18 minute read
CONGRESS
BATTLE
By Jeff Coltin, Pete Tomao and Holly Pretsky
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MAPS
Looking at every House race across the Empire State – which could be key to which party controls Congress.
NEW YORK HAS lost a congressional seat. The delegation will be 26 members starting next year, down from 27. And redistricting resulted in as many as nine seats being up for grabs between Democrats and Republicans in this midterm election year. But before November comes, New York also has some of the country’s hottest primaries, including an open seat on Wall Street, a career veteran showdown in Central Park and three open seats on Long Island. At the same time, two Aug. 23 special elections, in the Hudson Valley and Western New York, could serve as a preview for November.
New Yorkers can look at the new districts, and how they changed, on the CUNY Graduate Center’s Redistricting & You site, a partnership with the Center for Urban Research. More information about the maps, 2020 presidential results and racial demographics can also be found on Dave’s Redistricting, which the court-appointed special master, Jonathan Cervas, used to submit the final maps.
City & State looked at every district in the state to preview both the primaries and what could lie ahead for the general.
1ST DISTRICT 2ND DISTRICT
Rep. Andrew Garbarino faces two Republican challengers.
EASTERN PARTS OF SUFFOLK COUNTY
2020 PRESIDENTIAL RESULTS: Biden +0.2%
2020 DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY RESULTS: Nancy Goroff: 36%, Perry Gershon: 35%, Bridget Fleming: 28%, Greg Fischer: 2%
2020 GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS: Zeldin (R, C, I): 55%, Goroff (D, WFP): 45%
2022 CANDIDATES: Bridget Fleming (D), Michelle Bond (R), Nick LaLota (R), Anthony Figliola (R)
WHAT’S HAPPENING:
Current Rep. Lee Zeldin is giving up the seat he’s held since 2015 to run for governor, and the general election race to succeed him will be close.
The initial Democrat-dominated redistricting process drew much of eastern Long Island into a new, Democratic-leaning district that seemed likely to flip from red to blue. But the New York Supreme Court overturned Democrats’ maps, and the new lines have returned the 1st District to its prior swing status.
Democrats have coalesced around Suffolk County legislator Bridget Fleming, a former Manhattan prosecutor who ran in 2020 and has picked up some key union endorsements. The Republican primary features Nick LaLota, a former Village of Amityville Trustee and Suffolk County Commissioner of Elections, who has been endorsed by Suffolk County Republicans, facing off against Anthony Figliola, a former deputy supervisor for the town of Brookhaven and Michelle Bond, a cryptocurrency industry CEO, who has nearly $1 million to spend on her run, including $600,000 of her own money.
SOUTHERN PARTS OF SUFFOLK AND NASSAU COUNTY
CURRENT MEMBER: Andrew Garbarino (R)
2020 PRESIDENTIAL RESULTS: Trump +1.6%
2020 REPUBLICAN PRIMARY RESULTS: Andrew Garbarino: 63%, Michael LiPetri: 36%
2020 DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY RESULTS: Jackie Gordon: 72%, Patricia Maher: 27%
2020 GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS: Garbarino (R, C, L, SAM): 53%, Jackie Gordon (D, WFP, I): 46%, Harry Burger (G): 1%
2022 CANDIDATES: Garbarino (R), Robert Cornicelli (R), Mike Rakebrandt (R), Jackie Gordon (D, WFP)
WHAT’S HAPPENING:
The 2nd District is another race that fell victim to Democrats’ redistricting snafu. The maps first approved by state legislators had packed conservatives into this Long Island based seat, ensuring a liberal leaning map in the neighboring 1st District. But when those maps were overturned there was a chaotic candidate reshuffle. Jackie Gordon, an Army veteran, high school guidance counselor and Babylon Town Council member, lost to Rep. Andrew Garbarino in the 2nd District in 2020, and after initially running in the 1st District this cycle, she is once again taking on Garbarino – in a swing district that slightly favors a Republican. The incumbent faces a GOP primary challenge from Robert Cornicelli and Mike Rakebrandt. Cornicelli is a veteran of both the Army and the Navy and works as a supervisor in the Oyster Bay Department of Public Works. Rakebrandt is an NYPD officer and Navy veteran. Both Cornicelli and Rakebrandt are challenging Garbarino from the right, saying he hasn’t been loyal enough to Trump.
