NY Dem Rep. Jerry Nadler Could Be Out Of the Job With New Congressional Map

Jerry Nadler, New York Democratic Rep could find himseld without a seat in congress due to the new reapportioning maps made available by the state.

Politico reports say that on Monday, the new congressional draft maps for New York was made known to the public and could bring about some drastic changes in the House.

The designs for New York’s 26 congressional districts will be crucial in determining whether Democrats keep control of the House in the midterm elections, and the most recent maps established by a special master following a successful court battle by Republicans set some Democrats against one another.

The designs would establish five districts with numerous incumbents’ houses, perhaps laying the stage for a number of high-profile fights in August and November. A fight over sections of Manhattan between Democratic veteran Reps. Jerry Nadler and Carolyn Maloney is one of them.

Rep. Nadler told CNN that if the new districts were permanent, he would not retire.

“It’s sad,” he replied, “but I’m going to run and win.” He admitted that it might be “psychologically” difficult because he loves Maloney, but that “you do what you have to do.”

“I am honored to announce that I will run for re-election to the 12th Congressional District.” Rep. Maloney noted on Twitter that “a majority of the areas in the newly redrawn NY-12 are ones I have represented for years and to which I have close relationships.”

Rep. Nadler stated, “I am very excited to run for and represent the people of the newly constituted 12th district of New York.”

However, the map also lumped together Democratic Reps. Mondaire Jones of White Plains and Jamaal Bowman of Yonkers, as well as Reps. Hakeem Jeffries and Yvette Clarke. Four black parliamentarians would be pitted against each other, leaving only two.

Rep. Jeffries compared the new map to “Jim Crow.”

“The proposed redistricting map ruthlessly targets historic Black representation in New York, putting four Black members of Congress in the same district.” Jim Crow would be embarrassed by this strategy. He called the draft map “inacceptable, outrageous, and unconstitutional.”

“The core of existing congressional districts must be preserved, according to the New York State Constitution.” So, why was Bedford Stuyvesant’s historic Black community split apart in the proposed map? He called it “wrong and unconstitutional.”

However, as The Gothamist noted, a Democrat-dominated court ruled that the Democratic Party’s maps favored its party too much to be approved.

Jonathan Cervas, a postdoctoral scholar at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, designed New York’s new congressional map. Acting State Supreme Court Justice Patrick McAllister of Steuben County, a Republican, put Cervas in charge of the mapmaking process. Cervas redrawn the plan “shortly after the Democrat-dominated Court of Appeals decided that a previous, Democrat-drawn map was unconstitutionally gerrymandered to benefit the party,” according to the statement.

Cervas’ proposal, which will be open to public comment until Wednesday before being adopted on Friday, includes significant revisions to the Democrat-drawn map, forcing candidates to rapidly identify a home district in which they believe they can win. Much of his efforts appears to be geared at connecting areas.

Cervas defeated the Democrats’ proposed 3rd Congressional District, which would have expanded from western Long Island, through a sliver of Queens and the Bronx, and into Westchester County. The 11th District, which is centered on Staten Island and is currently represented by Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, was redesigned to avoid the Democratic enclave of Park Slope in Brooklyn, which Democrats had attempted to include. He streamlined the 10th Congressional District in Brooklyn and lower Manhattan, removing a curved, snake-like portion that Democrats previously used to connect it to the Upper West Side, which is now part of the 12th Congressional District Maloney and Nadler are seeking.