Gainesville and Vicinity Affected by U.S. House Redistricting

The court-ordered redistricting in Florida for the United States House of Representatives has, at least on the surface when looking at the new borders on a state map, drastically altered the representation in northern Florida.  In Gainesville, that part of the gerrymandered 5th District that Democrat Corrine Brown has represented underwent the most draconian change, having shifted from its generally north-south Jacksonville-east Gainesville-Orlando orientation to an east-west district stretching westward from Jacksonville (the only part of the earlier district remaining intact) along the Georgia-Florida border, cutting into Tallahassee, and ending on the other side in Gadsden County.  Brown is understandably upset with all this as most of her constituents are going to be in a different district and she would have to court a new population for reelection.  As for the rest of Gainesville, in which I reside, teabagger Republican Ted Yoho's 3rd District will remain, but has also drastically changed by now encompassing all of Alachua County and shifting eastward and southward to now include parts of Ocala and Palatka.  It will be a little more liberal than before, but if Yoho, not very well liked in his own party, can get past the primary stage, then he should still have little trouble being reelected.  The rest of Yoho's old district, that vast area west of Alachua County and including some friends of mine living in Levy, Gilchrist, and Dixie Counties, has been reassigned to District 2...which stretches westward all the way into the state's panhandle, even including Panama City and extending northward to the Alabama border.  It should continue to be very, very conservative politically...

Brown went to court to challenge the revision of the congressional map as it pertained to her own district, but just recently received an unfavorable ruling.  And it's still highly unlikely that I will be represented by a Democrat anytime soon, while my memories of the period from 1993 to 2003, when Karen Thurmond was my representative, recede even further into the past.  It should be interesting to see how the various incumbents handle the redrawing of our districts in the upcoming primary and general elections...