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Safe Districts Discover That Voters Read Different Maps
· New York time
Democrats won the House by flipping more than two dozen Republican-held seats, including longtime swing districts and seats once considered deep red. The range of districts changing hands shows how widely the party's gains reached across the congressional map. Some of those seats had a history of close contests. Others had been treated as more reliable territory for Republicans. Together they gave Democrats the numbers needed to take control of the chamber and set its agenda. A district label is useful shorthand, but it is not a deed. Candidates still have to persuade people who live within the lines, and a district's past voting habits cannot promise the next result. The new map gives both parties plenty to study as they prepare for future campaigns. For Democrats, the challenge is holding seats that may not vote the same way in every election. For Republicans, it is understanding why districts they held moved away from them. Neither task can be completed by simply repainting a graphic on election night. Campaign professionals love the phrase safe seat because it makes a messy electorate sound as dependable as a reserved parking space. This election supplied a reminder that the people doing the parking get a vote too. More than two dozen signs have changed color, and the old map will need a rather awkward update.
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