Morning Read: Political maps to emerge today

According to the Albany Times-Union, political maps for the state’s Assembly, state Senate and congressional districts should be public today.  Already, the lines that have been leaked are sparking outrage, particularly from Democrats who see the effort as a way to gerrymander enough seats to preserve a GOP majority.

This from the New York Daily News.

The state Senate GOP majority wants to merge four Queens districts currently held by Democrats into two — and one is held by the chair of the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee.

Michael Gianaris, whose position makes him a main architect of Democratic campaign strategy in the Senate, would face a reelection dogfight against a Latino incumbent, Jose Peralta, in a heavily Latino district, sources said.

The other tough-luck draw for Democrats would pit longtime Sen. Toby Ann Stavisky against freshman Tony Avella, the sources added.

Along with the creation of a new state Senate district in the Albany area – one designed to favor a likely GOP candidate — that could lock in Republican control of the Senate for years to come.  More soon….

Tags: election12, politics, redistricting