That’s… interesting: Gary Ackerman shouldn’t have had many problems switching over to the new NY-06. The numbers favored him:
| White | AA | Asian | Latino | Obama | McCain | |
| Old NY-05 | 46% | 6% | 25% | 24% | 63% | 36% |
| NY-03 | 72% | 3% | 13% | 10% | 54% | 46% |
| NY-06 | 38% | 4% | 37% | 18% | 64% | 36% |
As you can see from the above chart, demographically and electorally the new NY-06 is pretty close to the old NY-05. Certainly a better one than the new NY-03, which of course is the somewhat more-rickety stronghold of DCCC chair Steve Israel. The assumption was that Ackerman would simply switch over, and be done with it. On the other hand? Rep. Ackerman’s 70 years old this year, and as somebody noted to me earlier: being in the minority party sucks. Ackerman’s been in Congress long enough to remember being in the majority, then being in the minority, then being in the majority again… and now he’s in the minority for a second time, and Ackerman’s never going to rise particularly higher up the greasy pole of rank than where he is now. Hardly surprising that the man might decide to cash in his chips.
Expect a nasty primary fight from all of this, now. That’s always entertaining.
Moe Lane
Pass the popcorn, please!