Why Gov. Hochul is throwing caution to the wind on redistricting

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There’s nothing Gov. Kathy Hochul can do to change New York’s congressional district lines before next year’s midterm elections and help Democrats in a rapidly escalating national fight over gerrymandering.

But there she was on MSNBC Monday, her second appearance in four days, saying she would use bare-knuckle tactics to counter Republican plans to redraw the maps in Texas to benefit their party.

“If we refuse to fight for our democracy, then we're doomed to lose it,” Hochul told Rachel Maddow. “We don't want our democracy lost. And that's why I'm sick and tired of fighting these battles with my hands tied behind my back because we have an independent redistricting commission.”

It was another sign that the often-cautious executive is adopting a more combative posture ahead of her reelection bid next year. Hochul isn’t on anybody’s list as a future White House contender, but she’s leapt onto the national stage this week alongside California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker.

Christina Greer, a professor of political science at Fordham University, said it’s in step with what voters on the left are seeking.

“A lot of Democrats are hoping that more Democratic governors, senators and members of the House actually put their feet down — and come to the fight with more than just quotes and words and hopes and feelings,” Greer said.

This is particularly important for someone like Hochul, who sits in the centrist camp of the party. Harping on redistricting is one way for her to excite angry progressives without alienating moderates. Hochul continues to steer clear of more controversial policies like raising taxes and sanctuary protections for immigrants.

Republicans in Albany still attacked. They said Hochul’s statements this week show Democrats are hypocrites who should never be granted the moral high ground. (Democrats, of course, have said the same about the GOP since the rise of Donald Trump.)

“Kathy Hochul just told every New Yorker that she doesn’t care what we think or about the rule of law,” said Assemblymember Matt Slater, a Republican from Westchester County. “She only cares about partisan politics.”

The Independent Redistricting Commission that Hochul seeks to disband was enacted in 2014. Reform groups and progressive Democrats pushed for years to depoliticize the decennial redistricting process, saying fair lines would empower racial and ethnic minorities.

New York’s next planned redistricting is in 2032. Redrawing the maps earlier requires amending the state constitution, which couldn’t be completed until 2027 at the earliest.

Cesar Ruiz of the civil rights group Latino Justice said Hochul’s comments were “alarming.”

John Kaehny, executive director of the watchdog group Reinvent Albany, worried about where this redistricting arms race will end.

“How the Democrats save America by diminishing democracy in New York seems like a pretty fraught road to go down,” Kaehny said.

Greer said she thought the backlash would be muted.

“What is a moderate? I mean, that gets you nothing because you'll be steamrolled by the agenda of the Republican Party right now,” she said.

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