If you thought that Congressional Redistricting was a clusterf#@%$, well, you ain't seen nothin’ yet!  

Let’s be honest, Brandon Shaffer and Sal Pace are not alone. There are at least another 98 people out there who think they can run for Congress one day, and their first hurdle is going to be making sure their state legislative district is winnable after reapportionment. That is, if they don’t get drawn out of it first.  

We’ll concede that Republicans will experience their share of infighting, but just based on how the map rests and where the Democrat legislators reside, Democrats are the ones that need to be worried. Here is our top 5 list of Democrat egos and emotions ready to blow:    

1. Newly elected Denver Democrat Rep. Dan Pabon may as well live in the same precinct as newly elected Denver Democrat Rep. Crisanta Duran. If one of these two is found at the bottom of Clear Creek, you know whose door the cops will go knocking on first. Expect lots of posturing and sucking up to the Commission from both of these guys.

2. Former and newly elected Rep. Matt Jones, of Louisville, is a member of the Reapportionment Commission. Again. He served on this very same commission 20 years ago. Way to move on with your life, Matt. Considering those guys from Boulder County think they can Brandon-Mander their way to electoral success, expect Jones to generate a lot of drama.

3. Nancy Todd’s husband, Terry. Rep. Nancy Todd (D-Aurora) is sitting around waiting for Sen. Suzanne Williams’s Senate seat to open up so that her husband can run for her House seat. She has already tried once to speed up the transition to the Senate, by contradicting Williams denials to the media about what she remembers from the car accident, which helped spur the grand jury. We already know Nancy is a crier, let’s just hope Terry isn’t one too.

4. Sen. Mike Johnston (D-Denver) is a diamond in the rough at the state Capitol (think Josh Penry but with better hair). Johnston is the type of guy who has the talent to jump to the next political rung once Dianna DeGette retires or dies, whichever happens first. Expect him to be especially paranoid about getting stabbed in the back by his own party during this reapportionment process as retribution for Senate Bill 191, teacher tenure reform.

5. Rep. Millie Hamner (D-Dillon). Who? She replaced Rep. Christine Scanlan and has a serious case of the “me toos!”  While Scanlan was able to hold onto that seat, despite the influx of $300,000 of Hasan Family Foundation money, Hamner is expected to pitch a fit to rid herself of the wealthy Beaver Creek. Hamner is new on the block, but Rep. Claire Levy (D-Boulder) should watch out. They’ll end up going head-to-head over west Boulder County Democrats, just you wait.

 

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