Michigan Seat Slip Sliding Away: Democrats Weary Over Redistricting
Redistricting wars continue: some seats are just going to go slip sliding away because of national demographic shifts and in Michigan the Republicans control how the districts are re-swizzled.
Michigan won’t be the only Northern state to lose in the demographic slide, and you can expect that slide to continue as the main wave of Baby boomers begin to retire and move South. Both parties need to rework strategies for retaining their senior voters — the Democrats have a chance to invade the South and Southwest, and the Republicans have a chance to chip away that monolithic blue Northeast. Even longer term, 3+ Presidential cycles away, the Republicans have to worry about a large percent of their core voters dying off.
Midnight In Michigan, four Democratic Congressmen who are among the oldest in Congress are preparing for another brutal round of redistricting controlled by Republicans.
With their previous redistricting experience and seniority in the House, Reps. John Dingell, 84, John Conyers, 81, Dale Kildee, 81, and Sander Levin, 79, all say they plan on sticking around to seek another term.
Michigan has lost seats in every round of redistricting since the 1980 census, and this time it will lose one more. Levin, who was elected in 1982, is the newest of the four “Old Bulls,” so they’ve all survived previous cuts.