US House Redistricting: Utah

[minionofmidas]

Philpot didn't raise much money (though he finally got some in the last couple months) and just seemed pretty hapless.

In other words, not much different from some people who won in similar districts.

Of course, the Utah legislature already tried to take out Matheson in 2000. But did so somewhat halfheartedly.

[minionofmidas]

So, from a cursory glance, Matheson's to run in the yellow district - combining much of his downtown SLC territory with those rural parts of his district that he didn't do well in plus new rural territory that no Democrat has done well in for a lifetime? Why did they forget to excise the Navajo though?

[minionofmidas]

So, from a cursory glance, Matheson's to run in the yellow district - combining much of his downtown SLC territory with those rural parts of his district that he didn't do well in plus new rural territory that no Democrat has done well in for a lifetime? Why did they forget to excise the Navajo though?

It looks like the only Dem territory in that district is Salt Lake City itself. One wonders what will happen in a primary there.
His base was cut into 3 districts.

SLC really is his base (though I would suppose that part was cut up too, don't know the geography enough to judge), there are just some rural pockets that Dems are competitive in, either historically or lately, and somehow they all (Indians, Italian miners, hippy skibunnies) ended up in his district. Which is odd given that it was drawn to get rid of him... but then again other rural areas in the district were and are superheavily Republican, and have more votes.
Which makes me wonder why the Indians were left in.

[minionofmidas]

It's pizza time!

http://www.redistrictutah.com/maps/congress-ipson-update-sumsion6a

So now Matheson basically loses downtown SLC?

[minionofmidas]

Well yeah, I was just musing because that other district looks so much like the one he last represented at first glance. Of course, he was originally elected in a purely SLC district.

[minionofmidas]

Attempt at a fair map of Utah. West Jordan is the only split municipality. (Bingham Canyon in the rural district is presumably quite unfortunate - alternatives involved splitting off one precinct of either Provo or Alpine, pulling the first district into Salt Lake County, or just living with a district undersized by about 2000 people. Maximum deviation in this map is just 136.)
Can someone with a better grasp of party strength in the Wasatch Front tell me just how Democratic that 2nd district is?

And an alternative of sorts.

[minionofmidas]

Roll Call came up with the numbers for the proposed map:

UT-01: McCain: 67; Bush: 76
UT-02: McCain: 58; Bush 67
UT-03: McCain: 67; Bush: 76
UT-04: McCain: 56; Bush: 66

Seems inefficient if true. Even if they want to give Matheson his own seat to deter him from embarking on a statewide run, why not distribute PVI more equally among the three other districts?

Because the 1st and 3rd have Republican incumbents and the 4th does not, and incumbents have clout?

Roll Call came up with the numbers for the proposed map:

UT-01: McCain: 67; Bush: 76
UT-02: McCain: 58; Bush 67
UT-03: McCain: 67; Bush: 76
UT-04: McCain: 56; Bush: 66

Which of UT-2 and UT-4 is better for Matheson? It's hard to tell the population distribution by looking at the land area because of the concentration of the population in western states.

UT-4 not only has downtown SLC but the only rural areas remaining in Utah that still are willing to vote for Democrats besides the ski and Sundance country.

UT-2, you mean. UT-4 is western Salt Lake County and Tooele.