The Race for the Seat to Represent Boro Park’s 10th Congressional District Heats Up

By Yehudit Garmaise

After New York's newly redrawn congressional maps were approved late on Friday, the race to represent Boro Park’s 10th congressional districtcontinues to heat up as more and more candidates vie to fill the coveted seat, which is up for grabs now that longtime US Rep Jerry Nadler was redistricted to the 12th district, where he lives. 

Not only has former Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that he is running to represent the 10th congressional district, which also includes his Park Slope neighborhood, yesterday, US Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-17), a progressive, who now represents Rockland County’s 17th District, also announced that he is also throwing his hat into the ring because of his connection to the parts of the district that cover the East and West Village.

The large crowd of politicians who are eyeing the seat to represent the district that starts in the Upper West Side and runs south to Boro Park: include State Sen. Simcha Felder, Lower Manhattan Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou, and former city Comptroller Scott Stringer.

Last week, state Senator Brad Hoylman (27th District) and Assemblyman Robert Carroll (D-Park Slope) said they were interested in running, but they both dropped out of the race after de Blasio said he was running for the 10th District seat.

After state Supreme Court Judge Patrick McAllister threw out the re-districting map drawn by Albany Democrats who drew the maps to unfairly benefit their own party, re-districting expert and political scientist Jonathan Cervas re-drew the map.

However, after the Orthodox Jewish communities, who share common concerns, in what was District 10 were unfairly divided among other districts, Assemblyman Simcha Eichenstein, City Councilman Kalman Yeger, and local askanim wrote to Judge McAllister to ask that as mandated by the New York state constitution, Brooklyn’s frum communities, represent a “community of interest,” be grouped together in one district.

“Don’t sprinkle us around!” Assemblyman Simcha Eichenstein (D-44) told the New York Post. “We matter.”

In response, the state judge quickly authorized some of the Orthodox Jewish communities of Boro Park, and most of Flatbush and Crown Heights to comprise District 9.

“Orthodox Jews are going to make a huge difference in the Democratic primary for the NY10’s congressional seat, tweeted David Schwartz, the first vice chair to the Brooklyn Democratic County Committee.