U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley urged the Special Committee on Redistricting on Monday to "keep as much of the 7th together as possible," highlighting the shared challenges of the communities she represents and the importance of "centering racial and economic diversity."
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Pressley has represented the 7th Congressional District since 2019 after she defeated long-time incumbent Michael Capuano in a district that became the state's first and only majority-minority district after the 2010 Census.
"I am confident that using the same principles that were top of mind when these boundaries were drawn 10 years ago, centering racial and economic diversity of the Massachusetts 7th and keeping municipalities whole where possible will guide these difficult conversations," Pressley said.
The 7th District runs through Chelsea, Everett, Cambridge, Somerville, Boston, Milton and Randolph.
Pressley, who lives in Dorchester, said those communities share concerns about access to transportation, environmental justice, housing affordability and education, issues that are prominent in many communities.
The current contours of the 7th Congressional District were created after the 2010 Census, and both Rep. Michael Moran and Sen. William Brownsberger, the co-chairs of the committee, have said preserving, if not strengthening, the district's majority-minority status is a top priority.
While the committee is still waiting for detailed Census data that will inform how the boundaries of the district might change, the state's population of 7,029,917 means that each district is expected to have 781,102 people.
The UMass Donahue Institute estimates based on the state's population total that Pressley's district now includes 792,823 residents, which would mean it would have to shrink slightly.
The hearing, focused on the 7th Congressional District and the state legislative districts included within that region, is the eighth hosted by the committee.
