Representative Tom Suozzi has openly criticized his Democratic colleagues for attempting to accelerate the redistricting process in New York. The move is seen as a strategy to secure more seats for the party in the 2028 elections.
“I’m against all forms of gerrymandering. I’ve consistently opposed it,” Suozzi remarked when asked by CNN’s Abby Phillip about a proposal from New York Democratic lawmakers. This proposal, which has the support of Governor Kathy Hochul, seeks to introduce a constitutional amendment on the ballot next year to reconfigure congressional districts ahead of the 2028 elections.
Brooklyn Representative Hakeem Jeffries, the current House Democratic minority leader and a potential future Speaker if Democrats regain control of Congress, has urged New York state legislators to revise the congressional maps before the 2030 deadline.
Suozzi’s stance has not been well-received among Democrats in New York and Washington, D.C., according to a party insider who spoke to The Post.
“Suozzi is the lone Democrat in New York not backing Hakeem Jeffries and Kathy Hochul,” stated an Empire State Democratic official, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
“For Democrats, this initiative is crucial in safeguarding the integrity of the democratic process. It’s about preserving our democracy,” the official added.
This action counters President Trump’s and the Republicans’ initial moves to redraw House maps in red states for partisan advantage, aiming to help the GOP keep the majority during the 2026 midterm elections.
Democrats have responded in kind, attempting to redraw House maps under their control in what has become an all-out war.
Jeffries himself has called the redistricting fight “maximum warfare” and that the Democrats weren’t going to unilaterally disarm and cede ground to Trump and the GOP.
Redrawing congressional maps purely to benefit one political party is called gerrymandering. It involves drawing irregularly shaped districts to “pack” opposing voters into a few districts or spreading them across many, reducing their overall voting power.
But Suozzi said both parties are wrong.
“Conservative, liberal, moderate, let’s all agree this is wrong,” Suozzi said. “It’s awful on both sides.”
“We should have independent redistricting. We should allow independents to vote. We should have open primaries,” Suozzi said, which allow non-party members to vote in primary elections.
Told that Trump and GOP-run Texas instigated the redistricting war, Suozzi said, “There’s going to be this tit for tat. `They’ll do this, and we’ll do that.’ It’s bad for America.”
But a Democratic Party insider told the Post that Suozzi requested the last redistricting include more Democratic voters in his swing district.
Suozzi clarified and partly walked back his comments he made on CNN when contacted by The Post.
“Congressman Suozzi has long opposed partisan gerrymandering because it fuels division and weakens representative democracy,” said Suozzi campaign senior advisor Kim Devlin.
“At the same time, he recognizes that Republicans across the country have aggressively manipulated district maps for partisan gain, undermining fairness in the electoral process. Democrats are right to fight fire with fire in the short term, but our ultimate goal must be to undo all partisan gerrymandering,” the Suozzi rep added.
A recent Supreme Court ruling striking down a Black-majority district in Louisiana has intensified the House redistricting battles.
The landmark ruling stated that Louisiana had unconstitutionally gerrymandered by race to form a new voting district, setting a new precedent.
Democrats complained the decision weakens the Voting Rights Act of 1965 approved to prohibit discrimination in voting.
