Democrats embody the old saying, "If at first you don't succeed, try, try, again." Whether it's in the courts or among electoral authorities, Democrats will keep pleading and litigating until they get the result they want.
Such is the case of the redrawing of congressional district maps for New York as required by the 2020 census. You might notice it's 2024. Don't let that bother you. It doesn't bother New York Democrats.
New York approved a constitutional amendment in 2014 that required a bipartisan commission to redraw congressional districts. But the commission deadlocked on the bipartisan map, meaning that the task fell to the Democrat's near super-majority in the New York legislature.
The map the Dems came up with was the most partisan gerrymander imaginable. It would have given Democrats 22 of 26 congressional seats and virtually destroyed the Republican Party in New York.
An appeals court agreed that the map was ridiculous and tossed it. The judge named a "special representative" to redraw the maps.
The result was a dream come true for the GOP. They picked up four seats in 2022 which just happened to be the number of seats in their House majority.
Democrats weren't through, however, They went back to the appeals court and this time, won the right to toss the new maps on procedural grounds. The map-making tasks went back to the bipartisan commission.
But the commission shocked Democrats by drawing a map that was approved by a vote of 9-1. This, finally, should have ended the saga, right? Not on your life. Democrats have rejected the new map and the Democratic state legislature will now draw one of their own.
The last maps they drew would have destroyed the GOP. What do you suppose they have in store for Republicans this time?
Several New York Democrats had signaled their displeasure with the map that was approved 9-1 by the state’s Independent Redistricting Commission earlier this month. The map largely left undisturbed House districts in the New York City suburbs, which have been viewed as potential battlegrounds in November. Those include the 3rd Congressional District on Long Island, which Democrats flipped earlier this month in a special election to succeed disgraced former Rep. George Santos.
The commission’s map would have put at risk freshman Republican Brandon Williams’ Central New York seat by adding more territory favorable to Democrats. But, under the compromise crafted by the commission, two Hudson Valley seats – held by Republican Marc Molinaro and Democrat Pat Ryan – each appeared to have grown safer for the incumbents
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The result of the legislature's rejection of the bipartisan map is a "threat to democracy." I know only Republicans do that kind of stuff and Democrats are political virgins, as pure as the new driven snow. But what else do you call a political party that rejects a bipartisan legislative map and redraws district lines that are blatantly partisan?
With the commission’s work now rejected, the Democratic-led Legislature can craft new lines that could swing as many as six districts in Democrats’ favor – a step likely to trigger fresh litigation over accusations of aggressive partisan gerrymandering in violation of the state constitution.
Lawmakers have not yet agreed on a new map.
Gianaris said the state Senate will negotiate with the state Assembly to devise new lines.
“We’re trying as fast as we can,” he said, citing the deadline for House candidates to begin collecting signatures for petitions.
That's a lie. Democrats are going to draw out the new line-drawing process until it's too late for the courts to intervene. At that point, the appeals court will say, "So sorry. You'll have to use these ludicrously partisan maps in 2024. Maybe we can do something about 2026?"
In other news, Republicans have a good chance to gerrymander their own map in North Carolina with a pickup of three seats, if the redrawn maps pass legal muster. Back in New York, the GOP isn't done yet, either. But no matter what happens, you know that Democrats will keep suing and counting until the decision goes their way.
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