By Andrew Harris, map by Jon Campbell of The Gothamist
In a rare victory for NYS Republicans, the results of the court ordered redistricting appear have officially thwarted the ruling Democratic gerrymandering effort. Steuben County’s own Judge Patrick J. McAllister will be remembered as the hero of Republican party, of which he belongs, for demanding that a technical expert, aka “the special master,” redraw the lines.
A late night approval, just before the deadline that McAllister set, creates a new reality in New York politics. The 23rd District, lost Ithaca but gained a big portion of Erie County, most notably current US Representative Chris Jacobs of the 27th District. Jacobs has already announced that he will now run for the open seat in the new 23rd District. A special election is planned for this summer to fill the vacancy that Tom Reed left when he abruptly resigned.
A small group of other potential Republican candidates have been quiet since the new districts became official. An August primary is expected should Jacobs have competition.
Democratic candidate Max Della Pia will be running in the general election and businessman Marc Cenedella announced he would be running for the seat, before the new lines we released, and the website, www.cenedellaforcongress.com, doesn’t appear to be working. It is unclear what party Cenedella planned to seek nomination in.
On the state level, the NYS Senate districts have made life much different for Allegany County and 58th District Senator Tom O’Mara. His current district has been extended west into about half of Allegany County, including the Wellsville, Belmont, Alfred, and Andover. Bolivar, Cuba, Angelica, and Fillmore will remain part of the 57th district currently represented by George Borrello. Read Allegany County Legislator Brooke Harris’ column on this new political reality below, along with a really comprehensive reporting by Jon Campbell of The Gothamist.
https://gothamist.com/news/court-finalizes-new-ny-congressional-state-senate-maps
