Here's a state that should make everybody happy. It's the most populous state where you can make all of the districts blue with minimal tortuous borders.
Next week, we will begin looking at states with at least 15 cube root districts. It is at this point where each district will get its own close-up image. This will make each district much easier to discern.
It all begins again under the orange squiggle.
Previous states, in publishing order: North Dakota, South Dakota, Alaska, Delaware, Maine, New Hampshire, Hawaii, Idaho, Nebraska, West Virginia, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Kansas, West Virginia, Mississippi, Iowa, Connecticut, Oklahoma, Oregon, Kentucky, South Carolina, Louisiana, Alabama, Colorado, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Maryland, Missouri, Tennessee, Arizona, Indiana
Good map, or best map ever?
1st District (blue): Open. Pittsfield, Greenfield, Gardner, Amherst, and Northampton. 68.7% Obama. Safe D.
2d District (green): Richard Neal (D-Springfield). All of Hampden County, plus one precinct from Hampshire County to even out the population. 61.6% Obama. Safe D.
3d District (purple): Jim McGovern (D-Worcester). Worcester and Southbridge. 56.6% Obama. This district may be several points to the right of the state, but it's just not red enough to put an incumbent in any danger. Safe D.
4th District (red): Open. Fitchburgh, Marlborough, Framingham, and Milford. 59.5% Obama. Safe D.
5th District (gold): Niki Tsongas (D-Lowell). Lowell and some of the Fitchburg suburbs. 55.6% Obama. As long as an incumbent is here, this district will endure, even in a Republican wave. Safe D.
6th District (teal): Seth Moulton (D-Salem). Methuen, Haverhill, Gloucester, Peabody, and Salem. 58% Obama. Moulton's predecesor, John Tierney, probably wouldn't have survived in this district in 2014. But with Moulton here, this is Safe D.
Boston close-up:
7th District (dark gray): Katherine Clark (D-Melrose). Lawrence, Andover, Lynn, Wakefield, and Lexington. 61% Obama. Safe D.
8th District (slate blue): Mike Capuano (D-Somerville). Cambridge, Medford, and Revere. 74.2% Obama. Safe D.
9th District (cyan): Stephen Lynch (D-Boston). Boston and Chelsea. 81.5% Obama, the bluest district in this state. I suspect that Lynch would be thrashed in the Democratic primary by a candidate to his left. Being a moderate may work for Lynch in his current district, but not in this one. I'm betting that most people on DK would not be sorry to see him go. Safe D.
10th District (deep pink): Joseph P. Kennedy, III (D-Brookline). West Boston, Brookline, Newton, Watertown, and Waltham. 72.6% Obama. The Kennedy dynasty will continue in Massachusetts for as long as Joe wants it. Safe D.
11th District (chartreuse): Open. Franklin, Needham, Dedham, Milton, Quincy, and Braintree. 56.3% Obama. Light-blue district without an incumbent means I have to call this Lean D.
12th District (cornflower blue): Open. Weymouth and Taunton. 55.3% Obama, the lightest blue district of this map. With this section of the Bay State being more ancestrally Republican than its northern neighbors, I'm going to label this Lean D in the best-case and Tossup/Tilt D in the worst-case.
13th District (dark salmon): Open. This V-shaped district has its points in Attleboro, New Bedford, and Pembroke. 60.8% Obama. Safe D.
14th District (olive): Bill Keating (D-Bourne). Plymouth, Nantucket, and Cape Cod. 55.5% Obama. Some more ancestrally Republican territory. Lean D.
16 Electoral Votes: Here's a suprise... Safe D.
Take a look at those worst-case scenario numbers. We're now within 10 seats of the GOP. With all of the big-ticket states still to come, you don't want to miss these final weeks!
CUBE ROOT HOUSE (338 required for majority)
States counted: AK, AL, AR, AZ, CO, CT, DE, HI, IA, ID, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MN, MO, MS, MT, ND, NE, NH, NM, NV, OK, OR, RI, SC, SD, TN, UT, VT, WI, WV, WY
Best case scenario
Safe D: 84 (added MA-1, MA-2, MA-3, MA-4, MA-5, MA-6, MA-7, MA-8, MA-9, MA-10, MA-13)
Lean D: 49 (added MA-11, MA-12, MA-14)
Tossup: 15
Lean R: 7
Safe R: 103
Total: 133 D, 15 Toss, 110 R
Worst case scenario
Safe D: 80 (added MA-1, MA-2, MA-3, MA-4, MA-5, MA-6, MA-7, MA-8, MA-9, MA-10, MA-13)
Lean D: 29 (added MA-11, MA-14)
Tossup: 30 (added MA-12)
Lean R: 10
Safe R: 109
Total: 109 D, 30 Toss, 119 R
CUBE ROOT ELECTORAL COLLEGE (390 required for presidency)
States counted: AK, AL, AR, AZ, CO, CT, DE, HI, IA, ID, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MN, MO, MS, MT, ND, NE, NH, NM, NV, OK, OR, RI, SC, SD, TN, UT, VT, WI, WV, WY
Best case scenario
Safe D: CT (10), DE (4), HI (5), MA (16), MD (15), ME (4), OR (10), RI (4), VT (3) = 71
Lean D: IA (9), ME (1), MN (14), NE (1), NH (5), NM (7), NV (8), WI (14) = 59
Tossup: CO (13), MO (15), NE (1) = 29
Lean R: AZ (16), IN (16), MT (4), SC (12) = 48
Safe R: AK (4), AL (12), AR (8), ID (5), KS (8), KY (12), LA (12), MS (9), ND (4), NE (4), OK (10), SD (4), TN (16), UT (8), WV (6), WY (3) = 125
Total: 130 D, 29 Toss, 173 R
Worst case scenario
Safe D: CT (10), DE (4), HI (5), MA (16), MD (15), ME (4), OR (10), RI (4), VT (3) = 71
Lean D: ME (1), MN (14), NE (1), NH (5), NM (7), WI (14) = 42
Tossup: CO (13), IA (9), MO (15), NV (8) = 45
Lean R: AZ (16), IN (16), MT (4), NE (1), SC (12) = 49
Safe R: AK (4), AL (12), AR (8), ID (5), KS (8), KY (12), LA (12), MS (9), ND (4), NE (4), OK (10), SD (4), TN (16), UT (8), WV (6), WY (3) = 125
Total: 113 D, 45 Toss, 174 R