Today is the day. Congressional Redistricting kicks off with an organizational meeting that will begin what it sure to be a contentious process. New Jersey will be going from 13 to 12 congressional districts this time around, and of course, neither side wants to budge.
The balance of our congressional delegation is actually far more balanced than one would think. There are currently 7 Democrat members and 6 Republican members. Based on the information that came down from the census, and the trend line of elections in recent years, logic would dictate that a Democrat from somewhere above I-195 would be losing his seat, making the balance an even split. Unfortunately, these things are rarely determined by logic, or facts, or what the people want. Instead this will be a purely political decision and will come down to what Rutgers Law – Newwark Dean John Farmer wants as the tie breaking member.
Each party brings six members to the negotiating table, all from different places around the state with different interests in mind.
The Democrats:
- Former Speaker Joe Roberts
- Former Assemblywoman Nilsa Cruz-Perez
- Former Assemblyman Michael Baker
- Ed Farmer
- Jeannie LaRue
- Phil Thigpen
The Republicans
- Michael DuHaime
- Former Burlington County Freeholder Director Aubrey Fenton
- Eric Jaso
- Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande
- Cape May Freeholder Susan Sheppard
- Sherine El-Abd
Today the parties will be organizing their members and attempting to set dates for at least three public hearings. Whatever they decide we will be stuck with for ten years at the minimum, but likely far longer. Once these lines get moved, the likelihood of them ever returning to the way they were is slim, any and all changes will effect any future changes down the road. Here we go again.
