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.