boston.com is reporting about a proposed re-drawing of Massachusetts’ US Congressional districts, and it could have a big impact on the political fortunes of first-term Congresser Jake Auchincloss. The proposed redistricting would fold all of Fall River into what is currently MA-4.
Currently, Fall River is split across two congressional districts MA-4 and MA-9, which is represented by Bill Keating. MA-9 currently contains all of New Bedford, which would not be included, under the proposal, in a congressional district with Fall River. This has Keating and former Congresser for MA-4 Joe Kennedy displeased. They think that Fall River and New Bedford have enough similarities — lower-income, ethnic mix, &c — that they should be represented in a single district. Auchincloss counters that the Gateway Cities are better served with two congressers.
Clearly, a district with a merged Fall River is better for Auchincloss. He faced stiff competition from progressives in his inaugural, successful run. Progressives split their vote, arguably giving Auchincloss his seat. A consolidated Fall River increases the size of his conservative/moderate base, making him less vulnerable to a progressive challenger. A district without Fall River would make him significantly more vulnerable.
Democracy at its finest: Jake Auchincloss’ benefactors Barry Sloane, the Krafts et al. obviously get whatever they please in this state.
Not only is Auchincloss gaining Fall River, he’s also gaining Trump towns along the RI border (Blackstone, Millville).
And he’s shaking off Hopkinton, which was won by Jesse Mermell.
Auchincloss’ reptilian defense of the Confederate flag wavers, condemnation of Indigenous Peoples’ Day, and mocking of the Quran served him well in the last election and will serve him even better after the redistricting.
Disgraceful.
Fall River and New Bedford belong in the same Congressional district. Many Portuguese Americans immigrated to these two cities–including members of my grandfather’s family, who came from the Azores–and they have influenced the culture and politics of both cities for many years. Other BIPOC families and individuals have made this one of the more diverse areas in the state. Including Fall River and New Bedford in the same district would greatly increase the opportunity for representation for those communities in Congress by someone who shares their background, culture, and experience.
Of course all of Fall River should be in the same district along with neighboring New Bedford. It made no sense for it to be divided other than to fit some politician’s desire. I don’t know if it helps or hurts Jake. He’s new and his last name isn’t Kennedy so it is too soon to tell how secure he is in that seat.
Barney Frank held that seat for the longest time and he was well received in that part of the state. Of course, Barney Frank would not be called a progressive in 2021. I think the left flank of the Democratic party isn’t exactly gaining popularity and I could imagine a pull back to your run of the mill liberals. Ayanna Presley voted against the infrastructure bill. Voters should remember that the next time they complain about transportation and roads.
Barney Frank, the leading co-sponsor of Dodd-Frank, a man who supported reparations for Japanese internment as early as the 1980s and attempted to legalize medical Marijuana in 2000 would “not be called a progressive in 2021.” That’s hilarious.
This thread would be more useful if the following were true: (1) if progressives had gotten out of their own way in 2020; (2) if they were actually good at politics; and (3) if they could actually appeal to voters in a way that didn’t come across like a Boston Globe or New York Times Op-Ed, or a college seminar. Instead, we’re talking about the chicanery of “reuniting” Fall River and New Bedford. No wonder they keep losing.
The ideal district is both geographically compact and where every voter wakes up on election day knowing their vote matters, and every politician knows every vote matters.
The tactics that get in the way of that goal are packing and cracking. Packing involves crowding as much of one interest group into one district as possible to remove their influence from other districts. Cracking involves splitting an interest group across districts just enough to sufficiently dilute their influence.
So the question here is, what will give New Bedford and Fall River residents the best representation in the House? Oversimplifying things, there are six possible outcomes:
1. Two strongly aligned
2. One strongly and one weakly aligned
3. One strong, one moderate
4. Two moderately aligned
5. One moderate, one weak
6. Two weakly aligned.
The district lines will dictate the most likely outcome. What is the current state, what is the proposal likely to lead to, and what is “ideal” for the city, state, and country?