Arizona’s independent redistricting commission unanimously passed a new congressional map that maintains the state’s breakdown of five districts carried by Joe Biden in the 2020 election and four districts carried by President Donald Trump, but also affords Republicans great opportunities to flip two Democratic-held seats and reclaim a majority of the state’s delegation for the first time since 2018.
The five-member commission — two Democrats, two Republicans, one independent chairwoman — drew a map that makes two already-competitive seats currently held by Democrats significantly more Republican, while only making one GOP-held seat marginally better for Democrats.
Democrats continue to make gains in the Grand Canyon State. They hold both U.S. Senate seats for the first time since 1952 and have the best chance to win the governor’s mansion in over a decade. But the new map could see their share of the House delegation reduced from five to just three of nine seats next year, given the poor national environment. In a better year for Democrats, they could conceivably win six of the state’s nine seats.
1st District
The new 1st District is the successor to the old 6th District, in the northeast Phoenix suburbs and Scottsdale. Republican David Schweikert will run here. His district sheds some of north Phoenix but picks up some of more Democratic downtown Phoenix, as well as some expansive but sparsely populated land in eastern Maricopa County.
The new district would have voted for Biden by 1 point, 50-49 percent, compared to Trump’s 51-47 percent win under the old lines.
Schweikert, who came under fire in 2020 after admitting to a laundry list of campaign finance violations, faces challenges from all sides.
In the GOP primary, he’ll have to get...