3RD DISTRICT 4TH DISTRICT
NORTHERN PARTS OF NASSAU COUNTY AND QUEENS
CURRENT MEMBER: Tom Suozzi (D), who unsuccessfully challenged Gov. Kathy Hochul earlier this summer and is not running for reelection
2020 PRESIDENTIAL RESULTS: Biden +8.1%
2020 DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY RESULTS: Tom Suozzi: 66%, Melanie D’Arrigo: 26%, Michael Weinstock: 8%
2020 GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS: Suozzi (D, WFP, I): 56%, George Santos (R, C): 43%, Howard Rabin (L): 1%
2022 CANDIDATES: Jon Kaiman (D), Josh Lafazan (D), Robert Zimmerman (D), Melanie D’Arrigo (D), Reema Rasool (D), George Santos (R)
WHAT’S HAPPENING:
Rep. Tom Suozzi abandoned this Long Island based congressional seat to run a losing campaign for governor. The newly reconfigured district now takes in much of Nassau County’s North Shore and a slice of suburban Queens. Several Democrats have thrown their hat into the ring to serve succeeding Suozzi, including former North Hempstead Town Supervisor Jon Kaiman, current Nassau County Legislator Josh Lafazan, public relations maven Robert Zimmerman, wellness professional Melanie D’Arrigo and businesswoman Reema Rasool. Lafazan has Suozzi’s support and leads in fundraising, while Zimmerman, who is involved with the Democratic National Committee, has support from other party insiders including Rep. Grace Meng. D’Arrigo is the progressive choice with the Working Families Party’s backing. Republican George Santos, an investment banker who had a stint at a firm accused of operating a Ponzi scheme, is unopposed in the Republican primary and thinks he can flip the seat in a red wave year after failing to do so in 2020.
SOUTHERN PARTS OF NASSAU COUNTY
2020 PRESIDENTIAL RESULTS: Biden +14.6%
2020 REPUBLICAN PRIMARY RESULTS: Douglas Tuman: 70%, Cindy Grosz: 28%
2020 GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS: Rice (D): 56%, Douglas Tuman (R, C): 43%, Joseph Naham (G): 1%
2022 CANDIDATES: Carrié Solages (D), Keith Corbett (D), Laura Gillen (D), Muzib Huq (D), Anthony D’Esposito (R)
WHAT’S HAPPENING:
Rep. Kathleen Rice’s retirement from Congress creates an open seat in this western Long Island district. Republicans have consolidated support behind Anthony D’Esposito, a Hempstead council member. The crowded Democratic primary includes former Town of Hempstead Supervisor Laura Gillen, who has Rice’s endorsement, Nassau County legislator Carrié Solages, Malverne Mayor Keith Corbett and Dr. Muzib Huq. Unlike other Long Island congressional seats, the 4th District saw minimal changes to its makeup during redistricting. While the area trends blue at the federal level, Republicans have remained in control of the Town of Hempstead and dominate local politics. In 2019, they knocked off Gillen in her reelection bid for Hempstead supervisor. The last time a Republican won this seat in Congress was 1996.
5TH DISTRICT 6TH DISTRICT
SOUTHEAST QUEENS
CURRENT MEMBER: Greg Meeks (D)
2020 PRESIDENTIAL RESULTS: Biden +62.8%
2020 DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY RESULTS: Rep. Greg Meeks: 76%, Shaniyat Chowdhury: 24%
2020 GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS: Meeks uncontested
2022 CANDIDATES: Meeks (D), Paul King (R)
WHAT’S HAPPENING:
Rep. Greg Meeks is the current boss of the Queens County Democratic Party and a 24-year House veteran. The long-serving lawmaker represents middle-class Black homeowners in the eastern suburban swaths of the borough. Meeks has actively pushed back against the leftward drift of his party and is a proud moderate who will avoid a primary this year, after crushing a democratic socialist challenger two years ago. It’s an incredibly safe Democratic seat, but in the general election, he’ll face Republican Paul King, a management consultant.
