Much like Virginia and Pennsylvania, Georgia is a state where Democrats could do serious damage if they controlled redistricting. Unfortunately, Republicans have an iron grip on Georgia and they will pass their own map. If Democrats controlled redistricting in Georgia though, the state's congressional delegation could theoretically be made up of 50% liberal Democrats...this in an ultra-conservative Deep South state which gave George W. Bush 58% of the vote in 2004!
More over the flip.
As with the current map, this map only has three majority-black districts. GA-02 and GA-12 are currently close to majority black and remain so under this map. Both districts are very blue districts where black voters will make up about 60% of primary voters, so African-American voting strength is still preserved. Also, this map turns Rob Woodall (R)'s district into a minority-majority district.
First, the whole state:
GA-01
Incumbent: Austin Scott (R-Ashburn)
Old Vote: Obama 36 McCain 63
New Vote: Obama 29 McCain 70
Average: Dem 36 Rep 64
Description: We start off with a GOP vote sink, which is based in SE Georgia like the current GA-01. Current GA-01 incumbent Jack Kingston (R) doesn't live here but will probably run here. He'll be expecting Austin Scott to run in the new 8th, but Austin Scott might just decide that he likes it where he is in the deep-red 1st, rather than the swingy 8th...and then we'd have a primary on our hands! That would be fun :)
GA-02
Incumbent: Sanford Bishop (D-Albany)
Old Vote: Obama 54 McCain 46
New Vote: Obama 57 McCain 43
Average: Dem 57 Rep 43
Description: It's a very blue district as it contains Albany, Columbus, and Valdosta. Sanford Bishop is too conservative and corrupt for my tastes, but this map shores him up as his district goes from narrowly majority-white to plurality black. It's B49 W43 total, B47 W46 among 18+. Bishop's race in 2010 was so close that the AP originally called the race for his Republican opponent, Mike Keown, before reversing the call after Bishop pulled ahead. Unless he does more sleazy stuff or gets primaried, Bishop is safe in this district.
GA-03
Incumbent: Tom Graves (R-Ranger)
Old Vote: Obama 35 McCain 64
New Vote: Obama 29 McCain 70
Average: Dem 35 Rep 65
Description: This is like the current 3rd in that it takes in the white part of Columbus and then runs along the Alabama border. But instead of going to the Atlanta exurbs, this one goes the rest of the way up the Alabama border and takes in parts of NW Georgia, including Tom Graves' home. Graves will probably just run in the new 9th and leave this district to Westmoreland though.
GA-04
Incumbent: Hank Johnson (D-Lithonia)
Old Vote: Obama 79 McCain 21
New Vote: Obama 66 McCain 34
Average: Dem 63 Rep 37
Description: Guam may be capsizing, but Hank Johnson's congressional career is in ship shape. His district is 52% black overall and 51% black among 18+. It's simply unpacked a little in order to help screw over Rob Woodall (R) by absorbing Republican areas in Gwinnett County.
GA-05
Incumbent: John Lewis (D-Atlanta)
Old Vote: Obama 79 McCain 20
New Vote: Obama 64 McCain 35
Average: Dem 62 Rep 38
Description: Venerable civil rights activist John Lewis also sees his district unpacked, taking in all of deep-red Paulding County as well as a mix of Republican and black areas of Cobb and Douglas counties. Thankfully for those of us who value equality, Lewis is still safe in this district.
GA-06
Incumbent: David Scott (D-Atlanta), Phil Gingrey (R-Marietta)
Old Vote: Obama 37 McCain 62
New Vote: Obama 60 McCain 39
Average: Dem 59 Rep 41
Description: RSC lunatic Tom Price's current district is a ticking time bomb. This new district is a bomb that has already detonated. It's nearly minority-majority (W51 B27 H15 total, W54 B26 H12 VAP) and would certainly be minority-majority by the end of the decade. It's basically an open seat since Price and Gingrey definitely can't win here and Scott will run in the 13th (he currently lives in the 5th, so residency clearly isn't an issue for him).
GA-07
Incumbent: OPEN
Old Vote: Obama 39 McCain 60
New Vote: Obama 58 McCain 41
Average: Dem 55 Rep 45
Description: Another district which I changed from red-turning-blue to blue-turning-bluer. Despite being a tick redder than the 6th, this district is minority-majority: W35 B29 H23 A11 total, W39 B28 H20 A11 VAP. Woodall is way too conservative to survive here (and doesn't live here anyway), so it's basically an open seat, one which the Democrats should pick up with few problems.
