New York’s long-running redistricting battle will pit longtime Democratic committee chairs Jerry Nadler and Carolyn Maloney in a primary fight, Politico reports.
New York Democrats aggressively carved up the state’s congressional districting in the decennial redistricting process and courts struck down their map as an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander. The court-appointed a special master to draw a new map that is very different from the legislature’s proposal.
The new map pits House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler against Oversight Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney in the primary in the state’s new 12th District.
The new district includes about 60% of Maloney’s current district and 40% of Nadler’s current district.
Not backing down:
Nadler chose to run in the district rather than another district that includes other parts of his current constituency.
“I look forward to the opportunity to continue serving the West Side and I’m excited to introduce myself and my record of principled, progressive leadership more fully to the residents of the East Side,” Nadler said Monday. “I want the voters to know that this great district belongs to no one but them, not any single candidate or politician. I hope to earn that right.”
Maloney said she won’t back down from the fight.
“I’ve been asked to step aside my whole career. I’ve always been told that I had no right to run. I’ve always been told to shut up and get out of the room, and I’ve just kept working,” Maloney told Politico after releasing a statement saying too many accomplished women “have been told to stand aside for the sake of men’s egos.”
More chaos:
After the new map was released, DCCC Chairman Sean Patrick Maloney announced he would move from the 18th District to the 17th District, which is currently represented by Rep. Mondaire Jones.
Jones ultimately relented and announced that he would instead run in the new 10th District, which includes parts of Brooklyn and Manhattan but none of his current district. The new district has already drawn a growing number of candidates, including former New York Mayor Bill de Blasio.
But Maloney’s won’t get off that easy. State Sen. Alessandra Biaggi announced on Tuesday she will challenge Maloney in the new 17th District.
“I am sure that he will say, ‘This is hurting the party, she doesn’t care about being a Democrat,’” Biaggi told the New York Times. “What hurt the party was having the head of the campaign arm not stay in his district, not maximize the number of seats New York can have to hold the majority.”
