New York is set to lose two seats in Congress as the state’s slow growth has been outpaced in other states, figures from the 2010 census released Tuesday show.
New York’s current 29-member Congressional delegation will drop to 27, the lowest number since 1823. The new census found New York’s population grew just 2.1 percent since the 2000 count, less than half the pace of growth the state experienced through the 1990s.
The drop in Congressional representation is a blow to New York, which proudly calls itself the Empire State but has seen its political influence in Washington wane over time. New York’s delegation peaked just after the 1940 census, when it had 45 House members. It has slowly declined since, with a precipitous drop of five seats after the 1980 census. New York lost 3 seats after the 1990 count and 2 more after 2000.
Only one other state, Ohio, is losing 2 seats based on the 2010 figures. Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey and Pennsylvania are all losing one apiece, while most other states are staying the same or gaining a seat. Texas is the biggest winner, picking up four new seats for a total of 36.
In New York, the Democratic-controlled Assembly and newly Republican-led state Senate are tasked with drawing the new districts, all but guaranteeing disagreement over the contours of the new map. Former New York City Mayor Ed Koch has spearheaded an effort to persuade lawmakers to pass legislation allowing a nonpartisan commission draw the districts, which the Assembly and Senate would later ratify.