The Brad Miller Thread (AKA Draw your own CD)

[Miles]

This is for our more creative members!

Here's the scenario:

Your a state legislature in charge of your Legislature's Redistricting Committee. Your party holds supermajorities in both chambers, so even your governor cannot override your plan. Any Congressional redistricting map you draw will be passed. You want to move up to Congress; this is your chance to achieve that.

Using Dave's Redistricting App, draw a Congressional District in your state that would favor you. Assume that their would be no incumbent in your new seat. The VRA doesn't exist.

[Miles]

Vazdul's actually looks pretty clean.

I cut out the black areas to insulate me against a potential challenger in the primary and added some areas that would be personally favorable to me.

My thinking exactly. I drew my district so that I'd have enough blacks to buoy myself a bad year for Dems, but I'd still have the edge against a black primary challenger. (48-42 White VAP advantage)



My logic: I cut out a good part of southern New Orleans (to lower black numbers). I kept much of conservative western New Orleans and a sliver of eastern Jefferson (I grew up in those areas...I'm hoping voters there would cross their ballots for me). I'd then go north to get my "base" at LSU and grab a few parishes that Melancon won.

I'd have to run as a pretty centrist Mary Landrieu/Blanche Lincoln Democrat.

[Miles]

Where is the redistricting app?

http://gardow.com/davebradlee/redistricting/launchapp.html

[Miles]

Purple: If I were running in NC, I'd run in this district. Its similar to Kissell's except it includes more of my Charlotte base. Its 57.7/41.5 Obama and 51.4% whote so I should be safe from a Republican wave and a black primary challenger.

Light Blue: If I drew the map, I would also go out of my way to screw over Chapel Hill; I have a grudge against UNC. So, I'd deliberately took Chapel Hill out of its community of interest and stuck it in a 55% McCain district.