Arizona’s new congressional map, interestingly passed by an independent commission, may appear to maintain the status quo but in reality it has the potential to flip democratic seats to the Republican party and help it reclaim a majority of the state’s delegation for the first time since 2018. This article by by Jacob Rubashkin is published by Inside Elections. Here is an excerpt:

Arizona’s independent redistricting commission unanimously passed a new congressional map that maintains the state’s breakdown of five districts carried by Joe Biden in the 2020 election and four districts carried by President Donald Trump, but also affords Republicans great opportunities to flip two Democratic-held seats and reclaim a majority of the state’s delegation for the first time since 2018.

The five-member commission — two Democrats, two Republicans, one independent chairwoman — drew a map that makes two already-competitive seats currently held by Democrats significantly more Republican, while only making one GOP-held seat marginally better for Democrats.

Democrats continue to make gains in the Grand Canyon State. They hold both U.S. Senate seats for the first time since 1952 and have the best chance to win the governor’s mansion in over a decade. But the new map could see their share of the House delegation reduced from five to just three of nine seats next year, given the poor national environment. In a better year for Democrats, they could conceivably win six of the state’s nine seats.

Read the full article here.