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Missouri House, Senate cut deal on redistricting

This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, April 28, 2011 -The Missouri House and Senate swiftly voted late Wednesday to approve a compromise map for the state's eight remaining congressional districts. The votes came soon after negotiators broke a stalemate that had heightened tensions within GOP ranks.

The map passed the House by a vote of 96-55, and then cleared the Missouri Senate, 27-7. The House margin is 13 votes short the number needed to override a potential veto from Gov. Jay Nixon, a Democrat.

The rush by Republican legislative leaders is to get the map to Nixon's desk by Thursday, to force him to sign or veto the plan by May 13, when the session ends. However, legislators appear to disagree as to whether the General Assembly will have time to attempt an override this session.

House Majority Leader Tim Jones, R-Eureka, said there will be time. But a spokeswoman for Senate President Pro Tem Rob Mayer, R-Dexter, has said that the state constitution bars override votes during the last week of the session. If the Senate interpretation is correct, that means if Nixon waits until the last week of the session to take action, the General Assembly couldn't seek an override vote until the September veto session.

It's unclear how Nixon, a Democrat, will view the final map. He has said little.

Clay Dares Fellow Democrats to Challenge Him

The compromise appears to reflect some of the aims in the original House-drawn map favored by the six Republican members of Congress.

The current 3rd District represented by U.S. Rep. Russ Carnahan, D-St. Louis, is dismantled, reflecting Missouri's loss of a congressional seat as a result of the 2010 census, which showed the state's population growth was less than in other states.

The General Assembly's approved map would leave Missouri with only two Democratic members of Congress, both of whom are African-American: William Lacy Clay of St. Louis and Emanuel Cleaver of Kansas City.

Clay was in the state Capitol today talking to members about redistricting. He declined to discuss what he told legislators, but he did make clear that he plans to run for re-election from the newly drawn 1st District in 2012. Carnahan has yet to say if he will challenge Clay or move into another district.

Clay told the Beacon that he would prefer that the city of St. Louis be split between two districts -- as sought by city officials and civic leaders -- rather than placed entirely in the 1st District. 

"When we get the final lines, I will be eager to serve the people, the new constituents of my district," Clay said. "I will run for re-election and I will win decisively."

He added that he wasn't concern about the prospect of facing other Democrats in a primary. "I've been running (for office) for 27 years. And I've had primaries where I've been outspent. How about that?" Clay said. "But I haven't lost one. It's about how you work, how you represent people and how you campaign."

"So I don't fear any opponent. And so what you have more money in the bank than me? You're not going to beat me. OK? That's where I'm at," he added. "In 2000, when I ran for this seat, I was outspent by Charlie Dooley -- a little known fact." Dooley is now St. Louis County executive.

Rupp said that state Sen. Robin Wright-Jones, D-St. Louis, was the only conferee who declined to sign the compromise.

Map Splits St. Charles, Jefferson Counties

The final compromise splits St. Charles County between two districts, but the bulk of its population will be in the new 3rd District, which replaces the state's old 9th District.

The new 3rd District will span from mid-Missouri to Jefferson County -- which would be split among three congressional districts. The new 3rd includes the residence of the 9th District's congressman, U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-St. Elizabeth.

The new 3rd would take in just over half of Jefferson County's residents, with the rest split between the St. Louis area's 2nd District, which would take in about 44,000 Jefferson County residents, and the 8th District, which would take in the bottom third of the county.

The boundaries of the new 2nd and 3rd Districts appear aimed, in part, at making it more difficult for Carnahan to move into either district to launch a re-election bid in 2012. Carnahan's current district is split among four new districts. His home would be in Clay's district.

So far, Carnahan's only comment has been that he does plan to run for re-election.

Nixon grew up in Jefferson County, and allies have said that the governor dislikes any map that splits up the county within three congressional districts. State Sen. Ryan McKenna, D-Crystal City, complained during the Senate debate, "This to me is a completely unfair map to the sixth biggest county in the state."

Some Republicans in the House and Senate -- particularly in western Missouri -- also voted against the map. They objected to the inclusion of three rural mid-Missouri counties into the 5th District, which is primarily Kansas City.

Reaction Swift, and Predictable

The final compromise is being tacked onto the original House map -- thus avoiding the legal questions that legislators had raised about a now-defunct House compromise map approved last Friday. That measure was added to a bill dealing with unrelated legal issues.

U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson, R-Cape Girardeau, swifty issued a statement underscoring her approval. "I am very pleased that the state House and state Senate have passed a map," she said. "Although there continues to be hurdles before this map becomes law I truly believe that the map protects the interests of the current 8th District. I will continue to work with all parties involved to ensure that the elected representatives, not judges, have the final say in this process."

State Republican Party chairman David Cole was also effusive in his praise: "This evening, the Missouri General Assembly fulfilled one of the most important constitutional responsibilities that exists in this state -- coming to a bipartisan agreement on a reapportionment solution that fairly and adequately represents the people of Missouri. We thank the legislative leadership -- including House Speaker Steve Tilley, Senate President Pro Tem Rob Mayer, House Redistricting Chairman John Diehl, and Senate Redistricting Chairman Scott Rupp -- for their countless hours of hard work and willingness to compromise. We urge Governor Nixon to sign this bill quickly to give Missourians certainty about their future representation in Congress."

But even before the final legislative votes, the state House's Democratic Caucus issued a statement declaring its opposition and calling for the governor to veto the map.

"This redistricting plan was drafted in a secret backroom with the goal of creating safe Republican seats and depriving Missouri voters of real choices in congressional elections," said House Minority Leader Mike Talboy, D-Kansas City. "House Democrats are formally requesting that the governor protect the interests of Missouri voters by vetoing the redistricting bill."

Jo Mannies is a freelance journalist and former political reporter at St. Louis Public Radio.
Jason is the politics correspondent for St. Louis Public Radio.