How Michigan’s new political maps will change dynamics for candidates across the state
Democrats have the ability to “make some ground in the Legislature” because of how the new maps were written, says Ben Solis of Gongwer Michigan.
New political lines mean new political dramas and dilemmas in Michigan. Typically, every two years, incumbents who want another term in Congress or the state Legislature run in the same district. Sometimes, they have a primary challenger. Sometimes they coast to a general election against challengers from another party. This year is different. Redistricting means Michigan has incumbents running against other incumbents.
“Whether these maps are fair and they’ve done what they are supposed to — it’s still going to take a couple of election cycles just to see.” — Ben Solis, reporter with Gongwer Michigan
Listen: How the new maps changed the political game for Michiganders.
Guest
Ben Solis is a reporter with Gongwer Michigan. Solis says candidates will need to be more competitive in order to win districts because of the new political maps, but we still don’t know how the public will appreciate them until at least number of years. “Whether these maps are fair and they’ve done what they are supposed to — it’s still going to take a couple of election cycles just to see,” he says.
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