Officials in the Obama White House say they're not concerned about the new Census numbers.
The Associated Press reports that White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said he "doesn't expect the results of the new census to have a 'huge practical impact' on national politics."
NPR quotes Gibbs as saying:
"I don't think shifting some seats from one area of the country to another necessarily marks a concern that you can't make a politically potent argument in those new places."
The results of the 2010 U.S. Census has shifted seats in the U.S. House of Representatives from traditional democratic strongholds in the East and Midwest, to some of the republican strongholds in the South and West (see map above).
Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, South Carolina, Texas, Utah and Washington gained seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Michigan, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania all lost seats.
Reuters talked with Tim Storey, a redistricting expert at the National Conference of State Legislatures. He says because of the changes in House apportionment, and it's impact on the electoral college, President Obama could face a tougher race in 2012:
"If it was a really close race for the White House, this could be the difference."
