UPDATE: We’re a perfect 10
Washington apparently is in line for a new 10th congressional district, according to analysts at Election Data Services.
The analysis, reflecting fresh population estimates from the Census Bureau on Wednesday, says if the numbers hold up in the 2010 Census, as expected, Washington will take the 435th of 435 House seats as a net gain.
The report says six other states, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, South Carolina and Utah, also would pick up a seat and Texas would gain three. Eight states would lose single seats – Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. Ohio is projected to lose two seats.
The analysis indicates that Washington’s gain may be Oregon’s loss. Oregon was on the bubble to get a new seat. But Washington should gain that seat by just a hair – by a margin of less than 25,000 souls. “The additional seat appears to have gone to its northern neighbor, the state of Washington,” the report says.
So bottom line, it’s not official and could change in the final Census numbers next year, but for now, it looks like Washington will pick up a new congressional district. We got the new 8th District after the 1980 Census and the new 9th District after the 1990 Census.
“This is very good news for Washington — a greater voice in the Other Washington,” said Secretary of State Sam Reed.