Title: New York’s Democratic-Controlled Legislature Prepares to Decide Fate of Congressional Map Amidst Partisan Disputes
New York’s Democratic-majority State Legislature is scheduled to convene on Monday, March 20, to deliberate upon the congressional map proposed by a bipartisan redistricting commission. The outcome of this decision could significantly impact the party controlling the US House of Representatives in the upcoming November elections.
The battleground state of New York is expected to play a pivotal role in the fight for the House, with its Republican narrow majority hanging by a thread following the GOP’s successful acquisition of four House seats during the 2022 midterms. These gains allowed the Republicans to regain control of the chamber.
Several New York Democratic representatives have voiced their discontent with the proposed map, which was unanimously approved by the state’s Independent Redistricting Commission earlier this month. The map primarily left untouched House districts in the New York City suburbs, including the 3rd Congressional District on Long Island – a district that Democrats flipped during a special election to replace the disgraced former Representative George Santos.
However, the commission’s map may potentially put at risk the Central New York seat of freshman Republican Brandon Williams by incorporating areas more favorable to Democrats. In contrast, the compromise crafted by the commission has made both Hudson Valley seats – those held by Republican Marc Molinaro and Democrat Pat Ryan – appear safer for their respective incumbents.
State Senator James Skoufis, a New York Democrat, announced his intention to vote against the proposed map during an interview with CNN on Monday. He criticized the commission for only making minimal alterations to the districts and for primarily focusing on safeguarding incumbents from both parties.
Under New York state law, the Legislature possesses the authority to intervene in the commission’s map, requiring a two-thirds majority vote in both chambers to approve or reject it. If legislators opt to discard the commission’s work, they could create new lines that might favor Democrats in up to six districts – an action likely to prompt fresh litigation over accusations of excessive partisan gerrymandering, potentially violating the state constitution.
New York’s redistricting process has been mired in legal disputes since the 2020 census. A state court judge oversaw the creation of the map utilized in the 2022 elections, following the Independent Redistricting Commission’s failure to reach a consensus following the census and the rejection of a map drafted by the Democratic-controlled Legislature by the Court of Appeals, New York’s highest court.
Democrats argued that the court-drawn map should not be employed for more than one election and petitioned the court to instruct the commission to redraw a new map. The Court of Appeals, now under more liberal leadership, granted this request late last year and tasked the commission with creating a new map.
House candidates are set to commence gathering signatures for their nominating petitions on Tuesday, March 21; however, state legislators could opt to modify the petition process if they fail to reach an agreement on the map in a timely manner.