Rep. Grace Meng isn’t facing a primary challenger in her safely blue district.
CENTRAL AND NORTHEASTERN QUEENS
CURRENT MEMBER: Grace Meng (D)
2020 PRESIDENTIAL RESULTS: Biden +30.6%
2020 DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY RESULTS: Meng: 65%, Melquiades Gagarin: 20%, Sandra Choi: 14%
2020 GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS: Meng (D, WFP): 68%, Thomas Zmich (R,L,C, Save Our City): 32%
2022 CANDIDATES: Meng (D), Zmich (R)
WHAT’S HAPPENING:
Rep. Grace Meng appears to be sailing to reelection in her bid for a sixth term. She has avoided a primary, and in the general, will apparently face Thomas Zmich, an Army veteran and building tradesman, in a rematch. The 6th Congressional District has the highest percentage of Asian Americans in New York City, and Meng is New York’s first Asian American member of Congress. Her district remained relatively unchanged during the redistricting process.
7TH DISTRICT 8TH DISTRICT
SOUTHWESTERN QUEENS AND NORTH BROOKLYN
CURRENT MEMBER: Nydia Velázquez (D)
2020 PRESIDENTIAL RESULTS: Biden +63.2%
2020 DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY RESULTS: Velázquez (D): 78%, Paperboy Love Prince (D): 20%
2020 GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS: Velázquez (D, WFP): 85%, Brian Kelly (R, C): 14%, Gilbert Midonnet (L): 1%
2022 CANDIDATES: Velázquez (D), Prince (D), Juan Pagán (R)
WHAT’S HAPPENING:
Rep. Nydia Velázquez has served in Congress since 1993 and has cultivated an image as a progressive stalwart. The redrawn 7th Congressional District is substantially different from the district she currently represents, which includes Sunset Park, Red Hook and the Lower East Side. But the new one contains enough of her old constituents, as well as new, progressive-leaning constituents that would like Velázquez – that she has once again avoided a serious primary challenge. Like in 2020, performance artist Paperboy Love Prince is on the ballot, but is somehow taking this race even less seriously than they took their 2021 mayoral run. Republican Juan Pagán, an administrative aide at Baruch College and former correction officer, is also running.
CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN BROOKLYN
CURRENT MEMBER: Hakeem Jeffries (D)
2020 PRESIDENTIAL RESULTS: Biden +53.6%
2020 DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY RESULTS: Jeffries uncontested
2020 GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS: Jeffries (D, WFP): 85%, Garfield Wallace (R, Conservative): 15%
2022 CANDIDATES: Jeffries (D), Queen Johnson (D), Yuri Dashevsky (R)
WHAT’S HAPPENING:
A former corporate attorney and Assembly member, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries has risen quickly in Congress and is now chair of the House Democratic Caucus and a presumed front-runner to succeed Nancy Pelosi as Democratic leader after she retires. Despite his high profile, the Brooklynite has remained active in local politics. In 2021, he used his perch to stifle the campaign of a leading DSA New York City Council candidate, Michael Hollingsworth, and supported the more establishment aligned Crystal Hudson. That’s just one example of Jeffries’ ire for the left, but the particulars of his district mean he isn’t vulnerable to a progressive challenge. Queen Johnson, a nonprofit organizer, is trying, but has earned no support from the progressive movement and hasn’t filed a single fundraising report. Yuri Dashevsky, a Jewish immigrant from the former Soviet Union, artist, public relations consultant and language interpreter, is waiting in the general.
9TH DISTRICT 10TH DISTRICT
GOP Rep. Nicole Malliotakis got a big break when Democrats’ maps were tossed by the courts.
