Redistricting maps proposed by the New York State Legislature will increase Democratic control in the state as well as in Congress. Let’s look at what these new maps mean for communities in the Capital Region and Southern Tier.
The new congressional lines would reduce Republican representatives from seven to four, according to Albany Times-Union. New York is also set to lose one congressional district due to population decline.
In the Capital Region, many current boundaries would stay intact, with some exceptions. The city of Rensselaer would be removed from the 20th congressional district and become part of the 19th district. The 19th district would now include the Catskills, Binghamton, Utica, the city of Rensselaer, and New Paltz.
On Monday, January 31, Republican U.S. Rep. Claudia Tenney announced she would run for the Southern Tier’s 23rd congressional district. The district’s current U.S. Rep. Tom Reed announced recently that he would not be seeking reelection.
The newly drawn lines were met with immediate criticism from Republicans, with state GOP Party Chairman Nick Langworthy threatening litigation.
“The lines are so heavily gerrymandered they will be non-competitive,” said Susan Lerner, Executive Director of Common Cause/NY. “It’s a major disservice to the voters, who were first denied any hope of a truly independent process ten years ago when the so-called Independent Commission was conceived.”
New York’s Independent Redistricting Commission handed over the job of drawing new congressional maps to the state Legislature in January after failing to get their plan approved.
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