[billbears]

ping!!

[Constitution Day]

ALL RIGHT!!!!!!

[Deport Billary]

I'm curious to see whether the propellor blade districts are gone.

[Constitution Day]

NC jumping-for-joy PING!

[southernnorthcarolina]

I'm surprised to hear there are "wholesale changes" in the Senate map, but only five changes in the House map. I had thought that the Senate map was much closer to meeting the requirements set by the judge.

In any event, great news. I'm most anxious to see the Judge's map. Perhaps they'll be up on the General Assembly website soon.

[southernnorthcarolina]

Quite a few Democratic Senators had managed to hang on to their seats via non-compact and/or multi-member districts. All that's over now. Districts drawn to allow black majorities are still kosher (how's that for a mixed metaphor?), but gerrymandering strictly for partisan purposes has been sharply curtailed.

Of the 50 Senate districts, nine are centered on Mecklenburg County (whose seat is Charlotte), or on the counties abutting it (Gaston, Lincoln, Iredell, Cabarrus, and Union). Republicans should take at least six of these nine, and maybe seven.

Republicans should win Districts 35 (Union, plus 6% of Mecklenburg); 36 (Cabarrus, plus 27% of Rowan); 39 (24% of Mecklenburg); 40 (24% of Mecklenburg); 41 (Iredell and Alexander); and 42 (Lincoln, 54% of Catawba, and 15% of Gaston). The Democrats should take Districts 37 and 38 (each 23% of Mecklenburg). District 43, which consists of 85% of Gaston County, is a toss-up; Dems hold the registration lead by 45-39%, and the incumbent is a Dem, but he'll lose a chunk of Democratic Cleveland County, and the district as now drawn went for Vinroot in 2000, and easily for Bush.