DCCC Chairman: Impeach Gov. Brewer

By Josh Lederman - 11/04/11 01:40 PM ET

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) should be impeached for interfering in Arizona's redistricting process, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Steve Israel (D-N.Y.) said on Friday.

"I think the people of Arizona should consider impeaching Jan Brewer for what she did," said Israel, who also offered an alternative way forward. "Gov. Brewer should think about impeaching herself."

Arizona's bipartisan redistricting commission — approved by voters in 2000 — issued a draft map in October that Republicans didn't like. On Tuesday, the Republican-controlled state Senate gave its blessing to Brewer's order for the chairwoman of that commission to be thrown out, leaving the redistricting process in chaos.

Brewer spokesman Matthew Benson called the Democrats' reaction "over the top" and said it demonstrated a willingness to ignore the Arizona Constitution and hijack congressional districts.

"The people of Arizona knew what they were doing when they specifically entrusted in the governor and state Senate an oversight role for redistricting," Benson said. "Gov. Brewer called out the [Democrats'] misconduct and stopped them dead in their tracks."

In removing her from the commission, Brewer accused Chairwoman Colleen Mathis of gross misconduct in drafting the map. Democrats have said Brewer simply didn't like the map the independent commission came up with. They called the governor's move an unprecedented power grab and a nakedly political attempt to influence what is intended to be a independent map-drawing process.

The map Republicans oppose puts as many as five of the state's nine congressional districts into play for Democrats, including a newly created tossup district. It also pits two sitting Republican House members against each other in a likely primary showdown.

Israel told reporters that the DCCC would "push every button" and pursue every possible strategy — including legal action — to restore fairness and independence to the once-per-decade redistricting process.

Arizona is one of a few states where national Democratic groups are on edge over the redistricting process. In Ohio, Democrats are pushing a referendum to overturn a Republican-drawn map passed earlier in the year.

But one Ohio Democrat, Rep. Dennis Kucinich, is supporting the Republican map because it doesn't completely dismantle his district as he had earlier feared. Kucinich's support for the GOP map has put him in an awkward position with Democratic state lawmakers.

"Dennis is Dennis," Israel said when asked about the conflict. "We fully support a referendum."