Democrats hopeful additional Montana House district could swing their way

The nonpartisan chairwoman of the Montana redistricting commission is confident the Democrats and Republicans on the panel will reach a consensus on the boundaries of the state’s two congressional districts.

Maylinn Smith said Friday during a brief telephone interview that disagreements have been minimal among the two Democrats and two Republicans on Montana’s independent Districting and Apportionment Commission. But that could change as the panel grapples with drawing two congressional districts after population growth earned the state a second representative in the House for the first time in three decades.