Redistricting causes shakeup to Rochester's legislative map
Minnesota’s redrawn legislative maps are out — and for Rochester area voters, that means some notable changes to the ballot this November.
The new legislative districts were released this week as part of redistricting efforts that happen every 10 years to reflect census updates.
Across the state, more than two-thirds of people now live in new legislative districts, MPR News reports. And in Rochester, the shift in lines is as consequential as anywhere in greater Minnesota.
State Senate seats
In 2020, Rochester’s two Minnesota Senate seats were among the most competitive in the state. It remains unclear, however, whether that will be the case this time around with the new districts.
Senate District 25, long represented by Republican state Sen. Dave Senjem, has been redrawn to include a larger chunk of Rochester, including the northeast portion of the city that had been part of District 26.
By no longer extending west into more conservative areas like Byron, Kasson, Mantorville, and Dodge Center, the seat will now likely tilt in favor of the DFL, which came within inches of unseating Senjem in 2020.
Senjem, 79, has not said whether he plans to run in 2022. A 20-year veteran of the Senate, he is among the most influential legislators in St. Paul.
As for Republican state Sen. Carla Nelson, the new district she resides in compromises many of the rural areas now being represented by Senjem. It also includes less of Rochester than her current District 26.
Nelson told MinnPost this week that while she has not had time to look at all of the numbers, others who have believe the new District 24 is a “more red leaning district” than the one she represents now.
With the redrawn lines, Nelson does find herself in the same district as GOP state Sen. Gene Dornink. However, Dornink plans to move out of the district in order to run for a more favorable Senate seat to the south.
Nelson is again facing a challenge from Dr. Aleta Borrud, a DFLer who in 2020 came within 1.9 points of Nelson for the District 26 seat.
State House seats
Rochester’s state House seats also got a reshuffling. Our analysis found that only two incumbents can be considered relatively safe with the new maps:
Rep. Duane Quam. The Byron Republican now represents part of northwest Rochester and surrounding areas. But with the new maps, the Distict 24A where Quam lives shifts away from Rochester and instead will include greater portions of Dodge County.
Rep. Liz Boldon. The first-term DFLer’s 25B seat has shifted to the south to include a larger portion of Rochester, a city that went to President Joe Biden by more than 20 points in the last election.
The big questions are what happens in the other two Rochester districts:
In the new District 24B, two current legislators would have to go head-to-head if they want to hold onto a seat in the House. The district, which encompasses sections of southern and western Rochester, is home to both GOP Rep. Nels Pierson and DFL Rep. Tina Liebling.
The new District 25A, which extends from the northern parts of Rochester to Oronoco, is wide open for the next election cycle.
What’s next?
Both the City of Rochester and Olmsted County will be finalizing their redrawn maps in the coming months.
The city plans to have its draft maps ready for review by Feb. 21. before implementing them in late March. Per protocol, the county will review the new maps and begin its redistricting process — wrapping up by April 26.
Candidates can begin filing for office from May 17 through May 31.
At the city level, at least three council ward positions — 1, 3, and 5 — will be on the ballot in 2022, along with mayor. For the county, there will elections in districts 2, 4, and 6. In both cases, there is also the possibility that redistricting could lead to elections for additional seats.
Sean Baker is a Rochester journalist and the founder of Med City Beat.
Cover graphic: Redrawn legislative map of Rochester
