Here at the summer meeting of the Republican National Committee, the 2010 election is seen with special importance because the governors and legislators elected this year will draw the congressional district lines that will form the playing field for control of the House of Representatives over the next decade.
While the 2010 census is not yet complete, population projections are now available, and with them we can see which states will gain, and lose representation.
The losers: high tax states in the Northeast and Midwest will lose representation in the House. Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Minnesota, Michigan and Illinois will each lose a seat. Ohio will lose two.
The winners: states in the South and the West (other than California), mainly low tax states, will gain seats. Southern states South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida will each gain a seat. In the West, Nevada, Arizona, Utah and Washington State will each gain a seat. Texas, a low tax state that has aggressively lured companies and people from around the nation, will gain an astonishing four seats in the House.