New York lawmakers approve a new congressional map giving Democrats a slight boost
New York lawmakers approved a new congressional map, giving Democrats a slight boost as they seek to regain the U.S. House majority from Republicans this year.
New York lawmakers approved a new congressional map on Wednesday after blocking district lines drawn by the state’s bipartisan redistricting committee earlier this week, giving Democrats a slight boost as they seek to regain the U.S. House majority this year.
The map, which now goes to Gov. Kathy Hochul for her signature, shores up a handful of Democratic seats and aids several incumbents, but does not attempt to drive up the party’s seat count the way Democrats tried to do in 2022 before the courts stepped in.
While Democrats currently hold 16 of New York’s 26 districts, they’re likely to see 17 safe Democratic seats and three competitive districts under the new map, according to prominent redistricting expert Dave Wasserman, a senior editor and analyst at the Cook Political Report.
“I call this a mild gerrymander. Any map that makes deliberate choices to benefit a party is a gerrymander on some level, but this is not an aggressive or maximal gerrymander by any means,” Wasserman said.
New York is expected to be at the center of the fight for House control this fall as Republicans attempt to maintain their razor-thin majority.
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