Although Nevada is awash in proposed maps and veto stamps, I decided to have some fun with my former home state and take stab at redrawing the lines without having seen any of what the legislature has proposed.
Here it goes:
In terms of population - the numbers are fairly distributed, with the population deviating at no more or less than 6 people amongst the four districts. Using 2008 presidential election numbers, ALL four redrawn districts were won by President Obama, with winning percentages ranging between a plurality of 49% to an outright 61% majority. At best (and completely within the realm of possibility), the Democrats can capture all four seats. Under normal or midterm circumstances, the numbers might be 3-1 Democratic or an even 2-2 split in the delegation. Maybe the courts will produce a map like this?
1st District (yellow) - VIVA LAS VEGAS!
The new 1st becomes more compact, shedding North Las Vegas and portions of Sunrise Manor and instead lurching southwards to take in Spring Valley and McCarran International Airport while keeping UNLV. Like its current incarnation, the new 1st maintains its status as a Democratic stronghold.
Current configuration: 64% Obama - 34% McCain
New configuration: 60.6% Obama - 37.2% McCain
2nd District (chocolate) - The Biggest Little District in the World!
What happens in Vegas is finally staying in Vegas. Anchored in Reno, the new 2nd only takes in the rural northern counties and the more populated Washoe, Storey, Lyon, and Douglas Counties as well as the independent Carson City. Although the least Democratic of the four districts, Obama still won with a plurality under these proposed lines. It will all boil down to independent voters and the ability of Democrats to turn out their voters. This is a swing county with a generic Republican lean, although certainly not unwinnable if a great Democratic candidate emerges and/or a really awful Republican candidate nabs the nomination (paging Sharron Angle).
Current configuration: 49% Obama - 49% McCain (McCain won NV-02 by 88 votes out of over 335,700 votes cast)
New configuration: 49.4% Obama - 48.3% McCain (McCain will lose this district by 3,200 votes)
3rd District (sky blue) - Hoover DAMN!!!
The new 3rd looks nothing like its current Y-shaped version. Although still hugging the Arizona border to its east and south, it loses its northwestern finger - with Spring Valley being included in the new 1st and the rest of the former territory - including some western portions of Henderson - being drawn into the newly-constituted 4th. It does however gain a significant chunk of North Las Vegas and ventures northwards out of Clark and takes in territory currently in the 2nd - such as almost all of Lincoln County and Nellis Air Force Base. I certainly hope that under these new lines, the new 3rd will become more reliably Democratic and not as swingish as its now. Also, fun fact: NV-03 was my home district from 2007-2008.
Current configuration: 55% Obama - 43% McCain
New configuration: 60.3% Obama - 37.4% McCain
4th District (lime green) - Desert sands and discount prices...
The new kid, the 4th will be anchored by western Henderson, Enterprise, and a lot of suburban southern Las Vegas and stretch northwards to take in all of Nye, White Pine, Lander, Esmeralda, Mineral and Eureka Counties and sparsely-populated chunks of Churchill, Lyon, and Elko. Major attractions include the fun-sounding communities of Tonopah and Pahrump, Ivanpah Valley (site of the future airport and the designer outlet stores at Primm), plus the haunted town of Goldfield. These proposed lines give the new 4th a minuscule Democratic lean, although more realistically it'll probably be as swingish (or even more swingish) than the current 3rd is now.
2008 numbers: 52.5% Obama - 45.5% McCain
Thoughts? Comments?