Click the images above to download PDFs of the 2012 Minnesota legislative district maps.

In a process in which a few blocks can make a big difference, Minnesota legislators this afternoon were studying maps, trying to determine their political futures.

In most cases, redistricting lines were not clearly enough defined, especially in the metro area, for legislators to know the full impact of the new political boundaries released by the courts at noon today.

But even in the early going, a couple of things were clear: In Minneapolis, DFL Sen. Ken Kelash, who lives only a few blocks from Richfield, found himself paired against fellow DFLer Scott Dibble. The ball likely is in Kelash’s court to decide what to do.

Will he move from the house he built with his own hands 25 years ago? Or will he move a few blocks to Richfield into an area, which currently would be a new, open seat?  Will he leave politics, or, least likely, attempt to run against Dibble?

Kelash said that’s a decision he’ll have to make over the next few weeks.

“It goes with the job, I guess,” said Kelash, who clearly was disappointed, though not surprised, by his suddenly changed status.

Sen. Mary Jo McGuire

Perhaps the unluckiest politician in St. Paul as of today is Sen. Mary Jo McGuire, a DFLer from Falcon Heights.  In the last redistricting, a decade ago, McGuire lost her seat via redistricting.

She returned to elective politics just a year ago, winning a special election to the Senate to replace Ellen Anderson, who had left the Senate to accept the job as chair of the Public Utilities Commission.

Only a few days ago, the Republican-controlled Senate refused to confirm Anderson for the job.

This afternoon, McGuire discovered the new map puts her in the same district as Sen. John Marty.

“We didn’t think lightning would strike twice,’’ said an aide to McGuire.

But not all news was disappointing for legislators.

For example, Iron Rangers had feared they would see a decline in legislative clout. The new map does change the Range district, but none of the Rangers was paired against one another. The big change will be for Rep.Tom Anzelc, whose district will move farther west.

When Rep. Tom Rukavina saw how his district had changed, he laughed.

“I picked up Tower!” he said. “I used to be the milkman in Tower. I know everybody in Tower. I know everybody’s secrets.”

But mostly, this has been an afternoon of questioning. Where, exactly, is that district line?  Which party, overall, seems to gain?  Who might decide to retire?