very dim light on the ongoing redistricting process in the Florida Legislature.”
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