Maricopa in Congressional District that borders Utah

1591

The new Congressional District 2 approved by the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission puts Maricopa in an even larger district than the previous maps had.

The massive new district, which includes Maricopa, Casa Grande and Florence would extend to the eastern border of the state and north to the Four Corners, then west of Interstate 17, to include Flagstaff and Prescott. The committee approved the final draft congressional district map Dec. 22.

The new district encompasses six Native American reservations: Gila River, Ak-Chin, San Carlos, Fort Apache, Navajo and Hopi. The district is larger than several states.

According to one local official, it is too big for Maricopa to get the representation it deserves.

“Our congressional district is still bigger than many states and I don’t see how we can get the representation we need to help us at a federal level,” said Vice Mayor Vincent Manfredi. 

But Vince Leach, who represented the city in its prior LD11, said the new district’s makeup will be beneficial to the city. 

“If Maricopa had been lumped in with the southeast Valley and Maricopa County, the city would be an outlier rather than a force for good,” he said. “From that perspective it’s good it stayed in Pinal with like-minded communities. There something about Maricopa life that’s different than being in Chandler or Ahwatukee.

“And what’s not to like?” he added. “I think Maricopa will be well served in the new district. You’ve got some solid people to draw on with the experience TJ Shope brings, with the way Christian Price runs the city, and with Teresa Martinez getting a year under her belt. I think the new district bodes well for the citizens of Maricopa.”

The reconfigured map means Arizona’s representation in the U.S. House of Representatives could move from a 5-4 majority for Democrats to a Republican majority after the commission unanimously approved the map, which leans more toward the GOP than the previous borders did.

Arizona’s current congressional delegation is made up of five Democrats and four Republicans. The new map favors Republicans in terms of voter registration in five, and potentially six of the state’s nine districts.

It was expected that Arizona would add a 10th congressional representative in this cycle, but the state’s population did not warrant it according to census data. 

*- Manfredi is a co-owner of InMaricopa.