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Census data yields more seats in Republican states with a hitch

by YankeeJim | December 22, 2010 at 07:26 am

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While the south and west produce more seats for Republicans at a loss to Democrats in the north and east, gains come from increases in Latino population. If Republicans persist in defeating legislation such as the DREAM Act, and if they stiffen policy against immigration, that will not play well among the Latino-Americans. Stand by for the outcome in 2012.

See the link for interactive graphics at the Washington Post.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/21/AR2010122103084.html?wpisrc=nl_politics

“Census data realigns congressional districts in key political states

By Sandhya Somashekhar and Aaron Blake

Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, December 21, 2010; 10:55 PM

For years, the population center of the United States has been migrating from the snowy driveways and industrial towns of the Northeast and Midwest toward the warm skies and wide-open spaces of the South and West.

It is a shift that could change the political landscape for years to come.

On Tuesday, the Census Bureau rearranged the political map to account for population trends documented in this year's census, taking congressional districts from Democratic-leaning states such as New York and Massachusetts and adding them to Republican states such as Texas and Arizona.

The 2010 Census found that the American population had grown by about 9.7 percent, to 308,745,538 residents, since 2000. It was the slowest rate of growth since 1940.

The new numbers determined which states would gain and lose seats in the House of Representatives. Since the number of House districts is fixed at 435,reapportionment takes place every decade to ensure that they remain roughly equal in population.”