UWS Merged With UES In New Congressional Map, Setting Up Primary Clash

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — The Upper West Side may be merged with the Upper East Side to create a new district, if the latest draft of New York state's new congressional map is approved — potentially setting up a primary clash between two longtime incumbents.

Court-designated Special Master Jonathan Cervas released the draft on Monday, with a final version of the map set to be confirmed on Friday after approval from the New York State Court of Appeals.

In what would be a stunning change, the new map sees District 12, currently represented by Rep. Carolyn Maloney, take over the entire Upper West Side and a major chunk of Midtown Manhattan, encroaching on West Side turf that has long been home to Rep. Jerry Nadler.

In separate statements Monday afternoon, both Nadler and Maloney said they would run in the new 12th District — though Nadler alluded to the potential for more legal challenges, saying he thought the new maps violated the state constitution's policy of "keeping communities of interest together."

If the current maps hold, the two lawmakers — who have each served for around 30 years in Congress — would face each other in the Aug. 23 Democratic primary.

The revised District 12 would stretch from around 110th Street to 14th Street on both sides of Central Park — a major shift, since the Upper East and West sides have long been in separate districts. It would preserve Maloney's East Side base and shed all of its territory in Brooklyn and Queens that had been seen as less friendly to her.

Meanwhile, Nadler's District 10 would lose its entire uptown segment, instead covering Lower Manhattan and a swath of Brooklyn from Park Slope down to Borough Park. It means that for the first time in his career, Nadler would not represent the Upper West Side.

To make matters more interesting, State Senator Brad Hoylman tweeted Monday that he is "very seriously considering" a run for the proposed 10th Congressional District, which now covers more of the Lower Manhattan area that he has represented for years in Albany.

Both Nadler and Maloney were also facing multiple primary challengers in their respective districts this year; those challengers' plans were uncertain by Monday.

Cervas was tasked with creating the new congressional lines in April after the state's highest court ruled that the ones passed previously by the state legislature violated the state constitution.

The map previously passed also merged the Upper East Side with the Upper West Side, but on a much smaller scale, only adding residents living between West 59th and 84th Street east of Columbus Avenue to the Upper East Side's District 10.

Democrats — who faced accusations from Republicans that they gerrymandered districts — were shut out of the latest process. A neutral expert — Cervas — was designated a "special master" to draw up new district lines.

Patch reporter Matt Troutman contributed to this report.