CENTRAL BROOKLYN
CURRENT MEMBER: Yvette Clarke (D)
2020 PRESIDENTIAL RESULTS: Biden +51.8%
2020 DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY RESULTS: Clarke: 54%, Adem Bunkeddeko: 25%, Isiah James: 10%, Chaim Deutsch: 10%
2020 GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS: Yvette D. Clarke (D, WFP): 83%, Constantine JeanPierre (R, C): 16%, Gary Popkin (L): 1%
WHAT’S HAPPENING:
Eight-term Rep. Yvette Clarke is running for reelection in a Brooklyn district that encompasses Crown Heights, Brownsville and Midwood. Clarke has deep ties to the Brooklyn political class – her mother was the first Caribbean-born member of the New York City Council, and she’s served in Congress since 2007. Clarke got a scare in the 2018 Democratic primary when progressive newcomer Adem Bunkeddeko came within 6 points of beating her. But Clarke left little to chance in the 2020 primary when Bunkeddeko challenged her again, running aggressively and winning a fourway primary with 54% of the vote. After redistricting, her electoral terrain has become even friendlier. The Park Slope neighborhoods that helped power Bunkeddeko’s impressive 2018 showing were drawn out of the district. She won’t have a primary and will face Menachem Raitport, a perennial candidate and Lubavitcher entrepreneur, in the general.
LOWER MANHATTAN AND WESTERN BROOKLYN
2020 PRESIDENTIAL RESULTS: Biden +72%
2020 DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY RESULTS: Nadler: 67%, Lindsey Boylan: 22%, Jonathan Herzog: 10%
2020 GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS: Nadler (D, WFP): 84%, Cathy Bernstein (R, C): 14%, Michael Madrid (L): 1%
2022 CANDIDATES: Mondaire Jones (D), Jo Anne Simon (D), Daniel Goldman (D), Elizabeth Holtzman (D), YuhLine Niou (D), Carlina Rivera (D), Peter Gleason (D), Yan Xiong(D), Jimmy Li (D), Maud Maron (D), Quanda Francis (D), Brian Robinson (D), Benine Hamdan (R)
WHAT’S HAPPENING:
Perhaps no congressional map was more impacted by Mapgate than the newly created 10th District. The district now combines lower Manhattan, Dumbo, Park Slope and Sunset Park. Much of it was Rep. Jerry Nadler’s district, but he chose to run in the 12th District instead, uptown. With no sitting incumbent defending the turf, the open seat attracted 13 Democratic candidates. That list includes Rep. Mondaire Jones, who moved into the district from the one he currently represents in Rockland and Westchester Counties, Assembly Members Yuh-Line Niou and Jo Anne Simon, former Rep. Liz Holtzman, New York City Council Member Carlina Rivera and Daniel Goldman, former Democratic counsel during the first Trump impeachment. Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio will still be on the ballot after dropping out of the race, but the other six leading candidates all see their own path to victory. Polling has shown a tight race, and while Jones has more money than the rest of them combined, many candidates have enough funds to get their names out – with help from key endorsers. Republican investment banker Benine Hamdan will be waiting in the general.
11TH DISTRICT 12TH DISTRICT
STATEN ISLAND, SOUTHWEST BROOKLYN
CURRENT MEMBER: Nicole Malliotakis (R)
2020 PRESIDENTIAL RESULTS: Trump +7.6%
2020 REPUBLICAN PRIMARY RESULTS: Nicole Malliotakis: 69%, Joe Caldarera: 31%
2020 DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY RESULTS: Former Rep. Max Rose ran uncontested
2020 GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS: Rep. Max Rose (D, I): 47%, Nicole Malliotakis (R, C): 53%
2022 CANDIDATES: Max Rose (D), Brittany Ramos DeBarros (D), Komi Agoda-Koussema (D), Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R), John Matland (R)
WHAT’S HAPPENING:
The 11th Congressional District is the only part of New York City that voted for Donald Trump in both 2016 and 2020. But Democrats have remained competitive during midterm elections. In 2018, army veteran Max Rose knocked off incumbent Dan Donovan, winning the race by 6.5 points. But the Trump phenomenon was too much to overcome, and he lost his seat to current Rep. Nicole Malliotakis in 2020. In the House, she has toed the Republican Party line and voted to decertify Joe Biden’s presidential victory. Democrats’ plan to gerrymander her out of a seat failed, and she now remains a favorite to win reelection. Rose is angling for a comeback, running in the Democratic primary against democratic socialist and fellow veteran Brittany Ramos DeBarros and public school teacher Komi Agoda-Koussema. Rose has about $1.9 million on hand as of the end of June, far more than either of his primary opponents, but much less than Malliotakis’ $2.6 million. Malliotakis faces anti-vax activist John Matland in the Republican primary.
MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, UPPER EAST SIDE, UPPER WEST SIDE
CURRENT MEMBER: Carolyn Maloney (D)
2020 PRESIDENTIAL RESULTS: Biden +72.2%
2020 DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY RESULTS: Rep. Carolyn Maloney: 42.7%, Suraj Patel: 39.3%, Lauren Ashcraft: 13.6%, Pete Harrison: 4.2%
2020 GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS: Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D): 82%, Carlos Santiago-Cano (R): 16%, Steven Kolln (G): 1%
2022 CANDIDATES: Carolyn B. Maloney (D), Jerry Nadler (D), Suraj Patel (D), Ashmi Sheth (D)
WHAT’S HAPPENING:
Democrats’ redistricting mess has forced two giants of New York’s congressional delegation into an ugly primary. Reps. Carolyn Maloney and Jerry Nadler are facing off against each other to represent this wealthy slice of Manhattan. Neither politician opted to run in the open 10th District, creating a marquee election brawl. The race has taken on additional resonance, as Nadler is the only Jewish Congress person from New York City, and Maloney is touting a feminist track record in the wake of the repeal of Roe v. Wade. Democrats are being forced to choose sides between the two representatives who each have served in Congress for nearly 30 years. Suraj Patel, who came close to beating Maloney in 2018 and 2020, is hoping his newcomer message can set him apart from the two career politicians. It’s sure to be an expensive race. Maloney had about $2 million on hand as of the end of June, including $900,000 she lent her campaign from her personal fortune. Nadler had $1.2 million, and Patel had $560,000.
13TH DISTRICT
Rep. Adriano Espaillat is forming his own “Squadriano.”
14TH DISTRICT
HARLEM, WASHINGTON HEIGHTS AND PARTS OF THE NORTHWEST BRONX
CURRENT MEMBER: Adriano Espaillat (D)
2020 PRESIDENTIAL RESULTS: Biden +77.6%
2020 DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY RESULTS: Adriano Espaillat: 59%, James Felton Keith, II: 25%, Ramon Rodriguez: 15%
2020 GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS: Adriano Espaillat (D, WFP): 91%, Lovelynn Gwinn (R): 8%, Christopher Morris-Perry (C): 1%
2022 CANDIDATES: Adriano Espaillat (D) , Michael Hano (D), Francisco Spies (D)
WHAT’S HAPPENING:
After five years in Congress, Rep. Adriano Espaillat has become a power broker. He backed George Alvarez in his successful challenge to unseat Assembly Member José Rivera and recently endorsed challenger Angel Vasquez to unseat state Sen. Robert Jackson and Miguelina Camilo to unseat state Sen. Gustavo Rivera. If they prevail, those three will join the growing “Squadriano.” With all that nonstop political muscling and about $700,000 on hand as of the end of June, Espaillat is not facing serious opposition in the August primary. Neither “social democrat” Michael Hano nor Francisco Spies reported any fundraising for the race.
