How redistricting thwarted a Queens upstart's congressional bid

A daughter of Egyptian immigrants was seeking to represent her community [FORWARD TO A FRIEND]( [VIEW IN BROWSER]( [DONATE]( [WNYC Politics Brief] [Ad: We connect health and social care. click here to find out more at unite us dot org]( Advertisement WNYC's One-Day Spring Fundraiser starts on Thursday. We need to raise as much as normally would in a nine-day drive in just one day. [Help us succeed with your donation now.]( A Queens upstart was gaining momentum in her congressional bid — then came redistricting [By Brigid Bergin]( [Rana Abdelhamid was running a progressive campaign in NY-12 until the new district lines left her out of the district.] Rana Abdelhamid was running for Congress for more than a year. The community organizer, activist and first-time candidate was mounting a progressive challenge against an incumbent, Rep. Carolyn Maloney, whose district for more than 30 years included the East Side of Manhattan, a portion of western Queens and northern Brooklyn. Abdelhamid, 29, built momentum on the left as she sought the Democratic nomination in the 12th Congressional District. She was backed early by the Justice Democrats, the same organization that successfully supported Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jamaal Bowman when they ousted longtime incumbents. She raised nearly $1 million in campaign funds, amassed a growing list of supporters and was running a serious campaign aimed at engaging more immigrants and working-class voters with the electoral process. Then came the state’s turbulent redistricting process. In the final version of the maps drawn by a court-appointed special master this month, the 12th Congressional District is now based solely in Manhattan. Abdelhamid’s home in western Queens, which includes an Egyptian, Arab and Muslim community, was entirely removed from the district. It is now divided between two progressive powerhouses: Ocasio-Cortez in 14th Congressional District to the north, and Rep. Nydia Velázquez in 7th Congressional District to the south. Last week, Abdelhamid and her campaign's inner circle reached a stinging realization: They needed to suspend her campaign. The lines had changed in the 12th Congressional District so radically that she saw no path to represent her own community, despite months of work leading up to this point. (She [formally announced her decision earlier today]( "I think a lot of the people who have been brought into this, who have not been involved with the electoral process, are kind of like, 'Is this real? Like, how is this happening?'" Abdelhamid told Gothamist, a day after she decided to drop out. "It just feels so undemocratic." From organizer to candidate "We always knew that redistricting was going to be a wild card in this race," said Waleed Shahid, a spokesperson for the Justice Democrats. "But we still took a chance on Rana because she is a New York community organizer and leader that deserved to be invested in." As the daughter of Egyptian immigrants whose family lost their Halaal grocery store and deli in Astoria due to rising rents in late 2002 and into 2003, Shahid said the Justice Democrats saw Abdelhamid’s experience as the "quintessential New York story." It stood in stark contrast to Maloney, who was often more associated with the wealthier Upper East Side portions of the district. While the Egyptian community had a clear presence in the 12th Congressional District before the new maps, Abdelhamid’s campaign was as much about giving a voice to the nearby Queensbridge Houses as it was about reaching out to immigrants from within her community. “It’s not fair for someone born in Astoria, raised in Astoria, to not be able to to represent her people,” said Sheikh Atef Mohammed, the imam at Masjid El-ber of Astoria, where Abdelhamid helped coordinate a free mutual aid refrigerator at the start of the pandemic. Weaknesses in democracy New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, another supporter of Abdelhamid, said what happened to the 12th Congressional District is symptomatic of structural problems with the redistricting process across states. He pointed to red states like Texas where the Republican-controlled state legislature has been accused of using gerrymandering to institutionalize their partisan advantage. Lander said members of his own party in New York attempted to use similar tactics to fight back, hoping to preserve control of the House. "That’s a devil’s bargain," he said. Lander added that while the fallout from gerrymandering has resulted in wrenching consequences at the personal level for candidates like Abdelhamid, it also stands to alienate voters. "It’s definitely a lot of whiplash," said Ben Wetzler, a Democratic district leader from the 76th