Political analyst: New proposed congressional districts would give Democrats big advantage

News 12 political analyst Mike Dawidziak says if the new congressional map is approved by the state Legislature, it would mean a drastically different political makeup than the one that Long Island currently has.

News 12 Staff

Jan 31, 2022, 11:43 PM

Updated 1,079 days ago

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New proposed congressional district maps are out, and some have parts of Long Island sharing borders with Queens and even Westchester.
News 12 political analyst Mike Dawidziak says if the new congressional map is approved by the state Legislature, it would mean a drastically different political makeup than the one that Long Island currently has.
“This is the ultimate ‘to the victors, go the spoils’ and most voters would not like that idea,” Dawidziak says. “Most voters like to think everybody’s got equal representation and this is all about unequal representation.”
Congressional District 4 covers parts of Suffolk, Nassau and Queens. It is represented by Rep. Tom Suozzi, who is running for governor. The change would extend the district to include parts of the Bronx and Westchester.
Dawidziak says the change would be very beneficial to Democrats. He says the biggest shift from the redistricting would be in Congressional District 1, which is now largely the East End of Suffolk and mostly registered Republican voters.
If the lines are redrawn, the district currently being represented by Rep. Lee Zeldin, who is also running for governor, would include big sections of Islip, Brentwood and Central Islip. It would extend almost all the way to the Nassau and Queen border, which is mostly Democratic voters.
Smithtown resident Maya says she thinks it will bring communities together and open up diversity.
The Legislature is set to take initial votes on the proposed congressional districts Wednesday.