New York Lawmakers enacted a New Congressional Map on Wednesday, that makes surprisingly few changes to the Independently-drawn Districts, they had Rejected days earlier, marking an anticlimactic end to a chaotic Two-year Process.
Compared to current lines, the Map passed by the State Legislators, based on 2020 Presidential Election Results, would give a roughly Two-point Boost to Newly Elected Tom Suozzi (D-3rd District), as He seeks a Full Term on Long Island, in thr Primary and General Election in 2024.
It would also keep Changes proposed by the State’s Bipartisan Commission, that would Disadvantage Upstate Iincumbent Brandon Williams (R-22nd District)) by about Two Points, and undo Tweaks that could have given an edge to Hudson Valley Marc Molinaro(R-19th District), instead keeping His Seat a Swing District.
The Outcome was a far cry from the aggressive Gerrymander Democrats drew in 2022, which gave the Party an edge in several Swing Districts, and it Stops well short of the potential Map Democrats could have drawn this year, which could have swung some Six Republican held Seats in Democrats’ Favor.
The New Map is mild enough that Republicans, whose Legal Challenges killed the 2022 Map, may Not even bring a Suit against the New Ones, despite the huge Role New York may play in the Battle for Control of Congress this Fall.
“This ultimate result, frankly, has very little political impact,” said John Faso, a former Republican Congressman who helped Lead the GOP’s Redistricting efforts, in an Interview. He Declined to Comment on potential Legal Challenges.
The Maps passed the State Senate 45-17 and the Assembly 115-33, with a handful of Republicans joining Democrats in supporting the Maps.
The Minor Alterations were Revealed in the hours after State Democrats Voted Monday to Reject the Districts proposed earlier this Month by the State’s Independent Redistricting Commission. That Map, in turn, made relatively few Changes to the Lines set in 2022, by a Neutral Special Master, who seized Control after Democrats’ Map was thrown out in Court.
The few other Changes include helping Progressive Incumbent Jamaal Bowman (D-6th District) as Hhe faces a Democratic Primary Challenge from Westchester County Executive George Latimer (D), by adding the Bronx Neighborhood Co-Op City to Bowman’s District as He had sought. Other Districts in and around New York City will see Minimal Changes to their Boundaries.
Among those likely to be relieved by the New Map are Hudson Valley Congressman Mike Lawler (R-17th District), who will see No Changes to His District ahead of His Race against: Mondaire Jones (D-7th District); and Staten Island Nicole Malliotakis (R-11th District), whose District will Not be blended with Liberal Parts of Manhattan or Brooklyn as Democrats had sought Two years ago. Three other Republicans who Represent the rest of Long Island will experience Few Changes.
Justin Brannan (D-43rd District), a Brooklyn City Councilman who has considered challenging Malliotakis this year, seemed to Criticize State Lawmakers’ Restraint in a Social Media Post: “When Republicans have the pen, they stab us in the neck,” Brannan wrote.
Lawmakers were able to Vote on the Map sooner than usual on Wednesday, thanks to Gov. Kathy Hochul (D), who sped up thePprocess by issuing a so-called “message of necessity.” The step will help Minimize Confusion for Congressional Candidates, who were required on Monday, to start Collecting Voters’ Signatures to appear on Primary Ballots, in Districts whose Lines were still in flux. Finalizing the Map may also stave off the need to push the Congressional Primary from June until August, as happened Two years ago.
When Albany Democrats Rejected the Independent Commission’s Map on Monday, Llegislative Leaders said they did so because the Boundaries Violated the State Constitution by Privileging Incumbents and Splitting-Up “communities of interest.” On the Floor of the state Senate before Monday’s vote, deputy leader Michael Gianaris asserted that Democrats had “made whole” multiple counties that had been improperly divided into more than one district by the commission.
“There was also an effort by the commission to draw lines for the purpose of benefiting specific incumbents,” Gianaris said. “We took steps to unravel that improper map-drawing.”
But there was little doubt that the Party’s main Goal has been to boost its own Fortunes. State Lawmakers were under Ppressure from Brooklyn House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-8th District), who will become Speaker if Democrats retake the House of Representatives, and who put His thumb on the Scale in Mid-February by implicitly calling on Lawmakers to Reject the Map.
Although New York’s Actions Loom Large in the National Political Landscape, the Debate over whether to Change the Map has been largely confined to State Assembly and Senate Leaders. Rank-and-file Members were uncertain as late as Monday morning, how they were going to Vote hours later on the Commission’s Map. The once-a-decade Redistricting process, set in motion by the 2020 Census, devolved into Disorder in 2022 when the Independent Commission, a creation of ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), Failed to Agree on a New Map. That put the Decision to the State Legislature, which drew up the Aggressive Gerrymander.
After Republicans filed Ssuit, New York’s Top Court unexpectedly sided with the GOP in April 2022, Ruling that New Lines were Needed. That Map, ultimately drawn by Neutral Special Master Jonathan Cervas, likely helped Republicans Flip Four Seats in New York on their way to Winning Control of the House.
But in the ensuing months, the Court of Appeals has become more Left-Leaning thanks to the Retirement of its Chief Judge, who was replaced by Liberal jurist Rowan Wilson. It was Wilson who wrote the Opinion that Reopened the Redistricting process in December, 2023, siding with Democrats who Argued that the 2022 Lines were only Temporary and should Not stand for another Eight years.
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker
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