WASHINGTON – The Twin Cities continued in the 2010s as a magnet for people, their population swelling as a gradual depopulation occurred in most outlying areas. The shift has political implications favorable for Democrats when U.S. Congressional and Minnesota legislative district boundaries are redrawn to even out the number of constituents in every district. There will be fewer albeit larger geographically outstate districts, which skew Republican. Put another way, there will be more districts in Minneapolis, St. Paul and their suburbs, which skew Democratic. In an interview with the Associated Press, State House Speaker Melissa Hortman, D-Brooklyn Park, explained: “The population growth that we’ve seen is predominately in the suburbs and the city, and those are areas where Democrats are currently very strong.” Another dynamic also favors Democrats long term, Hortman said. “We’ve seen a transition in the suburban communities from being very Republican to being very Democratic,” she said. “And I think that’s largely as the Republican Party became the party of Trump, it solidified their loss of the suburbs.” The redistricting deadline is February 22 to be in effect 2for 022 elections.
Earlier: Winona whiter than Rochester, Twin Cities
Earlier: Census: Minnesota population up 7.6% in 2010s
Earlier: Expect panel to do district lines
Redrawing borders
The redistricting process occurs every 10 years to reflect population shifts identified in the decennial census. The process is the purview of Representative Mary Murphy, D-Hermantown, who chairs chair the House Redistricting Committee. Gerrymandering to favor the majority party with weirdly shaped election districts is always a possibility but, say House majority Democrats, there are two things working against gerrymander districts in 2022 in Minnesota:
> Hortman is regarded as fair and committed to bipartisan solutions. It was Murphy, they point out, who brokering a record $1.9 billion public works bonding bill just a few weeks before the contentious 2020 elections.
> If things get out partisan, Minnesota has a mechanism through the courts to establish an independent commission to do it right.
Murphy. The shape of Minnesota politically largely in her hands as House redistricting chair. A Democrat. In House since 1977. Elected from District 3B on the Iron Range.