Redistricting delays add to Democrats' worries about keeping US
Going back two elections, Democrats regarded Brian Fitzpatrick as one of the U.S. Congress's most vulnerable Republicans, but both times they didn't unseat him, even though his suburban Philadelphia district voted for Democratic President Joe Biden. He's again on their target list for the Nov. 8, 2022, midterm elections - which will determine whether Biden's Democrats continue to keep control of Congress - but Democratic officials say getting a suitable candidate is actually a challenge for the reason that borders of the district happen to be in flux and could be for months.
"That's a significant concern," said John Cordisco, chairman of the Democratic Get together in Dollars County, which lies within the district. "When you are complicated a multiple-term incumbent, if you don't have immediate name reputation -- it becomes incredibly problematic."
The reason behind the uncertainty is redistricting https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-politics-redistricting/how-the-battle-over-redistricting-in-2021-could-decide-control-of-the-u-s-congress-idUSKBN2AI1CX, the once-a-decade process where House of Representatives districts are actually redrawn based on shifts on the U.S. population https://www.reuters.com/world/us/new-us-census-data-will-show-which-states-gain-or-lose-house-seats-2021-04-26. The procedure usually unsettles congressional elections, but this year the corona virus pandemic offers put into the turbulence by delaying the delivery of the census info needed to draw the districts until September.
"This can be the most challenging redistricting cycle in years," said Michael Li, a good attorney at New York University's nonpartisan Brennan Center for Justice.
The redistricting delays compound what's already shaping up to be a difficult election for Democrats. Commonly, the get together that holds the White House loses chairs in Congress in the president's 1st term. Republicans need a net gain of just five seats to seize control.
