Republican House redistricting map means more safe seats, "isn't about politics"

Rep. Sarah Anderson: It's not about politics. Seriously. It isn't.

​Few people seriously believe Republican Rep. Sarah Anderson when she insists that the GOP's congressional redistricting plan "isn't about politics."

The Republicans' proposed map unveiled in St. Paul yesterday is clearly redrawn to consolidate power for Michele Bachmann (CD6), Erik Paulsen (CD3) and John Kline (CD2) by adding Republican enclaves to their districts.

Freshman GOP Rep. Chip Cravaack's new district would be a Republican band stretching across the state north and west of the Twin Cities, renamed to CD7, while the old seventh, held by DFLer Collin Peterson becomes CD8, and covers roughly the northern third of the state.

The GOP plans also makes re-election harder for Democrat Tim Walz (CD1), by adding GOP-friendly precincts to his southern district.

The Twin Cities districts held by Betty McCollum (CD4) and Keith Ellison (CD5) remain in tact.

All in all, Republicans are protecting their four of eight Minnesota districts and giving themselves a fighting chance in a fifth.

The proposed GOP House redistricting map.

​So it would have been refreshing if Anderson just spoke directly into the microphones and said, "Hey, elections have consequences." Republicans won control of the Legislature. They have the ability to redraw the districts in their favor based on the 10-year Census. That's how the game is played.

Instead we get this, as if it's the only logical and legitimate course of action in a rational world:

This isn't about politics. This is about the realities of population shifts in the state of Minnesota.

Of course it's about politics. If Democrats had retained control of the Legislature last year, Bachmann's district in particular would have had a great big bullseye on it. That's hardly a secret.

But this is all posturing anyway. The Republican plan isn't going to get past DFL Gov. Mark Dayton, and it's going to be settled in the courts, just like it has for decades.