

Rep. Allen West will switch districts
Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) will move to run in a compact West Palm Beach district rather than his redrawn Fort Lauderdale district, he announced early Tuesday evening.
West's move was made possible by Rep. Tom Rooney's (R-Fla.) decision earlier in the day to abandon that district, where he lives, in order to run in a newly created district that includes parts of his old one.
The moves benefit both candidates, assuming the proposed maps withstand impending legal challenges. Rooney moves from a district that became a toss-up in redistricting to one that's safely Republican. That gives West the opportunity to move from a district that had become Democratic-leaning to one where he stands a better chance at reelection.
Florida's redistricting process is a convoluted one that is far from settled. But if the maps hold, these maneuvers could give both candidates their best chance at returning to Congress after next election.









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