Earlier this year, New York’s tumultuous redistricting process rattled the state’s House of Representatives races, sparking an internal drama that ignited liberal primaries and forced political parties. Senior Democrats must race against each other.
But the court-drawn maps also plunged Albany into turmoil, shifting district lines in the Democratic-controlled state Senate, and with similar consequences: Lawmakers were cornered districts are the same, forcing some to make inconvenient living arrangements to flee to neighboring counties during the August 23 Primary.
For State Senator Joseph Addabbo Jr., a Democrat from Queens, the changes mean he will likely move in with his mother, who resides in the new county he’s in. running for office, if he wins. Mr. Addabbo’s home in Howard Beach has been excluded from his current county.
Mr. Addabbo, 58, is facing his first major test since being elected in 2008. “I think my old bedroom is still empty.”
The narrative of redistricting that has forced incumbents to campaign in unfamiliar territory and face unexpected challengers, introduces an element of unpredictability and sparks primaries that are slated to be contested. determined by ideology, ethnicity, and local political power struggles, as well as issues around public safety and affordability.
Residency requirements were relaxed during the redistricting years, meaning that candidates only had to live in the county they were running for, not the county. However, they must move to the county if they win.
In the Bronx, State Senator Gustavo Rivera faces a choice: stay in the stable rented apartment he’s lived in for more than two decades and confront State Senator Robert Jackson, or find another county. to run for election. He has chosen the latter, and will face the Bronx machine’s favorite candidate.
“I don’t want to jump into the rental market, but I will think about that pain after August 23,” said Rivera, a Democrat, of the first day of the Senate races. and Parliament. “I am not satisfied.”
At least seven Democratic incumbents The 63-seat Senate, where Democrats have a majority, is facing major challenges, while two newly created districts in New York City are among the few seats open to grab.
Despite the region’s redistricting upheaval, the Democratic incumbents remain optimistic about their chances in the August primaries, after the party’s formation has weathered the challenges of the party. uprising in multiple council primaries in June, as well as in race for governor and lieutenant governor.
New York’s 2022 election
As prominent Democratic officials sought to protect their records, Republicans saw an opportunity to infiltrate general election races.
There may also be fewer seats in the state Senate ripe for those with leftist hopes to target, after a string of progressive uncertainties left Democrats recapture the majority in 2018 and put incumbents on high alert, according to political agents.
“They’ve lost the element of surprise,” said Bhav Tibrewal, political director of the New York Hotel and Game Business Council, which represents hotel workers. “The Orthodox Democrats were scared of them and so they are taking their challenges much more seriously.”
The incumbents were significantly ahead of their opponents in the June 28 primary, but labor unions also played an important role in mobilizing their members in the high-stakes election. low voter turnout.
Approval from unions, whose membership tends to be higher than the average voter turnout, can serve as a strong sign of approval for incumbents running. to meet new voters in new neighborhoods.
On a recent weekday morning, State Senator Andrew Gounardeswho represents a pro-Trump district in Brooklyn’s Bay Ridge neighborhood, is campaigning outside a subway station to compete for the attention of much more liberal voters in Brooklyn Heights, now part of the the new district he is running.
A city councilman campaigning with him, Lincoln Restler, spotted a janitor ordering coffee from a nearby food truck and approached him to let him know that his union was Our group of construction service workers, 32BJ SEIU, is planning to endorse Mr. Gounardes soon.
“Oh, we got you!” answered the worker, as he picked up a Gounardes campaign flyer.
But about 80 percent Brooklyn River District Gounardes, 37, is new territory, providing an opportunity for his challenger, David Yassky, 58, a former city councilman from Brooklyn Heights. Mr. Yassky was running on a field that he was more familiar with the brownstone neighborhoods of the county than Mr. Gounardes.
“I have a deeper knowledge of these neighborhoods than anyone else in the race,” he said, adding that he was running to voice his area’s concerns about affordability. and the safety of the subway.
Challengers across the whole ideology have launched campaigns, hoping that the new maps will loosen the terrain and lead to the absence of longtime incumbents.
Democratic Socialists of America endorse two rebel candidates hope to win new seats, including David Alexis, 33, a ride-sharing driver and community organizer challenging State Senator Kevin Parker in Brooklyn. Mr. Alexis said his campaign had mobilized potential voters since last year, knocking on more than 60,000 homes with the help of 750 volunteers.
Mr. Parker may have benefited from the new Senate maps: His Flatbush-based district no longer includes Park Slope, removing a neighborhood that could promote a challenger from the left. .
Mr. Parker, 55, who was first elected in 2002, said: “I don’t need to convert atheists to Catholics. was in conflict with the younger progressives in Albany. “I just need to invite Baptists to church.”
“For me, it just emphasized election day and my being on the ballot,” Mr. Parker said.
In the Bronx, it was Mr. Rivera who caused a conflict between the parties.
To avoid going against a fellow legislator, he chose to run in a county that makes up about 50% of the Hispanic area he currently represents, but now also includes the neighborhood. richer and white population than Riverdale.
Also running is a new candidate, Miguelina Camilo, who was endorsed by the Bronx Democrats before the court redrawn the line. The local party stuck with its endorsement after Mr Rivera jumped into the race, a decision he called “deeply disappointing.”
Mr Rivera, 46, who was first elected in 2010, said: “The lines put me in the worst situation.
He says it’s no secret that he doesn’t have close ties to the party organization in the county, but it’s disappointing to feel as though all the work he’s done has gone to waste because of him. He doesn’t do “bend the knee” to the local side.
Ms Camilo, a lawyer focused on family law, called the situation “unfortunate”, noting that she received the party’s endorsement when she launched her campaign in February, before the court. intervention, to run for the seat vacated by the State. Senator Alessandra Biaggi, is run for parliament.
“This is not just a game to pick a seat just to get to Albany, I want to speak for this district,” said Camilo, 36, a first-time candidate from the Dominican Republic. She says her life experience working at her father’s bodega while being the first member of her family to go to college has made her “a powerful voice for families.” working family”.
In Queens, Mr. Addabbo’s large area, extending from Maspeth to Rockaway Beach, was made more compact, eliminating the Rockaways, which were predominantly white. Richmond Hill, home to a strong South Asian community and the city’s largest Sikh population, was added to the county, which now has a significantly higher percentage of Asians and Hispanics.
Among those opposing Mr. Addabbo, who is white, is Japneet Singh, 28, an accountant and part-time taxi driver who is Sikh-American and has focused his campaign on hate crimes against Asian influences in his community.
“I have seen the pain of these people; Mr Singh, who ran unsuccessfully for City Council last year, said. “I represent a demographic that no one cares about.”
