New districts make sense
For the first time in a long time the Commonwealth of Massachusetts will have congressional districts that appear reasonable to the average human being. Rep. Barney Frank's district, the Fourth, no longer snakes south in and out of communities before spilling out on the South Coast. The First no longer selectively includes Amherst while excluding Hadley and South Hadley. The minority majority district of the Eighth Seventh is still intact and now includes Everett, half of Milton, and Randolph.
The showdown between sitting congressmen that some speculated would not happen after Rep. John Olver announced his retirement may still happen. The new map, as currently configured, may create a showdown between Rep. Bill Keating and Rep. Stephen Lynch as they both live in the newly formed Eighth.
This new congressional map makes geographic sense and doesn't have the gerrymandered feel of past maps.
You can view current districts maps here and the proposed new ones here.
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