JACKSON HEIGHTS, QUEENS, TREMONT AND THROGGS NECK IN THE BRONX, RIKERS ISLAND
CURRENT MEMBER: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D)
2020 PRESIDENTIAL RESULTS: Biden +57%
2020 DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY RESULTS: Alexandria OcasioCortez: 78%, Michelle CarusoCabrera: 19%, Badrun Khan: 5%, Samuel Sloan: 2%
2020 GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D): 72%, John Cummings (R, CON): 27%, Michelle Caruso-Cabrera (SAM): 1%
2022 CANDIDATES: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D), Tina Forte (R), Desi Cuellar (R)
WHAT’S HAPPENING:
While Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez faced a spirited primary challenge from TV journalist Michelle Caruso-Cabrera in 2020, in 2022, Democrats know better than to try to challenge the social media phenomenon. On the GOP side, despite being a frequent target of Republican attacks, AOC has attracted only unserious challengers in a district that’s even bluer than it was before redistricting. Tina Forte is a business owner who made headlines for having attended the Jan. 6 insurrection. Desi Cuellar, a formerly homeless Queens bartender, will also be on the Republican ticket in August. Both have less than $60,000 in their campaign accounts, compared to AOC’s $6 million. Both also gave addresses outside the district.
15TH DISTRICT 17TH DISTRICT
SECTIONS OF THE BRONX INCLUDING RIVERDALE, EASTCHESTER AND MOTT HAVEN
CURRENT MEMBER: Ritchie Torres (D)
2020 PRESIDENTIAL RESULTS: Biden +70.4%
2020 DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY RESULTS: Ritchie Torres: 32%, Michael Blake: 18%, Rubén Díaz Sr.: 14%, Samelys Lopez: 14%, Ydanis Rodriguez: 11%, Melissa Mark-Viverito: 4%, Chivona Newsome: 2%, Tomas Ramos: 2%
2020 GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS: Ritchie Torres (D): 89%, Patrick Delices (R, C): 11%
2022 CANDIDATES: Ritchie Torres (D)
WHAT’S HAPPENING:
In 2020, this seat was the race to watch in New York City. Rep. Ritchie Torres prevailed over a crowded field that included multiple high-profile political veterans to become one of the first Black, out gay members of Congress. This year, Torres is living the dream: He’s a popular incumbent with no challengers in the primary or general election, he’s got a cushy $3.2 million in his campaign account, and he was thrilled that Riverdale was redistricted into his district.
FOR 16TH DISTRICT
SEE PAGE 20
NORTHERN WESTCHESTER, LOWER PORTIONS OF THE HUDSON VALLEY
CURRENT MEMBER: Mondaire Jones (D), who is running in the 10th District instead
2020 PRESIDENTIAL RESULTS: Biden +10.2%
2020 DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY RESULTS: Mondaire Jones: 42%, Adam Schleifer: 16%, Evelyn Farkas: 16%, David Carlucci: 11%, David Buchwald: 9%, Asha Castleberry (D): 3%, Allison Fine (D): 2%, Catherine Parker (D): 2%
2020 GENERAL ELECTION: Mondaire Jones (D, WFP): 59%, Maureen McArdle Schulman (R): 35%, Yehudis Gottesfeld (CON): 3%, Joshua Eisen (ECL): 2%, Michael Parietti (SAM): 1%
2022 CANDIDATES: Alessandra Biaggi (D), Sean Patrick Maloney (D), Charles Falciglia (R), Michel Lawler (R), Jack Schrepel (R), Shoshana David (R) William Faulkner (R)
WHAT’S HAPPENING:
Incumbent Rep. Mondaire Jones seemed to be sailing toward reelection. One of the first two out gay Black men elected to Congress, Jones was thought to be a rising progressive star. But New York Democrats’ redistricting incompetence has thrown Jones’ political future into chaos. The court mandated maps placed the home of DCCC Chair and neighboring Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney into the 17th District. Maloney announced plans to abandon his seat and run here – despite it being mostly represented by Jones. Jones then announced he was relocating to run for the open seat in the Brooklyn-Manhattan based 10th District, a decision he hasn’t lived down. Pre-Mapgate, state Sen. Alessandra Biaggi had been running for Congress in the gerrymandered 3rd District – comprising Long Island and her Westchester stomping grounds. But after that map was overturned, Biaggi threw her hat into the ring for the 17th District, which overlaps not at all with her Bronx state Senate district. She is challenging Maloney from the left – with an endorsement from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Republican Assembly Member Michael Lawler is facing a five-way primary.
