'Friday, Friday': Deadline Coming For State Senate Redistricting Feedback

After more twists and turns than a Six Flags roller-coaster, redistricting has been nothing short of a harrowing experience. But is it possible that state Senate redistricting could be reaching some sort of conclusion?

Maybe. And that's because Friday is the deadline for feedback for a tentative Senate map that was approved by a bipartisan commission a couple of weeks ago. The lines have to be redrawn every 10 years to conform to population shifts throughout the state.

The response, of course, hasn’t been universally favorable. While some lawmakers, such as Sen. Brian Nieves (R-Washington), have been content with their reconfigured districts, others,  such as Sens. Jim Lembke (R-Lemay) and Jane Cunningham (R-Chesterfield), have not been as effusive. That’s especially the case for Cunningham, who was effectively drawn out of a district.

Even though the commission could vote to finalize the maps, there’s yet another legal wrinkle in the Senate redistricting process. According to the Associated Press, a federal lawsuit was filed trying to get a judge to order the use of a Senate map that had been proposed by a judicial panel last year, but later discarded by the Missouri Supreme Court.

And even if there’s some finality to the state Senate lines, its worth repeating that the Missouri Supreme Court has yet to decide on separate cases challenging congressional and state House proposals. So this long-and-winding process may not be at an end.

Early risers

While filing continues through March 27, some state Senate races are beginning to formulate.

For instance, two candidates, former state Rep. Gina Walsh and Florissant resident Redditt Hudson have signed up to run as Democrats in the race to replace state Sen. Tim Green (D-Spanish Lake).

, including St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley. The district is heavily Democratic, which means the winner of the primary is likely to become Green’s successor.

One contest that’s more unsettled is in 1st District in southern St. Louis County. Lembke has yet to file for re-election and has told various media outlets that he may not run in the reconstituted district.

In the meantime, two Democrats, former Reps. Sue Schoemehl (D-Oakville) and Michael Vogt (D-St. Louis), have signed up to run as Democrats.

Meanwhile, Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Glendale) and Senate Majority Leader Tom Dempsey (R-St. Charles) filed to run for re-election in their respective districts. Schmitt’s new district includes a swath of southern and central St. Louis County, while Dempsey will continue to represent a portion of St. Charles County.