2nd District: "It ain't over till it's over"
Published February 25, 2016
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Rep. Renee Ellmers[/caption]
Editorial by Fayetteville Observer, February 25, 2016.
This year in politics is already something of a spectacle, and not in a good way. We expect we'll regularly encounter situations that call for the wisdom of that treasured American philosopher, baseball great Yogi Berra.
How else, for example, to view the chaos in the 2nd Congressional District than to invoke Yogi's classic admonition: "It ain't over till it's over." Because in the 2nd District race, it really ain't over. Redistricting has tossed - to stick with baseball metaphors - a spitball into the campaign.
Incumbent Renee Ellmers is still in the redrawn district, but none of her former opponents lives there anymore - although it appears two or three of them will continue to campaign anyway. And Congressman George Holding of Raleigh, whose 13th District was moved to the northern Charlotte suburbs, says he's going to challenge Ellmers. Both have represented portions of the latest edition of the 2nd District. The filing period for candidates in the state's redrawn congressional races opens on March 16, the day after the primary that no longer includes races for the U.S. House of Representatives. The General Assembly rescheduled that election for June 7 after it redrew the districts last week.
But here's where that Yogi quote comes in: The federal court that ordered the new districts still has to approve them. The plaintiffs in the case have already expressed displeasure. The state NAACP says the new map still disproportionately packs minority voters into three districts. The NAACP wants the court itself to do the redistricting. The plaintiffs have asked the court to decide by March 18.
It might, in other words, be a bit premature to worry about which congressional district you're in now. And maybe you should just pencil the June 7 primary into your calendar. It's too soon for ink. It's pretty clear, as Yogi put it, that "The future ain't what it used to be."
