Astoria, LIC's Political Landscapes Are Shaken Up By New Maps

ASTORIA, QUEENS — The political landscape of Western Queens was shaken up on Monday, as a court-ordered redrawing of congressional and State Senate maps threw a wrench into elections that are only weeks away.

The new draft maps released Monday were drawn by Jonathan Cervas, the "special master" who had been given the job after the state's highest court struck down the Democratic-friendly districts that had been drawn by state lawmakers. After a few days of public input, a final draft will be submitted to the court on Friday.

Congressional and Senate districts in Astoria and Long Island City will see big changes if the new maps are approved — here are a few takeaways.

AOC takes over in Astoria; Velázquez adds LIC

Under the new congressional maps, the 14th District — now represented by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — will expand to the south and west to cover most of Astoria, from Ditmars all the way to 35th Avenue.

Carolyn Maloney, whose 12th District has for years included a swath of Western Queens, will be relegated entirely to Manhattan, absorbing much of the Upper West Side and forcing a primary challenge against fellow veteran lawmaker Jerry Nadler.

Long Island City, Dutch Kills and Sunnyside will now be absorbed into the 7th Congressional District, which will extend south into Brooklyn neighborhoods like Greenpoint, Bushwick and Williamsburg. That district, which currently covers much of the Brooklyn waterfront, has long been represented by Nydia Velázquez, who said Monday that she would run in the new 7th District if it is approved.

Gianaris loses ground in Astoria; new LIC district

On the State Senate side, longtime senator Michael Gianaris is seeing huge changes to his 12th District seat, which he has held since 2011 and covers nearly all of Astoria and Long Island City below Ditmars Boulevard.

Now, the 12th District will shift eastward, covering only a slice of eastern Astoria and gaining ground in Woodside, Sunnyside, Maspeth and Elmhurst. Gianaris tweeted Tuesday that he would seek re-election in District 12, despite the geographic changes.

Ditmars Steinway in northern Astoria, formerly contained within Sen. Jessica Ramos's District 12, will now join District 11 in northeast Queens, represented by John Liu.

Meanwhile, the Astoria and Long Island City waterfront — where Gianaris had been a visible presence through his role in defeating Amazon's proposed headquarters — will now fall under the brand-new Senate District 59, which will also encompass Greenpoint and part of Williamsburg, and jump across the East River to cover Kips Bay and Gramercy on Manhattan's East Side.

That new district has already drawn at least two candidates, both of whom had previously declared for another Western Queens district included in the Albany-drawn maps that has since been rendered moot.

Kristen Gonzalez, a socialist tech worker based in Long Island City, said Monday that she would run in the new District 59. By Tuesday, Elizabeth Crowley — the onetime City Councilmember and Queens Borough President candidate — had also jumped into the race, tweeting that "I am looking forward to connecting with voters now in Manhattan too."

Unlike Gonzalez, however, it appears Crowley lives outside District 59 — in Glendale, which had been part of the previous district but is now far from the seat she is seeking. (Candidates for state office are allowed to run once in a district where they do not live, but must move there by the following election.)

The State Assembly has been spared from the recent upheaval, as its recently-redrawn districts were not included in the initial court challenges. But that, too, could change, with a separate lawsuit filed Sunday seeking to overturn the Assembly districts as well.

As of now, New York's gubernatorial and State Assembly primary elections are scheduled for June 28, while State Senate and congressional primaries have been pushed to Aug. 23.

Explore the new congressional and senate districts for yourself at the Redistricting & You website by the Center for Urban Research at the CUNY Graduate Center.

Related coverage:

• NY Congressional Redistricting Draft Maps Drop
• Elizabeth Crowley Plots Comeback In Western Queens Senate Race
• Candidates Race To Run For Reconfigured Seats Following New District Maps