Democrats propose new congressional district lines
Democrats in charge of New York’s Legislature have proposed new lines for congressional districts that could give them a potential boost in the key battleground state hours after rejecting boundaries created by a bipartisan redistricting commission.
The legislation proposed after Monday’s rejection vote leaves much of the Independent Redistricting Commission’s recently unveiled map in place, but it includes changes to districts in suburban Long Island and the Hudson Valley north of New York City.
The Democratic proposal is a significant step in the yearslong battle over New York’s 26 congressional seats, since even slight tweaks in the state’s map could help determine which party controls the U.S. House after the November elections. Republicans have already threatened a legal challenge if the lines are approved.
The legislation could be voted on this week. The state commission’s map would have helped Democrats in two districts and Republican Rep. Marc Molinaro in another, but it left most of the current lines in place.
New York Law School professor Jeffrey Wice, who focuses on redistricting, said “this new map doesn’t veer that far off from the commission’s map.”
But he noted the lawmakers’ proposal would make changes to the Hudson Valley district held by Molinaro that could make his race more competitive.
The proposed map also would slightly reconfigure three districts on suburban Long Island, including the seat won recently by Democrat Tom Suozzi in a special election. That district was formerly held by George Santos, who was expelled from Congress.
Wice said the Legislature’s proposed map could help Suozzi, as well as Republican Rep. Andrew Garbarino.
The Independent Redistricting Commission was supposed to draw the districts used in 2022, but it failed to reach a consensus. Democrats who control the Legislature then drew their own map, which was intended to give Democrats an edge by
stuffing Republicans into a few super districts to dilute GOP voting power across the state.
A lawsuit eventually stopped the Democrats’ map from being used, and a legal challenge delayed the congressional primaries.
The state’s highest court then appointed an outside expert to come up with a map for 2022. Republicans performed well under those congressional lines, flipping seats in the New York City suburbs and winning a narrow House majority.
After the defeats, Democrats sued to throw out the 2022 map. The case eventually reached the state’s high court, which in December ordered a new map to be drawn in a ruling that said the commission should have another chance to craft district lines.
Local lawmakers, meanwhile, provided their reaction to Monday’s decision.
“For my Senate and Assembly Majority colleagues to reject the bipartisan congressional redistricting lines, I guess the old adage holds true: You can’t change the spots on a leopard!” said State Sen. Jim Tedisco (R,C-Ballston Lake) in a provided statement. “Their corruption and gerrymandering continues as it did when the highest court found their plan unconstitutional in 2022.
“Once again, it’s a slap in the face to the millions of New Yorkers who want fair elections in fair election districts. Better put, if Christopher Columbus used Democrat mappers, he would have never discovered America!!!“
“The members of the bipartisan, independent commission did their job, one tasked to them by the voters who authorized the constitutional referendum and by our state’s judiciary,” State Sen. Jake Ashby (R,C-Castleton) added in a press statement. “Senate Democrats rejected their work because their desire for power can’t be constrained by process, by norms or by the law.
“They will disregard the process even if it causes chaos, confuses voters and completely dispirits anyone paying attention. Cynical partisanship like this is exactly why it’s so easy for people to lose faith in our electoral process, the last thing our country needs right now.”
“I believe the Independent Redistricting Commission did the job they were meant to do in creating reasonable congressional maps,” Assemblywoman Mary Beth Walsh (R,C-Ballston) noted in a press statement. “These were meant to be done three years ago, and we cannot keep repeating this cycle. I supported the bill advancing these IRC maps because they were developed independently and were adopted by a vote of 9-1.”
“These maps were impartial and fair and approved nine to one by an independent redistricting commission,” Assemblyman Scott Bendett (R,C-Sand Lake) said in a press statement. “Democrats have only voted against them so that they can further gerrymander the lines to their favor.”
While local Republicans panned the decision, an area Democrat defended rejecting the proposal.
“The maps that were voted down had what I believe to be flaws that need to be corrected,” Assemblyman John T. McDonald III, RPh (D-Cohoes) said in a press statement. “Although the commission approved bipartisan maps, these maps split entire communities with no rhyme or reason. For example, it is unreasonable that the Town of Stephentown be split into two and have two Congressmembers.
“The commission also approved maps that led to bipartisan protection of incumbents such as Congressmember (Pat) Ryan and (Marc) Molinaro.”
“The rejected map clearly fails to create fair and sensible congressional lines, with numerous counties split into multiple districts for no reason other than to help incumbents (the IRC proposed map has an additional six counties split up for a total of 22, up from 16 in the 2022 map).” McDonald continued. “Both of these issues — protecting incumbents and dividing communities — are explicitly prohibited by the state constitution which is why I voted the maps down and am working with my colleagues in a bipartisan manner to deliver new maps as soon as possible but in compliance with the constitution and the will of the voters.