State Watch

Iowa legislature approves redistricting proposal

by Monique Beals 10/28/21 09:35 PM ET

Lawmakers in Iowa approved a new congressional map on Thursday.

The new map seemingly maintains the current state of affairs in the Iowa, ensuring the state remains relevant in future battles over control of the House, according to the Des Moines Register.

The map was approved by both chambers of the state legislature on Thursday and will now require approval from Iowa’s Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds.

The proposed map, which was created by Iowa’s nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency, includes one Republican stronghold and three competitive districts that former President Trump would have won by a few points, the Register reported.

“Iowa’s redistricting process has once again proven itself the gold standard, producing a nonpartisan, fair map for the people of Iowa. Democrats’ repeated accusations of Republicans’ intention to gerrymander have proved to be nothing more than fear-mongering,” Iowa state House Speaker Pat Grassley (R) said in a tweet about the map.

Iowa state Senate Democratic Leader Zach Wahls (D) added in a tweet that the map was “a win for all Iowans who care about our government & about our ability to come together, solve problems, & improve people’s lives.”

Republican lawmakers rejected the nonpartisan agency’s initial proposal. The second proposal, which was approved Thursday, is more risky than the first as three seats are competitive. However, the approved map gives Republicans an opportunity to control the delegation in its entirety.

All three of the competitive spots will likely see expensive and highly contested campaign battles. Iowa’s Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Rep. Ashley Hinson, who are both Republicans, along with Democratic Rep. Cindy Axne had at least $1.4 million in their campaign accounts as of the end of last month, Politico reported.