Politics & Government

Updated: What Redistricting Means For Woodbury

The city is now part of the redrawn 4th Congressional District, which includes St. Paul; one of its state House districts shifts west.

A state judicial panel on Tuesday released the redrawn boundaries for Minnesota’s congressional and legislative districts, which put Woodbury in the 4th Congressional District and keeps the city’s number of representatives at the state Capitol at three.

But it does mean Woodbury will likely have a new state senator this fall. (The state Legislature has an interactive map available.)

Legislative Districts

Woodbury will be encompassed by Senate District 53, with its corresponding House districts split mostly at Radio Drive (see map). District 53B goes east and south of the county highway, with the northwestern part of the city and areas west in District 53A. It still leaves Woodbury with three lawmakers representing the city at the state Capitol.

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But the new legislative lines mean Woodbury will likely have a new state senator and a new House member come November.

Sitting Sen. Ted Lillie lives in Lake Elmo, which is now part of District 39. Rep. Andrea Kieffer lives in Woodbury, but Rep. Kathy Lohmer, who also lives in Lake Elmo, would have to run in the district to the north Woodbury.

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Councilman Christopher Burns, who attended the recent local GOP caucus, said the trio has been "great to work with" during his time on the Woodbury City Council, and "my first impression on the House district and Senate district level is that the city of Woodbury may come out on the losing end in this process."

Congressional Lines

Woodbury will be grouped with its neighbors to the west and north in terms of its congressional boundaries (see map).

The 4th District now includes St. Paul and its northern suburbs, along with the middle section of Washington County—from the northern edges of Stillwater to the southern borders of Woodbury and Afton.

The new congressional lines mean U.S. Reps. Michele Bachmann, a Republican, and Betty McCollum, a Democrat, live in the same district. However, reports indicate Bachmann plans to run in the redrawn 6th District. Bachmann lives in West Lakeland Township, which is part of the new 4th District, though members of Congress don't have to live in the area they represent.

In a statement, McCollum said she is running for re-election in the new 4th District, "and I’m running to win."

"I will be running on my record and with a commitment to keep fighting for the families of Ramsey and Washington counties," she said. "For the residents of Woodbury, Stillwater and all new 4th District voters, I look forward to working hard to earn your support in the upcoming months."

Councilman Burns, meanwhile, said his first impression of the new congressional boundaries is "apprehension."

"I suppose it depends on the election, who the candidates are and who is elected, but, I personally thought some of the other proposals submitted for consideration would have been better for residents of Woodbury," Burns said.

Legislative and congressional boundaries are redrawn every 10 years to correspond with U.S. Census data.

Check out the PDFs to get a picture of where the new lines are drawn.


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