Hot on the heels of his lackluster loss to a less than polished Jaime Herrera Beutler in last Novembers 3rd Congressional District race, Democrat Denny Heck just filed the paperwork for another congressional run, this time presumably in a new, Democratic-leaning, Olympia-centered 10th CD:

[P]olitical redistricting this year could give Heck a better shot in 2012. There is a very real possibility that the state's new 10th U.S. House District could including the Olympia area, where Heck lives.

Yeah, I suppose. That seems to be the conventional wisdom. Democratic establishment types seem to love Heck for reasons that obviously predate me, and it certainly would be possible to carve out the boundaries of a Democratic-leaning 10th CD to fit Heck's residence and ambitions. But as local political consultant Dean Nielsen explains, it won't be easy.

"It's hard to draw up an Olympia centered 10th district without including parts of Tacoma," Nielsen says, "And that means including Adam Smith." Smith, a Democrat, currently represents the 9th CD.

Even if Heck were to get a district specifically drawn to suit his needs, I still wouldn't consider him a sure thing for the nomination, despite his fundraising prowess. A lot of Dems were disappointed in Heck's previous campaign, while others believe a Democratic-leaning 10th could support a more, well, Democratic-leaning candidate. One name that keeps popping up on a lot of Dems' wish list is progressive firebrand and former state Rep. Brendan Williams. Certainly would make things exciting.