OLYMPIA — Washington’s future 10th congressional seat might run through Snohomish County.
Democratic Congressman Rick Larsen might no longer be representing the town in which he was born.
And Republican Snohomish County Councilman John Koster might not have to face Larsen in his quest
for Congress next year.
Those possibilities emerged Tuesday as the once-a-decade makeover of the state’s political map kicked into gear with the release of competing proposals for dividing Washington’s populace into 10 congressional and 49 legislative districts.
Political operatives a
nd activists packed the hearing room where the two Republicans and two Democrats on the Washington Redistricting Commission unveiled where they would redraw the lines. One by one, commissioners put forth one proposed map for congressional districts and another for legislative districts; in all, there are eight maps on the table for discussion.
Now those four commissioners begin negotiating with one another, in private and public, with a goal of reaching agreement on one congressional and one legislative map by Nov. 1.
“It’s really a balancing act,” said Lura Powell, the commission’s nonvoting chairwoman, adding that it’s unlikely anything put out Tuesday will wind up as the finished product.
None of the four congressional maps displaces a sitting incumbent, and each suggests a different place for the new district. All four also contain at least one congressional district uniting communities in Eastern and Western Washington.
And three commissioners — Republicans Slade Gorton and Tom Huff and Democrat Tim Ceis — proposed creating the state’s first-ever congressional district in which minorities make up a majority of the population. Their plans all put it in south King County.
Inclusion of a majority-minority district delighted several people in the audience who’ve campaigned for this for months.
“We are cautiously optimistic,” said Cherry Cayabyab of the United for Fair Representation coalition. She added the group must be vigilant to preserve its place through the coming weeks of negotiating.
Democrat appointee Dean Foster didn’t include a majority-minority district.
“I hadn’t put that much emphasis on the percentages themselves,” he said.
Another question that was possibly answered Tuesday was whether U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, might relocate to this state to run for Congress. Ohio is losing two seats, and Kucinich expected his would be one of them. He has said he might move to Washington or another state to continue his career.
In a Tuesday statement issued after the release of a new GOP-proposed congressional map, Kucinich calls the decision not to dismantle his Cleveland district “an amazing turn of events.”
The proposal would instead create a district along Lake Erie, forcing a likely face-off between Kucinich and U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur of Toledo.
Kucinich says he had been praying for a chance to continue representing his district.
With Washington gaining its 10th seat in the U.S. House of Representatives because of population growth, much of the attention and intrigue Tuesday centered on where it might end up.
Gorton, appointed by state Senate Republicans, surprised many with a plan to carve out a district of mostly rural counties along the state’s northern border and on both sides of the Cascade Mountains. As proposed, it would combine San Juan, Island, Whatcom and Skagit counties — all of which are now in the 2nd District served by Larsen — with Chelan, Douglas and Okanogan counties on the state’s east side.
It also would dip into Snohomish County to take in Stanwood, Arlington, Monroe, Sultan and other east county communities.
Huff, representing state House Republicans, proposed putting the state’s new district in south King County as a majority-minority district. Ceis, appointed by the Senate Democrats, and Dean Foster, representing House Democrats, each locate the new district in the south Puget Sound area.
Gorton’s plan would give Larsen a more Democrat-laden district stretching south into King County.
Larsen declined to comment on the specific map.
“This is a first step in the negotiation. I said early on that I think Bellingham and Everett ought to be the bookends of the district,” he said. “The final map will be very different from any of these maps.”
The Snohomish County portion of Larsen’s district is split up in all four proposed maps. Each one results in him no longer representing Arlington, where he was born and raised and family still lives.
“I have already talked to my mother and said it’s possible that I would not be representing the city,” he said. “But I know that whenever I go back to Arlington, I can still get a free meal from Mom.”
Larsen’s loss could benefit Koster, the Arlington Republican who lost two elections to the congressman. Koster is running for Congress next year and could compete for an open seat under Gorton’s proposal.
Huff’s plan also keeps Koster from having to challenge Larsen again. It converts the 1st District, now held by Democrat Congressman Jay Inslee, into a more rural district encompassing communities east of I-5 from the Canadian border south to North Bend.
On the other hand, maps drawn up by Democrat commissioners put Arlington in the district now represented by Republican Congressman Dave Reichert. That means Koster might have to challenge an incumbent in his own party next year.
Koster is not the only congressional candidate whose plans could be affected by the commission’s final product.
State Sen. Steve Hobbs, D-Lake Stevens, and Rep. Marko Liias, D-Edmonds, could each land in a district with an incumbent. They also could find themselves in one without under the various proposals.
Commissioners on Tuesday also put out proposals for redrawing boundaries of the state’s 49 legislative districts. All propose changes to the seven existing districts in Snohomish County because four of them need to grow and three need to shrink.
As a result, four lawmakers, including Liias, are displaced by one or more of the proposed maps. Other lawmakers who may find themselves outside their present district are Sens. Val Stevens, R-Arlington, and Paull Shin, D-Edmonds; and Rep. Luis Moscoso, D-Mountlake Terrace.
Weigh in
You can view and comment on the maps at www.redistricting.wa.gov and at an Oct. 11 public hearing in Olympia.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Jerry Cornfield: 360-352-8623; jcornfield@heraldnet.com
Correction: This story originally said that Mike Hope, R-Lake Stevens, was among area legislators who could potentially find themselves placed outside the district they currently represent. Under the proposals, Hope would not be displaced.
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