RHODE ISLAND DEMOCRATS ARE ON TRACK TO HAND GOP A MIDTERM ADVANTAGE
Rep. James Langevin’s retirement calls into question the Democrats’ current redistricting map. RHODE ISLAND LEGISLATORS are on track to finish their redistricting process in the coming weeks. Earlier this month, the Democratic-leaning advisory commission recommended a slate of maps to the full state legislature, which has the authority to modify the commission’s work before final passage. Those maps, which create two districts that are nearly identical in shape and composition to the state’s current congressional districts, were relatively noncontroversial at the time of their recommendation. A view of the U.S. Capitol during morning rush hour on October 6, 2021 in Washington But U.S. Rep. James Langevin’s announcement this month that he plans to retire has set off a scramble to determine his successor and called into question the wisdom of the maps currently slated for passage. The open-seat race for Langevin’s former district may give the GOP an opening in a state that hasn’t ...