New York Democrats’ outrageous bid to gerrymander Republican congressional lawmakers into oblivion has come home to haunt them, triggering civil war among the House delegation.
The federal special master drew up new maps that prioritize keeping communities together, thereby leaving several Democratic incumbents to turn on each other (though the maps only finalize on Friday).
Veteran Manhattan Reps. Carolyn Maloney and Jerry Nadler will face off in a district that unites her East Side and his West Side base. Brooklyn Reps. Hakeem Jeffries and Yvette Clarke live in the same district, though one may shift to an adjacent one.
Hudson Valley Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney is showing himself to be a fine young cannibal as he’s opted to run against his freshman colleague, Rep. Mondaire Jones. (Or Rep. Jamaal Bowman, another freshman, may get squeezed.)
Maloney’s colleagues are outraged at the selfish play by the chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Progressive superstar Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, per The Post’s reporting, when asked if Maloney should step down from his DCCC gig, said yes. And Queens Rep. Kathleen Rice (who’s retiring) told Politico, “You cannot have the chair of the DCCC involved in a Democratic primary with an incumbent colleague and expect that person to remain objective about their No. 1 job, which is incumbent protection.”
Of course, Maloney’s selfishness isn’t new: Four years ago, he ran in one primary for state office while also running for re-election to the House. We’re not fans of Bowman or Jones, but it’d be poetic justice if one of them beats him.
Heck, this Democratic chaos is all a just reward for the party’s Hochulmander effort, in blatant disregard of the will of the people and the state constitution’s mandate for nonpartisan redistricting.
