617.778.1200 info@serlinhaley.com

Texas, Florida set to gain clout after 2020 census

The U.S. Census Bureau projects that Texas and Florida are apt to gain new congressional seats and Electoral College votes after the upcoming decennial census.

Current population estimates suggest that 10 states are likely to lose seats in Congress in the December 2020 reapportionment, while seven others gain representation.  The biggest winners appear to be Florida, which has long been a swing state in presidential elections, and Texas, where Democrats are gaining clout in what until now has been a reliably Republican state.

Such gains will come at the expense of several states in the Midwest, particularly in a band stretching from New York through Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Michigan, and Illinois.  Also poised to lose one seat each are Minnesota, California and Alabama.

Rhode Island, which now has two representatives in the U.S. House, may see that cut to one.  Montana’s House delegation, by contrast, may double from one member to two.

North Carolina’s recent growth should earn it another congressional seats.  Out West, other states likely to pick up seats are Arizona, Colorado, and Oregon.

The November 2022 midterm elections will be the first to be held under the upcoming reapportionment.