Redrawn maps shuffle US House of Representatives primaries in New York and Florida

NEW YORK (AP) — Redrawn maps shuffling New York’s House districts threaten the political career of a first-term progressive and will ensure the impeachment of one of the most powerful Democrats in Congress.

The fight has led to contentious races between Democrats in the country’s second-largest blue state, with challengers and incumbents sensing a rare window to seize or lose power in Tuesday’s primary election.

There is an added degree of uncertainty about how New York’s congressional primary contests will play out, as voter turnout is expected to be low. Is he second day of primary elections in New York this summer after the state primary and state assembly were held two months ago. New York voters aren’t used to casting their ballots in primaries this late in the summer, and certainly aren’t used to casting their ballots twice, and many are finding that their district boundaries have changed, adding to the confusion.

Primary elections for Florida House seats will present a test for a conservative firebrand with the the specter of a federal investigation hangs over him and a rematch between two Democrats after a narrow loss last year.

Some of the main choices:

THE END OF AN ERA

For three decades, Democrat Jerry Nadler has represented the Upper West Side of Manhattan, and Democrat Carolyn Maloney has represented the Upper East Side.

But under the new redistricting maps, much of its old constituencies have been merged, encompassing Central Park and uniting two iconic New York City neighborhoods whose residents claim very different identities.

Maloney, 76, and Nadler, 75, will also try to claim the distinction on Tuesday when they meet in a race for New York’s 12th Ward.

Nadler, who was endorsed by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, has spoken about his role in overseeing the impeachment trials of Donald Trump while serving as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. Maloney has touted her own control over the former president while serving as chair of the powerful House Oversight Committee.

They are both challenged by lawyer Suraj Patel, 38, who argues that it is time for a new face in Congress.

A FULL FIELD FOR AN OPEN SEAT

With Nadler and Maloney running in the district immediately to the north, a congressional seat covering lower Manhattan, including Wall Street and Brooklyn is a rare open contest in one of the most liberal and influential areas of the country.

New York’s 10th district has attracted a group of progressive candidates, including an incumbent congressman from suburban New York City, Mondaire-Jones, who moved to the area to run. Jones, one of the first openly gay black members of Congress, said it’s important to have an LGBTQ representative in the district that includes the West Village and the Stonewall Inn, the site of the riots that gave rise to the gay rights movement.

Daniel Goldman, a former federal prosecutor who served as counsel for House Democrats in the first impeachment inquiry against Trump, he is one of his main rivals.

Other candidates include Assemblywoman Yuh-Line Niou, New York City Councilmember Carlina Rivera and former Rep. Elizabeth Holtzman, who last served in Congress in 1981.

HARD FIGHT FOR HOME DEMOCRATS CAMPAIGN HEAD

New York’s new 17th Ward, home to idyllic towns along the historic Hudson River Valley, has become a Tough political fight for Sean Patrick Maloneythe chairman of the campaign arm of the House Democrats.

Maloney, a Democrat who became New York’s first openly gay congressman when he was elected a decade ago, faces the main challenge from state Sen. Alessandra Biaggi.

Biaggi, a 36-year-old progressive endorsed by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortezshe is the granddaughter of former Bronx Congressman Mario Biaggi. She has tried to portray Maloney as out of touch and part of the establishment.

Maloney, who is backed by former President Bill Clinton, has campaigned on Democrats’ recent legislative victories in Congress and warns the seat could fall to Republicans in November if the Democratic nominee is too liberal.

REPUBLICANS VIE TO REPLACE CONGRESSMAN AFTER BACKFLOW

A Republican race in western New York has turned into a heated competition to replace Republican Rep. Chris Jacobs.

Jacobs decided not to seek re-election after facing backlash from his own party for voicing support for an assault weapons ban following a Racist mass shooting in his hometown of Buffalo In May.

Tuesday’s race in New York’s redrawn 23rd District features New York Republican Party Chairman Nick Langworthy and Buffalo businessman Carl Paladino.

Paladino, who ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2010, has a long history of making inflammatory and offensive comments, including recent comments that praised Adolf Hitler and circulated conspiracy theories about mass shootings.

SPECIAL ELECTIONS

New Yorkers will not only vote in the primary election on Tuesday, they will also elect two new members of the House to fill vacancies for the rest of the year.

One of the special elections will be a battleground contest in southern and central New York to replace Democrat Antonio Delgado, who became New York’s lieutenant governor. Republican Marc Molinaro and Democrat Pat Ryan are vying for the seat in what is currently New York’s 19th Congressional District.

In Western New York, Democrat Max Della Pia and Republican Joe Sempolinski are running to serve the rest of the year in what is now New York’s 23rd District. They are running for a seat favored by the GOP to replace Republican Rep. Tom Reed, who resigned in May, a year after being accused of sexual misconduct.

GAETZ ON TRIAL AFTER THE SCANDAL

The primary in Florida will be a test of whether Representative Matt GaetzA Trump protégé who is under federal investigation in a sex-trafficking case is losing support among moderate Republicans.

Gaetz has not been charged and denies any wrongdoing. He is challenged by Mark Lombardo, a former Marine and FedEx executive who has blanketed the Western Panhandle with investigative-focused hit ads as he tries to take him on in Florida’s 1st Congressional District.

Competing in the Democratic primary for the seat in the majority Republican district is Rebecca Jones, a former Health Department employee who disputed the state’s COVID-19 data, though a state inspector general’s report concluded her allegations were baseless. She has tapped into national support for the fundraiser, raising more than $500,000, and is up against Peggy Schiller, a local Democratic Party activist who has only raised about $34,000 for her run.

OFF CONTEST FOR NEW CONGRESSEMBER

Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, in office since January, faces a tough primary challenge from a rival she defeated in a Florida special election by just five votes.

Cherfilus-McCormick, who represents parts of Broward and Palm Beach counties in the state’s 20th Congressional District, is being challenged by former Broward County Mayor Dale Holness. Holness just narrowly lost his special primary election to serve out the remaining months of the late Democratic US Rep. Alcee Hastings’ term.

Since then, the rivalry between Cherfilus-McCormick and Holness has grown more bitter. Last month, Cherfilus-McCormick sued Holness, claiming defamation and seeking more than $1 million in damages. The suit alleges that an aide to Holness accused her in a text message of embezzling millions from her to help her buy her congressional seat.

Holness told NBC6 in South Florida that he was not consulted about the text before his campaign sent it. But he says he still has questions about the finances of the Cherfilus-McCormick campaign. Cherfilus-McCormick maintains that he used money from his business for his campaign.

The winner of Tuesday’s Democratic primary is expected to clinch victory in November in the heavily Democratic district.

PACKAGE FULL POSSIBLE PICKUP GOP

Republicans have another chance to win back the seat held by Democrat Stephanie Murphywho is not seeking re-election.

The new configuration of his district, Florida’s 7th, changes him from competitive to comfortably Republican.

State Representative Anthony Sabatini, one of the most conservative members of the Florida Legislature, is part of an eight-candidate primary. Sabatini is known for opposing his own party in the Legislature because it wasn’t conservative enough for him. He also called for the FBI to be defunded after the Mar-a-Lago hunt and promoted false claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election.

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Farrington reported from Tallahassee, Florida.

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Follow AP for full coverage of midterms at https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections and on Twitter, https://twitter.com/ap_politics.

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