Petition scramble begins in Long Island Congress races

The scramble to get candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives on the ballot begins Tuesday, with new district lines expected to nudge petition carriers from Long Island into new territory in the Bronx and Westchester counties to collect signatures.

House lines in Nassau and Suffolk, and in many parts of New York State, are substantially changed this year after Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul approved new boundaries drawn by the Democrat-controlled State Legislature.

Redistricting has created new terrain for political party officials to consider in picking candidates for each of the five Long Island districts.

And for some candidates who may want to test the waters, the maps are intriguing enough to declare a run.

Democratic and Republican Party officials say they are certain they cannot prevent at least a handful of primaries on June 28.

"I expect many folks to throw their hat in the ring," James Scheuerman, the Democratic Nassau Board of Elections commissioner, told Newsday.

But Scheuerman noted there have been, "many folks over the years who say 'I'm running,' but they end up not walking [to seek signatures] and not filing," to get on the ballot.

State lawmakers draw new House lines every decade after the release of the U.S. Census, as required under the Constitution.

To get on the ballot, candidates must secure 1,250 valid signatures from registered party members, along with signatures of witnesses registered with that party or of a notary public, according to the state Board of Elections.

The 1,250 threshold represents a return to past practice. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020, state officials lowered the signature requirement to 375 for House races.

Petitions must be filed between April 4 and 7 for primaries for federal, state and local elections. Registered voters may challenge the validity of petitions, according to the state elections board.

With three incumbents not seeking reelection — 1st District Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley), 3rd District Rep. Thomas Suozzi (D-Glen Cove) and 4th District Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-Garden City) — more candidates than usual are running for Congress in Nassau and Suffolk.

Zeldin and Suozzi are running for governor, while Rice is retiring.

Candidates in the 1st District, which had been contained in Suffolk County, will have to introduce themselves to Nassau County voters who live as far west as Woodbury.

The 3rd District, which covered parts of Suffolk, Nassau and Queens counties, now also includes sections of Westchester County and the Bronx. The district forms a horseshoe pattern around Long Island Sound.

There have not been so many open House seats on Long Island since 1952, when there were no incumbents seeking reelection in two of the three districts in Nassau and Suffolk.

"It's interesting and it's exciting, put it that way," Nassau's GOP elections Commissioner Joseph Kearney Jr. told Newsday. "It’s exciting because of the opportunity for so many new faces to be engaged in the political arena."

Jay Jacobs, state and Nassau Democratic chairman, said the number of open congressional seats is, "something that excites me, because we'll be able to offer to voters some new fresh blood, and I think they'll like what they see."

Republicans in New York filed a lawsuit in February, seeking to overturn the new congressional maps on the grounds that state legislators "gerrymandered" district lines to unfairly favor Democrats.

Suffolk GOP chairman Jesse Garcia expressed concern that petition carriers will "get started and told to stop" because of the legal action.

The new House districts represent "a dramatic change from the historical situation throughout the years of redistricting," Garcia told Newsday.

"Never before" have "all three of our congressional districts extend[ed] into Nassau County," Garcia said.

Republicans say they're hopeful their lawsuit, filed in state Supreme Court in Steuben County, will result in reversal of the new House lines.

Democrats have expressed confidence the district lines will stand up in court, saying that they satisfy all legal requirements.

Another wrinkle: State officials haven't finished certifying the district maps.

The borders are key because canvassers carry petitions not only for congressional candidates but also for candidates for state Assembly and Senate.

Nonetheless, Garcia said the state Board of Elections and the state Republican Committee have advised him to begin circulating petitions Tuesday, whether congressional maps are "ready or not."

Garcia said he plans to move forward so party members "don't miss that first big weekend in March to get their signatures."

Keith Davies, a spokesman for Suffolk County Democrats, said the new district lines won’t affect the petition process or party members' campaigns for office.

"All of our candidates were elected officials that are now having to talk to people that they haven't represented," Davies said.

"This is what happens when you run for office and then you run for a larger office: You're running for a larger area, so redistricting has very little to do with that," Davies said.

By Scott Eidler

scott.eidler@newsday.com,rachelle.blidner@newsday.com@ScottEidler,

Scott Eidler is a deputy editor for the towns department at Newsday. Scott has worked at Newsday since 2012 and previously covered municipal government and education.