Fall River and New Bedford will remain split into separate congressional districts if a proposed redistricting map unveiled on Monday by the Massachusetts legislature is approved.
The latest boundaries, which are redrawn every ten years to reflect demographic changes recorded in the U.S. Census, ignore recent demands from voting rights advocates to unite the two port cities into a single district more reflective of their racial diversity.
Instead, Fall River will belong to a district that stretches more than 50 miles north to include some of Boston’s wealthiest suburbs. Congressman Jake Auchincloss, a Democrat from Newton, plans to seek re-election in the redrawn 4th Congressional District.
The map places New Bedford, located just 15 miles east of Fall River, into the 9th Congressional District, which stretches from Westport to Plymouth to Cape Cod and the islands.
Congressman Bill Keating, a Cape Cod Democrat who’s represented the 9th since the last redistricting process in 2011, called on the Massachusetts Legislature to redraw the proposed map.
“There is no good reason for the South Coast to be divided between its two Gateway City anchors,” Keating said in a statement. “I was presented with no convincing reason why this is now the case.”
New Bedford, a coastal city of 100,000 people that lands more value in seafood than any other port in the U.S., has seen a century pass since it last sent a resident of its own to Congress.
The city’s mayor, Jon Mitchell, joined Keating in calling for a new congressional map that unites New Bedford and Fall River.
“If folks were looking for an example of gerrymandering in 2021, this is it,” Mitchell said. “It’s an act of raw political power by folks in Boston who really don’t have any vested interest here.”
State Sen. Mark Montigny of New Bedford has also criticized the proposed map.
“Simply put, our interests do not align with affluent Boston-area suburbs or the South Shore,” Montigny said. “Dividing our cities into separate congressional districts dilutes our collective voice and must not be allowed to continue.”
But politicians in Fall River have supported keeping Auchincloss as their representative in Washington, and Auchincloss himself went public long before Keating about wanting the city included in his district.
“Representing a District like ours — rich in economic, geographic, and ideological diversity — gives me a valuable perspective in Washington,” Auchincloss said on Monday. “The new map preserves that vital diversity.”
The legislature’s redistricting committee plans to hold a virtual hearing next week to hear public input and consider changes to its proposed map.
Ben Berke is the South Coast Bureau Reporter for The Public’s Radio. He can be reached at bberke@thepublicsradio.org.
