New York Dems Made Key Mistakes, But Still Barely Lost House Seats

[RandySF]

1. Governor Hochul’s Initial Mistakes Begin Path to House Losses

After Governor Kathy Hochul took over following Andrew Cuomo’s resignation in August 2021, she was interviewed by The New York Times and asked about the upcoming redistricting of congressional and state legislative lines. The new Independent Redistricting Commission was charged with the development of fair, nonpartisan lines following decades of partisan gerrymandering in New York.


2. After 2021 Republican Wins on Long Island, Two House Democrats from Nassau County Chose Not to Run for Reelection

In November 2021 incumbent Democratic Nassau County Executive Laura Curran was defeated by Bruce Blakeman in a close election. Democratic candidates for District Attorney in both Nassau and Suffolk Counties were also defeated. Within months both incumbent House members in Nassau County announced their departures.


3. The Redistricting Disaster

In January 2022 that the Independent Redistricting Commission was unable to vote on a unified, bipartisan plan to submit new district lines to the Legislature, which then chose to take over the process and draw its own congressional and state legislative maps, which the Governor signed. Litigation began and reached the New York Court of Appeals (the state’s highest court) by April. The court, in a 4-3 decision, rejected the lines as both partisan and procedurally defective and ordered a court-appointed “special master” to craft nonpartisan lines.


4. Hochul Sent a Tax Break to Homeowners During the Primary Not the General

Governor Hochul’s Executive Budget in January of this year included a $2.5 billion property tax rebate to homeowners, which was approved by the Legislature in April. At budget time, the rebate was scheduled to be sent out in October 2022, with an obvious political purpose for the general election. The highest rebates would go to the region of the state with the highest property taxes, the suburbs around New York City.


5. Despite All, Competitive New York House Races, Like Many Across the Country, Were Very Close; 11 Nationally, Including 2 in New York, Were Decided by 1 Point or Less





https://www.gothamgazette.com/130-opinion/11759-new-york-democrats-mistakes-2022-elections-house-seats

[dalton99a]

1. Kick

Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi, of the 3rd congressional district covering the northern half of Nassau County and a slice of Queens, announced his bid for Governor in late November 2021. He would go on to a poor showing in the Democratic primary in June 2022 against Governor Hochul and New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams.

Democratic Rep. Kathleen Rice, of the 4th congressional district covering the southern half of Nassau County, announced she would not run for re-election in February 2022.

Republican Anthony Esposito won Rice’s seat by about 3.5% (about 9,800 votes of 271,000 cast). Republican George Santos, now embroiled in scandal over appalling lies about his background, won Suozzi’s seat by over 20,000 votes, about 8% (Suozzi had handily defeated Santos in 2020).

[Me.]

2. Sadly

Losses are still losses