New York finally has new congressional lines after a multi-level lawsuit and re-drawing process, in which Democrats lost at every stage.
Under the current maps, Democrats control 19 seats. Under the newly-drawn maps released in the early hours of Saturday morning, according to the Cook Political Report, there will be 16 safe Democratic seats, five safe Republican seats and five swing seats.
According to Luke Perry, a professor of government at Utica University, there are two areas of the state that will see substantive changes.
“I think Central New York is a key consideration. In shedding a seat, it looked like my home district of NY-22 was reconfigured several times,” Perry said. “And…down on Long Island, there was an effort among those Democrats in the state Legislature to try to pick up a seat there and it looks like it's going to be more difficult.”
Several incumbents, including Democratic Rep. Mondaire Jones, Republican Rep. Chris Jacobs and Republican Rep. Claudia Tenney are now candidates without a home.
“Claudia Tenney, who has campaigned for years about living across the street from where she grew up, and now she’s not going to run in the 22nd District, and instead is looking for greener pastures,” Perry said.
Tenney announced she will run in the new NY-24 while Chris Jacobs will be running in the new NY-23.
Mondaire Jones currently represents NY-17, which includes parts of Rockland and Westchester counties. The newly drawn NY-17 is larger and will include Putnam and parts of Duchess counties. Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, of NY-18, has opted to run for re-election in the new NY-17, leaving Jones to either primary him, or choose a different seat in which to run in. Jones chose NY-10, which includes lower Manhattan.
If the two had squared off, it would have pitted two gay incumbents against each other. Additionally, Jones, a freshman, is one of only a few Black and gay lawmakers in Congress.
“In a nearby race, you have Carolyn Maloney who has to face off against Jerry Nadler in a primary in the 12th District now,” Perry said. “You have 60 years of experience between these two people and they’re both going to run for that district, which is remarkable.”