The Republican red tide has not been glimpsed in the American political landscape during the recent elections. But New York Democrats may end up in a bloodbath. Metaphorically speaking, of course, the knives are already being sharpened.
If it is confirmed that the conservatives take control of the Lower House of Congress, the House, over the state of New York (not the city), a battering ram of progressivism (thanks to the city), where liberal militants are counted for more than two for every Republican, perhaps most of the blame for that failure will fall.
When the leaders of the Democratic Party were calculating to maintain legislative control, they thought that their strategy should be oriented towards swing states (hinge or pendulum) such as Virginia or Michigan. New York was an impregnable fortress.
Well no. "The Republicans would not have a majority in the House if it were not for the state of New York," Conservative legislator Elise Stefanik, a representative from the north of the state and the highest-ranking representative in Washington, was proud, anticipating the end of the count. Militant of the most ultra-Trumpist sector, Stefanik predicted "a red tsunami" that would lead them to keep 15 of the 26 few that correspond to New York. Until these elections, they were in possession of eight.
Although his foresight went too far, his party has won four seats in this state, the most beneficial for them, and is waiting for one to be resolved in his favor, while they have lost one. The only state, to date, that has flipped more than one seat is Florida, even though Arizona is in line. That New York appears on that podium brings out the colors in progressives.
"New York's poor showing is a testament to years of prioritizing a calcified political machine and favoring performance, strategy and organization," Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the face of the left wing, tweeted. And she put Jay Jacobs, president of the party in the state, at the center of the target, from whom she asked for her departure. “To win from here, Jacobs has to go and we need to refocus the party on valuing community leadership and small-scale democracy.”
Nobody doubts that in certain sectors the Republican message staged by Lee Zeldin in his campaign for the governor's office, which he lost to Kathy Hochul, caught on. A message full of fear, with images of insecurity, lawless territory and citizens impoverished by inflation. However, the main reason for the mess is not focused on the issue of security. The outcome is not as surprising as it may seem after a redistricting process that has been a tremendous fiasco.
Unlike the emerging Republican Ron DeSantis, who knew how to design a map to his measure that has worked for him, the New York Democrats wanted to guarantee themselves districts in which they would have competition. The state Supreme Court, full of very conservative judges, which the previous governor, Andrew Cuomo, accepted in exchange for his perquisites, annulled that map and ordered another. The redesign, in the end, has been a shot in the foot for him.
The Republicans' biggest catch is Sean Patrick Maloney, one of the top Democratic officials in the federal capital. In the new map, Maloney chose to run for a different Hudson Valley district (17th) than his own (18th) since 2012. The irony is that his colleague Mondaire Jones, who held that seat, opted for 18th to avoid the internal fight. He lost the Democratic primary. Progressives hold the 18th district. Maloney and Jones have stayed homeless.
