DCCC Chairman: Impeach Gov. Brewer

In removing her from the commission, Brewer accused Chairwoman Colleen Mathis of gross misconduct in drafting the map. Democrats have said Brewer simply didn’t like the map the independent commission came up with. They called the governor’s move an unprecedented power grab and a nakedly political attempt to influence what is intended to be a independent map-drawing process.

{mosads}The map Republicans oppose puts as many as five of the state’s nine congressional districts into play for Democrats, including a newly created tossup district. It also pits two sitting Republican House members against each other in a likely primary showdown.

Israel told reporters that the DCCC would “push every button” and pursue every possible strategy — including legal action — to restore fairness and independence to the once-per-decade redistricting process.

Arizona is one of a few states where national Democratic groups are on edge over the redistricting process. In Ohio, Democrats are pushing a referendum to overturn a Republican-drawn map passed earlier in the year.

But one Ohio Democrat, Rep. Dennis Kucinich, is supporting the Republican map because it doesn’t completely dismantle his district as he had earlier feared. Kucinich’s support for the GOP map has put him in an awkward position with Democratic state lawmakers.

“Dennis is Dennis,” Israel said when asked about the conflict. “We fully support a referendum.”