GA-08
Incumbent: Lynn Westmoreland (R-Grantville)
Old Vote: Obama 43 McCain 56
New Vote: Obama 49 McCain 50
Average: Dem 51 Rep 49
Description: Westmoreland is the only incumbent who lives here, but he'd run in the 3rd (his house is literally a matter of feet from the border with the 3rd). This district is designed for a comeback by former Rep. Jim Marshall (D-Macon). It contains his entire Bibb County base, and runs through various areas of rural Georgia grabbing Democrats. In the end, it's narrowly a McCain district (McCain beat Obama by 153 votes here), but Marshall did pretty well in a 43% Obama district so he should be able to take this one by storm. Plus, Austin Scott might elect to run in the 1st, which would make Marshall's life even easier here. While Marshall is far from my favorite Democrat, I'd rather create an extra seat that a Democrat could win than disperse blue areas into red districts.
GA-09
Incumbent: OPEN
Old Vote: Obama 24 McCain 75
New Vote: Obama 25 McCain 74
Average: Dem 26 Rep 74
Description: Say hello to the reddest district in Georgia. Democrats barely even exist here. For a look at what would happen if a Democrat tried to go to this district, watch the movie "Deliverance" (probably true of the new 3rd too). Tom Graves doesn't live here but will probably run here.
GA-10
Incumbent: OPEN
Old Vote: N/A
New Vote: Obama 30 McCain 69
Average: Dem 34 Rep 66
Description: This is the new district (the current 10th is the new 14th). It's a snakey gerrymander that winds through rural Georgia and stops by the Atlanta exurbs on the way. Probably the ugliest gerrymander on this map. I don't really know who could run for this district nor do I care because all right wing loonies are basically the same. I guess Austin Scott or Jack Kingston could run here (they both represent a small part of it currently), but why would they do that when gunning each other down in the 1st would be so much more fun and exciting?
GA-11
Incumbent: Tom Price (R-Roswell), Rob Woodall (R-Lawrenceville)
Old Vote: Obama 33 McCain 66
New Vote: Obama 32 McCain 67
Average: Dem 32 Rep 68
Description: Question: What's more fun than two Republicans beating each other up? Answer: Three Republicans beating each other up! Price and Woodall live here and can't win their new districts; Gingrey lives in the 6th but would run here since it has a lot of his old district. In the yellow corner, you have Gingrey representing part of Cobb; in the red corner, you have Price representing part of Cobb as well as Fulton and Cherokee; and in the blue corner, there's Woodall representing Gwinnett. Aren't primaries fun?
GA-12
Incumbent: Jack Kingston (R-Savannah), Paul Broun (R-Athens), John Barrow (D-Savannah)
Old Vote: Obama 54 McCain 45
New Vote: Obama 60 McCain 39
Average: Dem 59 Rep 41
Description: Kingston and Broun have been drawn into this district, but both will flee for greener pastures: Kingston to the 1st or maybe the 10th, and Broun to his old district, the new 14th. This district resembles the old 12th that Barrow represented prior to the 2006 elections. With the liberal stronghold of Athens (where Barrow lived before that remapping) combined with Savannah and Augusta, conservadem Barrow faces a choice of either creeping to the left or risking a primary challenger more legitimate than Regina Thomas.
GA-13
Incumbent: OPEN
Old Vote: Obama 71 McCain 28
New Vote: Obama 64 McCain 35
Average: Dem 61 Rep 39
Description: Not much change here. It stays majority black (53% total, 51% VAP) and safe Democratic. I'm not a huge fan of David Scott, but he'll like this district. (Can someone please primary him? No reason for such a blue district to elect a guy who is corrupt and voted for a federal constitutional ban on gay marriage.)
GA-14
Incumbent: OPEN
Old Vote (GA-10): Obama 38 McCain 61
New Vote: Obama 27 McCain 72
Average: Dem 33 Rep 67
Description: As mentioned elsewhere, this is basically the same as the current GA-10, but Rep. Broun's home of Athens has been scooped out. Still, I'm sure he'd rather run here than in the new, deep-blue 12th district.