All five of the country’s fastest-growing states — Arizona, Idaho, Nevada, Texas and Utah — are located in the Sun Belt and Rocky Mountain regions, according to the once-in-a-decade population count.
Of the 12 House seats that will shift in next year’s redistricting process, 11 will be taken from the Northeast and Midwest. Eight of the newly created districts will end up west of there.
2010 Census Results
And all of that means the battle for political power in the 21st century will most likely be fought and won in the American West.
At least in the immediate term, Republicans are expected to have the advantage. In 2008, the Republican presidential ticket won three-quarters of the states gaining seats next year, and because of changes in population, Sen. John McCain would win six more electoral votes from the post-census map.
In many places, Republican gains on the state legislative level will put the GOP strongly in control of redrawing the congressional map.
“In terms of the impact of the region, the West and the South: More seats equals more votes. And since most of these are going to be Republican seats, that translates into more difficulty for Democrats recapturing the House,” said University of Texas professor Bruce Buchanan.
2010 Census Results
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