Assembly District on Manhattan’s Upper East Side and Roosevelt Island, which overlaps with the old and new lines of the 12th Congressional District. Wetzler was an early supporter of Abdelhamid’s campaign and gravitated towards her call for a New Deal-style investment in larger public housing complexes. "Rana hasn’t changed, but the district has," he added. Was it worth it? Alaa Elmehdawy a 65-year-old retired nonprofit worker, said he believed it was time for someone from Egyptian descent to run to represent Astoria. He has known Abdelhamid’s family in Queens since he moved from Egypt in 1984. He said he used to hang out at her father’s deli, which became a gathering place. He donated to Abdelhamid’s campaign because he said she was qualified and was disappointed with how the new lines left her with few options. "I think the Democrats brought it upon themselves, and then it came back to haunt them," he said, describing Abdelhamid as a victim of the establishment politicians who sought to protect their own power. Moustafa Abdel Rahman, chef and owner at Mombar, an Egyptian restaurant on Steinway Street in Little Egypt, voiced his own frustration about feeling ignored by politicians, especially long-serving incumbents who he said only visited the neighborhood when they needed the votes. In Abdelhamid, he saw a chance to be seen and heard. "She was here, all over, before she was running," he said. While Abdelhamid said she planned to continue with her day job, working for Google and leading self-defense work through her volunteer nonprofit, she said she remained committed to organizing within her community. She already met with Velázquez last week to discuss the needs of constituents, including small business owners from the part of the former 12th Congressional District that the Congressmember inherited. Abdelhamid said she also looked forward to working with Ocasio-Cortez on issues, like improving public safety, that affect her neighbors. "We have people who love the city, who understand that there needs to be change, and who are fighting for that change every single day," said Abdelhamid. "And I feel really lucky that I get to be part of that with them." --------------------------------------------------------------- 🗳️ --------------------------------------------------------------- [Ad: We connect health and social care. click here to find out more at unite us dot org]( Advertisement --------------------------------------------------------------- For Further Reading [a door with a "vote here" sign] [Make sure you're registered to vote in the June primary!]( While the primary for Congress and state Senate got pushed to August 23rd, the primary for governor and state Assembly is still June 28th — and the deadline to register to vote in that contest is June 3rd. [the state Capitol in Albany] [After redistricting shuffle, Queens state senators stake out their turf]( The court-appointed special master also drafted new state senate district lines, forcing two veteran Democrats from eastern Queens to pick new districts in order to avoid a primary contest with each other. [former Comptroller Scott Stringer] [Candidates in 10th Congressional District make their case in first forum]( Three young people of color, an 80-year-old white woman and Bill de Blasio are all competing to represent the newly-drawn district that includes Lower Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn. [Gov. Kathy Hochul discussing gun control] [Could the debate over gun control sway the NY gubernatorial race?]( Gun violence was already a top issue, but after a string of mass shootings, Democratic candidates are touting their gun control ideas, while Republicans are strategically keeping quiet. --------------------------------------------------------------- 🗳️ --------------------------------------------------------------- [Ad: We connect health and social care. click here to find out more at unite us dot org]( Advertisement [the logo for Dead End] [Breaking News — 'Thou Shalt Pursue']( It’s official. The unsolved murder of John and Joyce Sheridan, a prominent political couple who died in 2014, is now an open investigation. And for the first time, It will be run by the state’s top law enforcement agency. [LISTEN]( Support WNYC + Gothamist Make a donation to support local, independent journalism. Your contributions are our largest source of funding and pays for essential political coverage and more. [DONATE]( [Facebook]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [Instagram]( [WNYC]( [WQXR]( [NJPR]( [GOTHAMIST]( [WNYC STUDIOS]( [THE GREENE SPACE]( Copyright © New York Public Radio. 160 Varick Street, New York, NY 10013 All rights reserved. [Terms of Use.]( Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your [preferences]( or [unsubscribe]( from this list