Redistricting commissioners close in on a deal – Politico

Good Friday morning!

Could we see a Brian Stack vs. Nick Sacco Democraticprimarynext year?

Its possible. Even likely.The scenario emerged Tuesday into Wednesday as the redistricting commission met and hammered out a compromise deal between the two sides something tiebreaker Philip Carchman has been getting the partisan commissioners to work towards. It would also allow him to be in the unenviable position that congressional tiebreaker John Wallace found himself in and ridiculed for his reasoning when he selected the Democratic congressional map.

By the time I went to bed late last night, the two sides had largely finalized a consensus map and, last I checked, werewaiting for Carchman to review it. Theres a commission meeting scheduled in the Statehouse today to formalize the maps adoption, though there are several backup meetings scheduled for next week as well.

Stack vs. Sacco would be a hell of a primary if it comes to it.The two neighbors interests have often butted up against each other. They both run formidable political machines. And Democratic politics in Hudson County are, notoriously brutal. This would be an outcome of Democrats abandonment splitting Jersey City three ways, which limited their options in fast-growing Hudson County.

Theres also a district that pits Sen. Nia Gill vs. Dick Codey. Thats a tough one for Democrats. Codeys popular and has been around (almost) literally forever, but does a party that boasts of diversity back a white man against a Black woman?

If this winds up being the map,many of the states competitive districts would probably inch more favorably toward Republicans, giving them a shot at a majority if they have a very good year. For Democrats, that means working a little harder to hold their majorities. For Republicans, it may not be an automatic ticket to the majority, but it would presumably be a better map than the one they currently have.

While a deal was close last night, there were some angry lawmakers out there. So things can always change. Stay tuned.

Read more from me here and from Joey Fox, whos done a great job covering redistricting for New Jersey Globe.

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Redistricting commissioners close in on a deal - Politico