April 19, 2011 12:26 AM UTC

GOP: Competitive Districts Bad

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• by: Colorado Pols

The Denver newspaper ran an relatively thoughtful and timely editorial over the weekend on the importance of competitive congressional districts. They made the point that, although a lopsided majority of Americans supported the recent 2011 federal budget compromise between President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner, most of the Colorado delegation voted against it–Republicans arguing that it was not enough cuts, liberal Democrats that it amounted to too many. In both cases, says the Denver paper, Colorado congressional delegation failed to represent the wishes of Colorado voters.

According to them, the problem is a shortage of competitive congressional districts. If our members of Congress were made to face electorates who look like the whole state, their votes would track closer to voters’ wishes. We think this is a bit oversimplified, and perhaps skewed toward the Denver paper’s milquetoast brand of “moderation,” but it’s a point worth considering.

But not, as the Colorado Statesman reports, if you’re Rep. Carole Murray, R-Castle Rock!

[Murray] told The Statesman that competitiveness was presented as a major criterion for the Democrats’ maps, but that’s “nowhere in the law. The law says communities of interest and as little disruption as possible. Those two concepts have been abridged by the Democrats’ maps… The concept of communities of interest is in conflict with competitiveness,” [Pols emphasis] she said. “When you go for competitiveness, it makes it a political process.”

Aside from the fact that Murray is misstating the law–as readers discussed Friday, the factors she is referring to are entirely non-binding, and intended for judges to consider in the event the legislature cannot come up with a map–hers should be a particularly interesting viewpoint for our friends at the Denver paper, who ended off their editorial with praise for both parties’ “lip service” to competitive elections!

Apparently, that praise is in need of some revision. Here’s one Republican legislator who thinks “competitiveness” just, you know, makes things all political.