Rep. Daniel Boman, D-SulligentMONTGOMERY, Alabama -- House District 16, as recently redrawn by the Alabama Legislature, is a swath of real estate that snakes a path from the Mississippi state line to the edges of Gardendale in Jefferson County.
Democrats say the sprawling district, which now will cut across four counties, was drawn to punish current Rep. Daniel Boman, D-Sulligent, who switched from the Republican to Democratic parties soon after getting elected. But the chairman of the reapportionment committee dismissed the accusation as "farfetched," saying that districts were drawn to accommodate shifting populations while also meeting legal requirements.
"There is no question in my mind when my district was redrawn, it was drawn to punish me for switching parties," Boman said in an interview.
House Minority Leader Craig Ford, D-Gadsden, said the changes to District 16 will be part of a legal challenge Democrats will file in the coming weeks against the redistricting plan approved by the Republican-majority Alabama Legislature.
"They drew every district more Republican, especially that one," Ford said.
The district had been fairly compact, sitting on the western edge of the state and taking in large chunks of Fayette and Lamar counties and a slight bit of Tuscaloosa County. The reapportionment plan removes much of Lamar County from the district and stretches it eastward through Tuscaloosa County and into Jefferson County to near Graysville and Gardendale.
The racial demographics of the district haven't changed heavily, but the move into Jefferson County takes in working and middle-class areas where statewide GOP candidates traditionally have performed well.
Ford and Boman questioned the sprawling nature of the district, arguing it dilutes the ability of communities to have influence in Montgomery and makes it difficult for any candidate to serve his or her constituents.
"They drew a little loop around where he resides (in Sulligent) and drew in Tuscaloosa and Fayette and came all the way down into Jefferson County. Whether it's Daniel or whoever represents that district, my God, how are they going to campaign a House district that way?" Ford asked.
But Rep. Jim McClendon, R-Springville, dismissed the accusation of political payback.
"Any claims that Boman was punished, that's just farfetched. There's absolutely no truth to it whatsoever," McClendon said.
"The fact is his district, I think, is going to have a slight Republican edge. But apparently in the last election it also had a slight Republican edge because Boman was elected as a Republican. I can't see a problem there," McClendon said.
Boman was elected to the Alabama Legislature in 2010 as part of the GOP tide that gave Republicans control of the Alabama Legislature for the first time since Reconstruction.
However, Boman in 2011 switched to the Democratic Party after butting heads with Republican leaders when he voted against a GOP-backed bill to streamline the process for firing teachers. Boman is now running for Congress, taking on heavily favored incumbent Republican Rep. Robert Aderholt.
McClendon conceded the district does cut across multiple counties, but he argued that is not that unusual.
A major change in the district is that it does come into Jefferson County now.
McClendon said the 18-member Jefferson County House delegation, which in the past has been split evenly along party-lines, is expected to become majority Republican in the next legislative election.
"Jefferson County is less likely to have a 9-9 tie vote on important issues in the future," McClendon said.
However, Boman questioned the fairness of someone from so far outside Jefferson County having a voice in Jefferson County politics.
"I think it's a crying shame that a guy from Sulligent, Alabama -- which is 25 miles from the Mississippi line -- could be a part of the Jefferson County delegation. I think that hurts everybody," Boman said.
Boman said he still thinks he could win the district if he runs again. And McClendon agreed that you can't always predict the outcome of a race based on demographics.
"I don't think it's a Republican district. It does make it very difficult for a guy, or a woman, outside of Tuscaloosa County to win that race unless they are just backed by a ton of money," Boman said.
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