The New York Independent Redistricting Commission voted 9-1 Thursday on submitting new congressional maps to the state Legislature that would make substantial changes to some upstate House district boundaries while leaving most of the current lines in other parts of the state largely in place.
It’s the latest move in a battle over redistricting that began shortly after the 2020 Census was completed, and could be decisive in the elections this fall for control of the U.S. House of Representatives.
The biggest change would appear to be in Central New York, in the 22nd Congressional District, currently held by Republican Rep. Brandon Williams. Currently consisting of Onondaga, Madison and Oneida counties and a sliver of Oswego County, the new map would drop the Oswego County portion and add southern Cayuga County, including the city of Auburn, as well as northern Cortland County. The district would also cede the northern portion of Oneida County to the 21st District, held by Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik. The sliver of Oswego County would go to the 24th District, represented by Republican Rep. Claudia Tenney.
The 19th District, currently held by Republican Rep. Marc Molinaro, would lose the northern portions of Cortland and Otsego counties and add southern Rensselaer County and extreme northern Orange County.
With the commission's approval, the state Legislature, where Democrats hold supermajorities, will now have to also greenlight the new maps.
“The Senate Majority is eager to review the proposed map submitted by the IRC. We plan to discuss and decide our subsequent actions soon, taking into account the election cycle calendar. This process is critically important and we are committed to concluding it in a manner that upholds fairness and democracy," state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said in a statement.
The redistricting commission faced a Feb. 28 deadline following a ruling by the state Court of Appeals in December that found the commission "failed to discharge its constitutional duty" the last time it proposed House maps following the Census, and could reconvene and submit new ones to the state Legislature.
If approved, the new House district boundaries will ultimately have long-lasting ramifications for New York and the country going into the 2024 elections, and potentially for about the next decade.
The congressional lines currently in place were drawn by a special master after the same Court of Appeals struck down previous Democratic-drawn maps in the spring 2022, ruling them as procedurally unconstitutional and “drawn with impermissible partisan purpose.” The Legislature drew the maps because Democrats and Republicans on the Independent Redistricting Commission failed to agree on a set of maps in time. The Legislature's maps were criticized heavily at the time by good government groups and Republicans as being heavily gerrymandered to benefit Democratic candidates. Democrats countered that argument by saying the maps represented the state’s overall Democratic electorate.
The special master-drawn maps had consequential outcomes in the 2022 midterm elections. While still taking the House of Representatives, Republicans underperformed nationwide. But in New York, the GOP did exceedingly well, winning five out of the state’s six competitive House races, flipping four seats previously held by Democrats in the process, including the House Democrats’ campaign chief.
Since the GOP won a five-seat majority in the House, those four flips proved instrumental to the current political landscape in Washington, D.C.
One of those seats was flipped back to the Democrats on Tuesday when Tom Suozzi won the 3rd Congressional District seat in a special election to replace former Rep. George Santos who was expelled from Congress in December.
Some incumbents and candidates responded to the news Thursday afternoon, Molinaro said in a statement that his mind is on the road ahead.
“I didn't think it was necessary to revisit these maps to begin with, but I'm not going to harp on the past. These changes keep intact the regional identity of my district and allow me to keep fighting for the families, farmers, and small businesses that call Upstate New York home.”
Rep. Brandon Williams expressed his frustration with the changes in his district.
“I find myself in my 5th congressional race in just two-years,” he said in a statement. “Changing lines won’t change minds—voters want common sense and relief from Progressive fantasies. #LetsVoteBrandon!”
Rep. Pat Ryan, who will be defending his seat in the 18th district, also released a statement downplaying the impact of the new lines.
“No matter where the district lines fall, no matter which Trump-picked extremist they run against me, the choice this fall is clear, he said. “I’m running on a positive vision for the future of the Hudson Valley, to deliver economic relief, to protect and expand our fundamental American freedoms, and to actually fix the problems facing our country.”
Former candidate for lieutenant governor, Alison Esposito, who is challenging Ryan, expressed her frustration with the outcome and encouraged the adoption of the special master’s maps from 2022.
“New Yorkers from all parties agreed that Kathy Hochul and her Democrat allies should not have been playing partisan games with Congressional lines,” she said. “In 2022, New York’s Congressional Districts were re-drawn after a lengthy process, creating fair, balanced maps. That did not stop New York Democrats from their games, and yet again, we are here re-drawing Congressional lines so close to an election.”
Democratic state Senator John Mannion, who is running for NY-22, said that regardless of the map, he is prepared to take on Williams.
“I look forward to continuing my run for Congress in NY-22. I am a lifelong Central New Yorker, a former science teacher and labor leader, with a record of results bringing jobs and investments to our region and protecting a woman’s right to make her own healthcare decisions,” he said. “Regardless of the makeup of this district, Central New Yorkers are fed up with Rep. Brandon Williams’ extremism and partisan politics that have gotten nothing done in Washington, while instead voting again and again to roll back abortion rights and pass far-right legislation that cuts efforts to lower housing, food, and energy costs for New Yorkers.
Democrat Sarah Klee Hood, also running for NY-22, released a similar statement.
"As an Air Force veteran, I know that regardless of external factors, we must stay focused on our greater goal: beating Brandon Williams in November,” she said. “Central New Yorkers need a fighter for the middle class, my fellow veterans, and reproductive freedom."
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