WASHINGTON -- Slow population growth will reduce national political influence in both Missouri and Illinois starting in 2012, as Census Bureau figures released Tuesday cut each state’s congressional delegations by one.
Missouri will drop to 8 congressional seats from 9; while Illinois will lose one seat and drop to 18. The drop also means each state loses a vote in the Electoral College that formally elects the president. The losses will kick off intense political battles in both states as state legislatures convene to redraw the congressional boundaries early next year.
With each state losing a seat, the redistricting process will be a quest for power, as both parties seek to create districts that are safe for existing incumbents. At least one incumbent will be out of luck in each state and would have to face another incumbent in either a primary or general election to battle for the right to go back to Congress in 2012.
