STANDARD BLADE B R I G H T O N
SERVING THE COMMUNITY SINCE 1903
75cI
VOLUME 118
Issue 39
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2021
Latest congressional map keeps House members apart Redistricting changes still possible; deadline Sept. 28 BY SANDRA FISH AND THY VO THE COLORADO SUN
The latest draft of Colorado’s congressional map avoids putting the state’s current U.S. House members into the same district, while creating a sweeping district across most of the Western Slope and southern Colorado. The most heavily populated parts of north Douglas County would stay where they are in the 4th Congressional District. And the biggest cities in Arapahoe County — including Aurora, Centennial, Littleton, Englewood, Greenwood Village and Sheridan — would be in the 6th District, along with the Columbine and Ken Caryl areas of Jefferson County. The new 8th Congressional District in the north Denver metro region would be nearly 39% Hispanic. It would encompass Northglenn, Thornton, Brighton, Commerce City and Fort Lupton. And the proposed 7th District, now centered in the north and west metro area, would include much of Jefferson County and stretch to South Park in the central Rocky Mountains. The new map, released Sept. 15, groups most of the Western Slope and southern Colorado into a single, L-shaped 3rd Congressional District. Northwest highcountry counties including Routt, Jackson, Eagle, Summit and Grand are grouped with Larimer and Boulder into a proposed 2nd
Proposed redistricting map issued Sept. 15 shows which congressional districts would include parts of Jefferson, Adams, Weld and Denver counties. MAP BY COLORADO INDEPENDENT CONGRESSIONAL REDISTRICTING COMMISSION
Congressional District. And the new districts would no longer pit Garfield County Republican U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert against Democratic U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse of Lafayette. The map is the second to be drawn by nonpartisan staff based on 2020 census data, and incorporates input from the public about
previous drafts. Commissioners voted earlier in September to base the latest map on one drawn by Commissioner Martha Coleman, a Democrat from Fort Collins who is a geographer. The latest map would create three safe Democratic districts, three safe Republican districts
and competitive 7th and 8th Congressional Districts, according to a report by nonpartisan legislative staff. In three districts, the Hispanic population would make up more than a quarter of the total district. The latest map is markedly different from two previous proposals. Here’s a look at how the districts shape up: The 1st District centered in Denver remains safe for Democratic U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette, with a 57% Democratic advantage The 2nd District still includes Boulder and Fort Collins, but stretches west to Routt County and includes Summit and most of Eagle County. It also includes Neguse’s home in Lafayette, and would give Democrats a nearly 34% advantage. The 3rd District stretches from Moffat County in the northwest, south through Mesa and Pitkin counties to Cortez and La Plata counties, then east to Pueblo and Las Animas County. Unlike a map released earlier this month, Boebert’s Silt home remains in the 3rd District, and she’d have a nearly 10% GOP advantage. The 4th District still includes much of the Eastern Plains, as well as Windsor and much of Douglas County. Incumbent U.S. Rep. Ken Buck of Windsor would have a nearly 27% advantage. The 5th District includes most of El Paso County, except for some eastern areas that end up in the 4th District. It would remain safe for incumbent U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn with a 20% GOP advantage. SEE MAP, P6
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