Democrats in the New York legislature unveiled a new congressional map on Tuesday, making slight modifications to a map crafted by the Independent Redistricting Commission.
The proposed map was unveiled less than a day after the Democrat-controlled state legislature voted down the IRC’s bipartisan proposal, but it largely keeps that map intact, with some minor changes to benefit Democrats. When the current map was struck down by a New York court in December 2023, it warned that changes by the legislature to the IRC maps “cannot affect more than two percent of the population in any district,” restricting the ability of the chamber to modify the proposed congressional map.
Here are the biggest takeaways from the proposed map, which is expected to pass in the chamber as soon as this week.
Democratic shifts in two districts
The proposed map moves two swing districts, one held by a Republican and one held by a Democrat, in favor of Democrats compared to the current map.
Rep. Brandon Williams’s (R-NY) district would become more Democratic than under the current map, with identical changes seen in the IRC’s map. His current district voted for President Joe Biden over former President Donald Trump in the 2020 election, 53.8%-46.2%, but his new district would shift to a Biden 55.8%-44.2% seat.
Rep.-elect Tom Suozzi’s (D-NY) seat would become slightly more Democratic, ensuring an easier path to reelection for him in November. Suozzi flipped the seat formerly held by disgraced former Rep. George Santos earlier this month.
Hudson Valley largely unchanged
The IRC’s proposal would have made Reps. Marc Molinaro (R-NY) and Pat Ryan (D-NY) districts safer for the incumbents, but with the new proposal from Democrats, the partisan lean from the currently enacted maps would be left intact.
The two seats are seen as key swing districts, alongside Rep. Mike Lawler’s (R-NY) seat, and will remain roughly the same politically as in 2022.
Previous targets of Democratic proposals unscathed
Reps. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) and Nick LaLota (R-NY) both saw their Republican favorable seat shifted to Democrat advantage districts with the state legislature’s map proposed in 2022, but once that was ruled unconstitutional and the current one was enacted, their seats remained favorable to Republicans.
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With the court striking down the current maps last year, there was some concern their seats could be redrawn in a similar way to how Democrats in the state legislature had attempted to do so two years earlier. With the proposal unveiled on Tuesday, LaLota’s district becomes slightly more Republican favorable and Malliotakis’s district is untouched.
The new congressional map in New York does not significantly alter the dynamics for the House races in 2024 when compared to 2022, unlike in some states with new maps this year — like North Carolina.