Gashi and Casanova collecting signatures for 16th District
A New York Judge ruled that the newly redrawn Congressional districts can be used in this year’s upcoming elections, but held out the possibility that they could be rejected next year. In a decision that many viewed as a mixed bag, Judge Patrick McAllister said that due to the fact that petitions must now go out for congressional candidates, “striking these maps would more likely than not leave New York state without any duly elected congressional delegates.”
Judge McAllister will keep collecting evidence from democrats who drew the maps, and republicans who filed the lawsuit claiming that the maps were gerrymandered and illegal drawn. He expects to make a ruling in April but after an appeal, his decision may not come until after the June primaries, or November elections. For that reason McAllister held out the strange possibility that new congressional elections could be called next year if the districts are deemed unconstitutional. But in 2022, the new Congressional districts are staying as is.
In Westchester, that means that the 16th District , currently held by Rep. Jamaal Bowman, will now run from the Bronx, in Westchester and include Yonkers, Mount Vernon, parts of Eastchester and New Rochelle, Harrison, North Castle, Bedford, Somers, Yorktown and Putnam Valley and Carmel in Putnam County.
Bowman’s district has drawn the most attention, and consideration from more moderate democrats including Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano on challenging Bowman in a democratic primary. Spano has declined to run against Bowman after several weeks of consideration, but another moderate democrat, County Legislator Vedat Gashi, is running against Bowman.
Gashi is collecting signatures and has filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission, FEC, to raise money, and petitions are being circulated to get on the ballot. In two recent interviews, Gashi cited three of Bowman’s votes that made him decide to run after the 16th district was redrawn to include his Yorktown home.
They are, Bowman’s no vote against the $1.4 Trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act plan, his opposition to emergency funding for the Capitol Police after the Jan. 6 insurrection, and his vote against the Israel Relations Normalization Act.
Calling himself a Biden Democrat, Gashi said “I would only get in this if I thought I had a chance to win. It feels like an historic moment, an urgent need. I think we voted for Biden so we could have progress. I felt that (Bowman’s no vote) was out of step with the president’s agenda, the party’s agenda and frankly where the voters in the district are.”
“I’m more of a Biden Democrat. I want progress. I want practical results. I have the ability to build consensus in the party and communicate outside the party. We’re going to go out and try to explain why I’m the better candidate,” said Gashi. —
“It feels more like an appeasement of, I think, the most extreme elements than it does the best interest of this country and our national security.”
“I’ve been frustrated that the Democrats control the House, the Senate and the presidency, and we’re not able to get as much done as we can because of two senators and a handful of congresspeople who are furthering a more extremist agenda,” said the Westchester Democrat, including Bowman in his appraisal. “This is a historic bill, and he voted against it.”
Yonkers Democratic Chairman Tom Meier will not be running for Congress against Bowman. Meier was considering a run. We will reach out to Casanova to learn more about his campaign.
