A bipartisan redistricting commission in New York approved a new congressional map Thursday that could help Empire State Democrats make slight gains in this year’s US House elections but falls well short of an electoral windfall for the party.
New York is expected to be an epicenter in the battle for the House this fall, with Republicans’ narrow majority on the line. The GOP flipped four seats in the state in the 2022 midterms, gains that helped the party win control of the chamber.
The new map, approved 9-1 by the New York State Independent Redistricting Commission, now moves for final action to the Democratic-controlled state legislature, where its fate is unclear. Several Democrats on Thursday said they were still examining the commission’s work product and remained noncommittal.
“The Senate Majority is eager to review the proposed map,” Andrea Stewart-Cousins, the top Democrat in the state Senate, said in a statement. “We plan to discuss and decide our subsequent actions soon.”
Freshman Republican Brandon Williams – who represents parts of central New York – would see the biggest change to his district under the map approved Thursday. His new seat would include more territory favorable to Democrats – likely resulting in a Democratic pickup.
But, under the compromise crafted by the commission, two Hudson Valley seats – held by Republican Marc Molinaro and Democrat Pat Ryan – each appear to have grown safer for the incumbents.
And, notably, the commission’s map leaves largely undisturbed other House districts in the New York City suburbs, which have been viewed as potential battlegrounds in November.
Ken Jenkins, the commission’s chairman and a Democrat, described Thursday’s vote as “ultimately a victory for the…
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