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NY-25: Jim Walsh to Retire

by: James L.

Wed Jan 23, 2008 at 10:11 PM EST


If 2007 was a year of shocking Republican retirements, 2008 appears to be offering its own share of stunners.  The latest?  The upcoming retirement of Rep. Jim Walsh:

Republican Rep. Jim Walsh of New York is expected to announce his retirement soon, according to a GOP aide familiar with the decision, giving Democrats another pick-up opportunity following a wave of Republican retirements this cycle.

The veteran appropriator had a tough reelection fight in 2006 and was expected to face another challenge in the fall.

This is huge, huge news, and an incredible break for Democratic challenger Dan Maffei.  With an open seat on the table, he's in prime position to pick up this D+3.4 district.

Holy hell.  Will there be any Republicans left in Congress to turn the lights off at the end of the day?

James L. :: NY-25: Jim Walsh to Retire
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How long will this go on?
How much longer can we expect retirements? I assume once the filling deadline has passed, the incumbent won't retire (short of a serious, major scandal).

Does this mean for the most part retirements are over, or could we see a few more trickle in? Or could we see another wave building?


Oh, there will be more.
I have no doubts.

Check out this list of house retirements in the 2006 cycle, including the following 2006 announcements:

FL-09 Bilirakis R+4.3 Feb-2006
CO-05 Hefley R+15.7 2/16/2006
CA-22 Thomas R+16.0 3/6/2006
NY-24 Boehlert R+0.6 3/17/2006
TX-22 DeLay R+14.5 6/9/2006
OH-18 Ney R+6.1 8/7/2006
FL-16 Foley R+2.4 9/29/2006

Granted, the last three were "special", but I think we're gonna see a few more Sherry Boehlerts before we're done.


[ Parent ]
I think you are right.
Also, I think I was wrong. There could be several Republicans who wait till after the deadline passes before retiring, just so the party can choose their replacement, and not the people.  

[ Parent ]
Keep that link handy
That catchy tune is going into heavy rotation this year.

[ Parent ]
At this rate
Patrick McHenry should be in the leadership by 2013.

He's perfect for it
All the essential qualities for a leading role in Repub affairs are in his closet.

[ Parent ]
This is a pick up
There is no way Republicans will hold this seat.  This seat will likely be picked up by Dan Maffei and will be held by him for a long time.  

The only R's I can think of
who can run here are;

State Senator John DeFrancisco
State Senator James Alesi
State Assemblyman Robert Oaks

other than that, I don't know who else lives here.  

Liberty Avenue Politics - a place for politics in Southern Queens


[ Parent ]
Lets hope one of those State Senators gets in it
That would be excellent, kill two birds with one stone. Take the congressional seat, and the open state Senate seat. Half of what we need to kick Bruno to the curb.

[ Parent ]
I like your thinking
We need change in Albany too. If Congress wasn't looking so horrible, we'd all be shouting about the mess in the New York Lege.

[ Parent ]
New York Loses Two More House Seats
....in 2011.  Do you figure all of the casualties will be upstate?  Which districts do you expect will be erased?

[ Parent ]
My guess
is they eliminate one Democratic seat in the city, possibly Maloney or Ackerman and one Republican seat Upstate, possibly Reynolds or McHugh.

Unless the State Senate changes hands, then King and Fossella will see both their seats cut from under them.

Or unless there aren't any more Republican seats left.  

Liberty Avenue Politics - a place for politics in Southern Queens


[ Parent ]
Vacant seat coming in Brooklyn?
Anthony Weiner (D) may be Mayor by 2012 -- he sure hopes so! (I don't.) That would leave his successor as a very junior and expendable member come redistricting time.

Staten Island's rapid population growth should make that now-Repub-held seat an island-only district. So as the Bay Ridge section gets absorbed into a neighboring district, furniture will have to be moved in Bklyn, and then probably Queens as well.


[ Parent ]
NY-9
is drawn to be middle-class white (Irish/Italian/Jewish) surronded by majority minority districts (6th, 10th, 12th). I don't know how they could split it up unless they give parts of it to Ackerman, parts of it to Crowley, and maybe the Brooklyn part to Nadler.  

Liberty Avenue Politics - a place for politics in Southern Queens

[ Parent ]
The color trend in NYC
Usually white districts in the outer boros become less white as time goes by, so the lines will probably need to be redrawn in any case. After NY-09 sheds recently darkened neighborhoods on its edges to keep it white, there might not be enough white folks left to keep it as a majority-majority district. Then it's easy to see attaching the remaining northern areas to Ackerman's NY-05, and the areas near the ocean could attach to Nadler's NY-08.

But we don't worry, the experts can draw the lines to do what they want. What they will want to do is incumbent protection, and so eliminate the most junior members. That could be Weiner's successor elected after the Mayorial election of 2009 if Weiner wins. Or it could be McNulty's successor elected in 2008, as you suggest below.

That is if the Repub retain control of the State Senate, when the deal will be to cut one Repub seat and one Democrat. If the Democrats take the State Senate, then we can hope to see them squeeze out at least one Repub downstate and one Repub upstate and keep all the Dems.

I certainly don't see a majority-minority district being lost. The growing immigrant population alone should drive up the minority share of the state's population.


[ Parent ]
McHugh?
Would it really be possible to cut McHugh's seat? Geographically it's both enormous and isolated. It would seem difficult to make that one disappear.

[ Parent ]
They could slice it up
and divided it among the current 20th, 25th and 24th somehow.

My guess though is that whoever takes over for McNulty will see his/her district divided up and secure Gillibrand and Arcuri.  

Liberty Avenue Politics - a place for politics in Southern Queens


[ Parent ]
I say
For the upstate district, they eliminate either Kuhl or Reynolds (whichever one survives, which i'd say at least 1 is likely to) and make some more sensible district looks in this area. I also think that the NYC area is probably only going to lose a 1/2 a seat, which would probably make the Bronx/Westchester county district all Westchester.

[ Parent ]
By my count, 22 official retirements/resignations
With the possible addition of VA-11 Tom Davis and many others.  

This Should be as Close to a Freebie As They Come....
....particularly with Maffei back in the race.


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