Republicans and Democrats took their latest negotiating postures Friday in the process of redrawing districts for the state Legislature.
The bipartisan Redistricting Commission unveiled two maps, one for each party, a step in the process of setting state political lines that the commission hopes to finish by mid-November. They have until Jan. 1.
Previously, each of the commission’s four members had produced a legislative map, along with a map for proposed congressional districts. They haven’t winnowed down their congressional maps, and aren’t sure when they will.
The new maps make it easier for commissioners to bargain over the details of the 49 legislative districts. Among the differences between the parties:
• Democrats would make the suburban 28th District much more urban, taking in a bigger swath of Tacoma up to Point Defiance. Republicans would go in the opposite direction, taking in more of rural Pierce County including Roy, and would force Democratic Rep. Troy Kelley to run in a new district or move to stay within his old district.
• The same district would take in east Lakewood, putting the city wholly in one district. The Republicans would keep Lakewood split, allowing them to draw a district in south Tacoma, Parkland and east Lakewood where racial and ethnic minorities make up a majority.
• DuPont would move into the rural 2nd district under the changes Democrats make in the 28th.
• GOP Rep. Jim McCune of Graham appears likely to stay put in his district, the 2nd, but the Democrats’ map would subject him to an intraparty fight with Thurston County Rep. Gary Alexander, whose current home would be bumped out of the 20th.
• Republicans would move Sen. Tracey Eide’s home into the 33rd by putting Des Moines wholly within that district – potentially matching up Eide against fellow Democrat Karen Keiser. On the other map, Democrats put freshman Republican Sen. Joe Fain into Keiser’s territory.
• In Eastern Washington, Democrats would force Sen. Mark Schoesler to challenge Republican majority leader, Mike Hewitt.
• Orting moves into the 2nd District in the Republicans’ plan.
• Fife, Edgewood and the Pierce County portion of Milton get new districts in both plans. Fife joins up with parts of Tacoma. The Pierce section of Milton does too in Democrats’ plan, but Republicans want to put the city all in one district, the 30th dominated by Federal Way.
• Sumner stays with east county communities and doesn’t join Puyallup, as it would have done under one previous plan.
Jordan Schrader: 360-786-1826
jordan.schrader@thenewstribune.com
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