New York State Capitol
Governor Kathy Hochul signed a new Democrat-drawn congressional map on Wednesday.
The Associated Press reports the new map gives Democrats a modest boost in a few battleground districts, helping their candidates in a heavily contested election year when House races in the state could determine control of Congress.
The Democrat-dominated legislature passed the measure with some Republican support, capping days of redistricting drama.
The lines are similar to both the existing congressional map and a proposal drawn by the state’s bipartisan redistricting commission, yet appeared far from the aggressive partisan gerrymander many expected after Democrats took control of the redistricting process earlier this week.
The biggest adjustments came in a small handful of suburban districts — areas important to the party’s plans for winning back a House majority.
The map could help Democrats hold on to a seat on Long Island that Democrat Tom Suozzi won in a special election this month, and it folds a couple left-leaning cities into a central New York district held by a Republican, potentially helping a Democrat in that race.
Democrats also reversed proposed changes from the state’s bipartisan redistricting commission that would have helped incumbent Republican Rep. Marc Molinaro retain his Hudson Valley district, instead drawing lines that could make the race there more competitive.
The changes, though seemingly minor, could have a big impact in the fight for control of the House, where Republicans are trying to hold on to a threadbare majority and both parties move to pick up seats through similar redistricting battles elsewhere.
Representative Hakeem Jeffries, a Democrat leading the party’s effort to retake House seats in New York, said the map “delivers the type of fair representation that the people of New York State deserve.”
Republicans have threatened to bring a legal challenge against any map they feel violates New York’s prohibition on drawing lines that benefit one party over another. It is unclear if at least some Republicans would proceed with a lawsuit, but former Republican congressman John Faso, who advised the GOP on redistricting lawsuits in New York, said he doesn’t think the new map makes enough changes to the existing lines to warrant a legal challenge.
Still, Democrats, wary of another protracted court fight over congressional boundaries, fast-tracked a separate bill that would limit where redistricting cases can be filed, a move to keep such suits from landing in front of conservative judges.
State Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt said, “There’s no doubt in my mind that Democrats feel that this map is better for Democrats, but I know I’ve spoken with many of my members in Congress who do think this is not a terrible map for Republicans.”.
Leave a Reply