A state court ruled Tuesday that congressional maps devised a year ago had to be redrawn for the next election.
The 4-3 decision by the state Court of Appeals means that the Democrats could capture more districts throughout the state in the next election.
The lines for several districts, including the First Congressional District won by US Rep. Nick LaLota, and representing Huntington, could be most affected.
Huntington became part of the First, instead of the Third, under decennial redistricting. After the 2020 census count, Democrats attempted to gerrymander the maps after a bipartisan commission failed to come up with legally acceptable maps. That failed effort was overruled in early 2022, leading to maps drawn by an expert appointed by a court.
Those maps allowed Republicans to win over several districts, and gave Republicans more seats than originally expected. That legal battle, coupled with Suffolk Legislative redistricting, led many voters to be confused about their representatives on both a federal and county level.
The ruling Tuesday said that the maps approved in 2022 were supposed to be temporary. Republicans disagreed on Tuesday and warned they would sue if Democrats attempted to gerrymander the districts.
The 2022 redistricting led to considerable uproar.
US Rep. Tom Suozzi, who previously represented Huntington and the north shore of Nassau County, had already decided to run against Gov. Kathy Hochul but he lost. That took him out of the Congressional picture. The Democrat who attempted to succeed Suozzi, Robert Zimmerman, lost to George Santos, who in turn was recently expelled from Congress over several legal and ethical violations he’s accused of committing. He is awaiting legal decisions.
A special election is scheduled Feb. 13 for the seat in the Third District. The commissioin to reconsider district lines is required to submit a new map no later than Feb. 28. The impact on various filing deadlines is unclear.
Meantime, former State Sen. Jim Gaughran, who lost his seat to the 2022 redistricting, plans to run against LaLota in the First. Nancy Goroff was the Democratic nominee for the district in 2020, launched her campaign for 2024 on Oct.4. Also running is Kyle Hill, who said Tuesday, “Today’s decision forces the Independent Redistricting Commission to get back to work, follow the will of New Yorkers, and make a fair map. This is a good day for democracy. Regardless of redistricting, I’m ready to flip NY-01, deliver a Democratic majority, end the Congress of Chaos, and fire Speaker MAGA Mike Johnson.
And, under redistricting, it is possible that Huntington will rejoin the Third, where Suozzi is again a candidate, or elsewhere under a new configuration.
In the 2020 election, then-Vice President Joe Biden won in Huntington over then-President Donald Trump, but the Republican won Suffolk County overall. Biden also won in what was then the Third District overall, which included Huntington.
Many voters were confused after the redistricting
NOTE: Huntington remains in the First for at least this year, with LaLota as representative. But HuntingtonNow will report on the campaign in the Third, in addition to the First, in at least the short run as district lines are determined.
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Draft Redistricting Map Would Move Huntington to 2nd District