By Bloomberg Government — Dec 7, 2021
Rep. Angie Craig‘s congressional future may be decided by a five-judge panel appointed by the Minnesota Supreme Court.
Craig, you may recall, had two whisker-close victories, by about 18,000 votes over incumbent Rep. Jason Lewis (R) in 2018 and by fewer than 10,000 votes over Tyler Kistner (R) last year. So a little change in the district lines could matter a lot.
What to watch: the Legislature convenes Jan. 31. The two chambers have to agree on a plan and get it to Gov. Tim Walz (D) in time for him to sign it into law by a Feb. 15 court-ordered deadline. Miss the deadline and the judges take over the line-drawing.
Here’s the starting point for discussion: a map drawn by Democrats (who control the state House) and a different map drawn by Republicans (who run the state Senate). Under the GOP-drawn map, Craig’s district would remain competitive, while the Democrats propose moving some rural areas into other seats. It’s a one-of-a-kind situation, since only Minnesota has a state legislature with split control.
Craig sounds like someone who’d be surprised if there’s a bipartisan compromise. “Redistricting will most likely be decided by the courts here in Minnesota,” she said. — Stephen Joyce