The wait is over, kids. Mississippi House members finally have a new legislative district map to vote on. The maps, which add two districts in rapidly growing DeSoto County, were unveiled at the Capitol today. Under the plan, several Democrats could lose their seats either by having to square off with fellow Democrats or by having to compete in mostly GOP districts.
One Democrat who could be in trouble is Rep. Cecil Brown, D-Jackson, whose district was moved into the territory now served by Rep. Bill Denny, a Jackson Republican. Denny also, coincidentally, was in charge of drawing the up the maps for the House. Word is that legislative Democrats will submit their own maps in the coming days. No word yet on what the Senate is going to do redistricting-wise. Even if the new maps win legislative approval, they could meet challenges in the courts or from the U.S. Department of Justice.
More on redistricting in the morning. In the meantime, here’s a link to the maps: http://www.maris.state.ms.us/pdf/MS2010HouseDist/House_Concert1C.pdf
