Maps released Friday might scramble the 2012 political plans of a few Western Washington state lawmakers and candidates.
One legislator is already considering stepping down for a shot at a Pierce County Council seat, while another is making plans to introduce himself to county voters.
The state Redistricting Commission released bipartisan proposals Friday as part of its once-a-decade redrawing of political lines using new census numbers. Facing a Jan. 1 deadline to finish, they now turn their attention to maps for Congress and for the legislative districts on the other side of the Cascades.
Under legislative maps that are about 95 percent done for Western Washington, Rep. Jim McCune of Graham was surprised to find himself squeezed out of his mostly rural district straddling Pierce and Thurston counties into an ultra-competitive, suburban-to-urban zone where he would have to challenge an incumbent Democrat.
"I don't know why they did that. I'm very popular in my district," McCune said.
People in Lakewood, University Place and west Tacoma – the population centers of the 28th district – likely don't know much about McCune.
"My name I.D. would be squat in that area," said McCune, a socially conservative Republican. "It would be awful hard to beat somebody in that district."
Rather than try to unseat Rep. Troy Kelley of Tacoma or Rep. Tami Green of Lakewood, McCune said he might run for a seat on the County Council if the maps stand. He said term limits will force Councilman Roger Bush to leave.
Another candidate is waiting in the wings to run for McCune's seat. The maps would bump Republican Rep. Gary Alexander of Thurston County into the 2nd district.
Alexander accepts the change, although he said he will miss the friends he met in the 20th district of Thurston and Lewis counties while working on flood relief and other local issues.
Alexander said GOP redistricting commissioner Tom Huff told him commissioners needed to displace him to work toward a deal with Democrats.
"I'm a team player. I want to see that happen," Alexander said, "so I'll move to the 2nd, and I'll work hard to try to campaign over there."
Huff said it was a difficult process. He said the South Sound changes were part of a set of dominoes falling that start with Rep. Ed Orcutt, R-Kalama, being moved into the 20th district with the chance to run for Alexander's seat.
Alexander is the lead budget negotiator for House Republicans. Thurston County Republican Party Chairman John O'Callahan, told about him possibly leaving the 20th district, called him a "stalwart" who would be missed. Pierce County GOP political consultant Alex Hays said the county is picking up some "very powerful bipartisan representation."
"You've got a lot of legislative 'oomph' centered in the county," Hays said.
Two Democrats would be displaced under the proposed maps, Sen. Margarita Prentice of Renton and Rep. Ruth Kagi of Lake Forest Park.
But other lawmakers who previously were threatened, including Kelley and Sen. Tracey Eide of Redondo, look likely to stay in their current districts. And those two districts look likely to remain competitive, along with the Puyallup-centered 25th, which probably becomes more Republican.
The 28th district, which had to grow more than any district in the state, will now run from Kelley's home of west Tacoma to the Nisqually River, then up the river to take in many of the military families living around Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
At first glance, neither party's operatives saw major political upheaval in the maps. Most swing districts will stay that way.
"I don't see where one party or another got an incredible advantage in any of the districts," said John Wyble, a Democratic political consultant in Seattle.
Commissioners still must figure out exactly what to do with voters around the Pierce County-King County line, including those in Milton. And other spots may need tinkering.
The commission must send completed plans for the 49 legislative districts and 10 congressional districts to the Legislature for technical changes by Jan. 1. The commission has five members, including two Republicans and two Democrats that have voting rights. Three of the four must agree on final plans.
Staff writer Brad Shannon contributed to this report.
Jordan Schrader: 360-786-1826
jordan.schrader@thenewstribune.com
blog.thenewstribune.com/politics
Twitter: @Jordan_Schrader
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