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New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed new congressional maps into law Wednesday, ending a three-year battle over partisan redistricting lines. One unsung winner: Rep. Jamaal Bowman, a two-term member of Congress facing a primary in New York’s 16th congressional district.
Democrats gifted Bowman Co-Op City, a heavily Black-populated housing development in the Bronx with relatively high voter turnout. The move bolsters his chances against challenger Westchester County Executive George Latimer, who is backed by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. Bowman, who represents a significant number of Jewish-American voters, has come under fire from AIPAC for voting against pro-Israel resolutions in the House.
The new map also includes Cornerstone Academy for Social Action Middle School, which Bowman founded and where he served as principal.
“I gave 10 and a half years of my life as a middle school principal and community activist in that community, so I’m obviously ecstatic to have it back,” Bowman told Semafor in an interview Thursday.
At the same time, Bowman lost Wakefield, another heavily Black-populated community that is now in a neighboring district. The primary is expected to be heavily competitive — and expensive.
“This is no slam-dunk race,” Bowman said. “We still gonna have to work our butts off.”
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Bowman previously represented Co-Op City, but lost the area in 2022 when a court-appointed special master redrew partisan gerrymandered lines that Democrats approved ahead of last year’s midterm elections.
Barring a few changes, the new map looks similar to an earlier proposal drawn by the state’s Independent Redistricting Commission that was rejected by the state legislature. In that version, Co-Op City temporarily sat in Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s, D-N.Y. district.
“I love Co-Op City, but I also know that he loves it too,” Ocasio-Cortez said of Bowman. “I’m very honored to have stewarded over Co-Op City, you know, in between times Bowman has represented it.”
Kadia’s view
National Democrats and Republicans following the drama around New York’s redistricting tended to focus on its impact on the House’s overall makeup — would the state legislature aggressively push Republicans out of their seats or make more modest changes?
There was a little movement there: Newly elected Democrat Tom Suozzi picked up parts of Hempstead that make his district bluer. Republican Brandon Williams also picked up some Democratic voters that threaten his hold on his swing seat a bit more. But the Bowman changes illustrate how the process could have an impact beyond the red-blue scorekeeping on the surface.