decorahnews.com analysis: Is Bruce Braley Winneshiek County's next Congressman?

Iowa Congressman Bruce Braley held a fundraising dinner in Decorah last Thursday. That might seem a little strange at first glance--because Braley doesn't represent Winneshiek County in Congress.

So why was Braley interested in talking with Democratic Party members in Winneshiek County? The answer involves the upcoming U.S. Census.

Data from the census is used in a number of ways--including to determine the number of Congressional districts each state has. Based on population estimates, U. S. Census officials are predicting that the number of Congressional districts in Iowa will decline from five to four in the future.

Once federal officials figure out how many Congressional districts each state gets, it is up to state officials in each state to draw the district boundaries. Iowa Code requires that a congressional redistricting plan contain districts which have nearly equal populations--with differences of less than one percent.

So the counties in Iowa will be placed into four Congressional districts of roughly equal populations. In order to do that, Winneshiek County (and Allamakee County) will probably be placed into the existing Iowa 2nd Congressional District--which Braley currently represents.

In other words, Winneshiek County might not be in Braley's congressional district for another two years, but for a politician, it's never too early to start building bridges.