How New York Democrats STARTED the nationwide gerrymandering race

Democrats nationwide have spent months insisting their outrageous gerrymanders from California to Virginia were simply a response to Republicans’ move in Texas, with New York’s Gov.Kathy Hochul insisting this make it her duty to do the same here as soon as possible — conveniently ignoring how she’s signed on to multiple efforts to sideline the state Constitution to redistrict the GOP into near-oblivion.

The drive began in early 2021, as Democrats put three “election reform” measures on the November ballot, crucially looking to sideline the Independent Redistricting Commission — created by the voters themselves in 2014 — to allow the dominant party to singlehandedly draw the new “map” after the 2020 Census.Solid majorities of voters in deep-blue New York rejected all three.So Democrats in the Legislature passed a bill to sideline the commission anyway — and Hochul happily signed it.Dems then tried to block the commission from its work — and then just ignored it, as the Legislature’s majorities simply imposed a map designed to cut the GOP House delegation in half, from six seats to three.

Republicans sued and won in state court; the judge appointed a special master to draw up a truly fair map, and the GOP wound up winning eight seats that November.Cue the Democratic campaign to stack the state’s highest court, the Court of Appeals, to ensure that wouldn’t happen again: This is why the state Senate rejected respected Democratic Judge Hector LaSalle in 2023, a rank assassination that prompted Hochul to nominate reliable lefty Rowan Wilson.Lo and behold, when Democrats launched yet another gerrymander drive in 2024, Republicans again sued — only to lose in the end, thanks to Wilson’s vote.Still, Dems were cautious, tweaking the map only slightly to their advantage, which proved enough to wipe out half the GOP’s 2022 gains.

But Democrats weren’t done: They set out this year to use the state courts to eliminate New York City’s on...