NY Democrats Reject Map, Eye 2024 Redraw

New York Democrats have rejected a bipartisan congressional map that would have given them a slight edge over Republicans, opting to redraw the lines potentially in their favor. The move could have significant implications for the 2024 elections, particularly in the closely watched race for control of the U.S. House.

The Democratic-led Senate and Assembly in New York rejected a congressional map drafted by a bipartisan state commission earlier this month. The proposed map would have left potential battleground districts in the New York City suburbs largely untouched, according to CNN.

The Senate voted 40-17 to reject the bipartisan map, while the Assembly voted 99-47 against it. This rejection paves the way for state Democrats to redraw the lines, potentially swinging as many as six congressional districts in their favor. However, this move could also lead to another legal challenge from Republicans, as reported by multiple outlets.

The outcome of this redistricting effort could play a decisive role in the November elections, as Democrats aim to regain control of the narrowly GOP-led House. In 2022, Republicans flipped four House seats in New York, though Democrats managed to regain one seat in a special election earlier this year following former GOP Rep. George Santos’ ousting.

New York currently has 26 House seats, all of which are up for election in November. Democrats currently control 15 seats, while Republicans hold 10, with one seat remaining vacant.

With Republicans holding a slight 219-212 advantage over Democrats in the House, with four vacancies, analysts predict that Democrats could reclaim the chamber later this year. The Wall Street Journal expects the control of the House to hinge on just a few dozen races in battleground districts.

The redrawing of congressional maps is a key process that typically occurs every 10 years based on the results of the federal census. In New York, however, the state’s Court of Appeals invalidated the 2020 map, siding with state Republicans who argued that the Democratic-drawn map was overly partisan and gerrymandered. A new map was drawn ahead of the 2022 midterm elections, allowing Republicans to flip congressional districts.

Following these developments, New York Democrats filed a lawsuit requesting the state’s bipartisan Independent Redistricting Commission to restart the drawing process in time for the 2024 election. The State Court of Appeals upheld a lower court decision, ruling that the commission must redraw the state’s congressional districts. The court gave legislators until Feb. 28 to come up with a new map.

However, New York Republicans objected to this ruling, arguing that it would give Democrats an unfair advantage. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) expressed concerns that the decision was a Democratic attempt to “tilt the scale” and “give their candidates an advantage” in the upcoming election.

In a related development, New York Republicans lost one seat in the House earlier this year when Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi won a special election over Republican candidate Mazi Pilip, flipping the congressional seat previously held by Santos. Santos had been expelled from the House in December following a House Ethics Committee report that found he “sought to fraudulently exploit every aspect of his House candidacy for his own personal profit.” Santos became just the sixth elected member of Congress to be ousted from the House, with 105 Republicans joining 206 Democrats in the vote.