<p>A legislative redistricting map drawn for a federal court could give Republicans control of the Georgia House after more than 130 years of Democratic rule, but also puts top leaders of the new majority-Republican Senate in jeopardy.</p><p>Drawn by a court-appointed mapmaker and made public Monday, the map guarantees House Democrats only 88 "safe" seats _ three votes short of majority control _ according to a rushed analysis by Democratic staffers.</p><p>In the House, Democrats now hold a 108-71 edge with one independent who usually votes Republican.</p><p>"I think there's definitely going to be a shift of power," said Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, R-Sharpsburg. "There's a lot of people that's not coming back."</p><p>But Rep. DuBose Porter, D-Dublin, the speaker pro tem of the House, said the map is "much better than we anticipated" and will likely leave Democrats in control.</p><p>He said the calculation of just 88 "safe" seats fails to take into account the incumbent Democrats who regularly win election from districts considered to lean Republican.</p><p>The Senate map appears to leave Republicans with enough safe seats to retain control, which they assumed only last year. But some of their leaders would be forced to run against each other under a map which purposely did not consider where incumbents lived.</p><p>"Republicans will hold the majority. The question is, which Republicans," said Senate Majority Leader Bill Stephens, R-Canton.</p><p>Among others, Senate President Pro Tem Eric Johnson, R-Savannah, would be in a district with Sen. Rene Kemp, D-Hinesville, and the governor's floor leader, Sen. Dan Lee, R-LaGrange, would be in a district with Sen. Seth Harp, R-Midland.</p><p>The House map also throws high-powered Democrats together. Tossed into a single district under the special master's plan are Rep. Tom Buck, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee; Rep. Calvin Smyre, chairman of the calendar-setting Rules Committee, and Carolyn Hugley, the redistricting chairman.</p><p>The maps were drawn by a special master for a three-judge federal panel.</p><p>The panel ruled last month that the state House and Senate districts designed by a Democrat-controlled Legislature in 2001 and used in the 2002 elections packed too many people in some districts and too few in others, violating the one person, one vote principal.</p><p>State lawmakers were given until March 1 to draw new maps or forfeit the map-drawing to the court.</p><p>The Senate acted quickly to pass a new map but the deadline was missed because the Democrat-led House stalled action on the Senate plan and did not push its own bill out of committee until Monday afternoon, just an hour or so before the court maps were released.</p><p>The House effort stood to have little impact on the issue, even though Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver, D-Decatur, a member of the House redistricting panel, said there was still some possibility the courts might let lawmakers draw maps.</p><p>Time argues against that position, however.</p><p>Candidates must qualify between April 26 and April 30 for the July 20 election, leaving little time for the Department of Justice to "pre-clear" a new redistricting plan drawn by the Legislature, as it is required to do under the Voting Rights Act.</p><p>Maps drawn by a federal court do not have to be pre-cleared.</p><p>Gov. Sonny Perdue, a Republican, praised the new maps.</p><p>"I want legislative districts to be fair and square," he said in a statement. "These maps appear to have achieved that goal and, as a result, the people of Georgia will all be equal at the ballot box in November."</p><p>___</p><p>On the Net:</p><p>HASH(0x2863ac4)</p>
