There have already been a lot of New York redistricting proposals on SSP and DKE. Here is mine. The result is 15 districts that are safe D, 1 that is safe R, and 11 tossups (by PVI). It's a bipartisan gerrymander (although admittedly more Democratic than Republican), and it aims for compactness and communities of interest.
Demographics are the % of the voting age population that is white, black, Hispanic, and Asian.
Presidential results are the % who voted for Obama and McCain.
Long Island
Long Island is about even in PVI. So all of the districts are going to be about even in PVI unless you really try hard for partisan or bipartisan gerrymandering. Long Island is currently cut into segments. I decided to keep it that way. I also smoothed out the lines a little bit. Despite being about even in PVI, none of these districts have changed parties in 10 years.
1st District
Incumbent: Tim Bishop (D)
Demographics: 80.0w-4.3b-11.3h-3.3a
Presidential: 52.5O-47.3M
The district remains the east end of Long Island. It loses Smithtown and gains the Bayport area, making it 1% more Democratic. Tim Bishop, who came very close in 2010, will appreciate some more breathing room. This district is surprisingly Democratic for an 80% white district in the NYC suburbs.
2nd District
Incumbent: Steve Israel (D)
Demographics: 66.5w-9.2b-19.5h-3.4a
Presidential: 53.4O-46.0M
The district is still western Suffolk County. It no longer reaches into Nassau for Dem territory, so it becomes more Republican. Steve Israel easily won reelection in 2010 so he should be safe in this district.
3rd District
Incumbent: Peter King (R) vs Gary Ackerman (D)
Demographics: 81.4w-2.2b-7.8h-7.5a
Presidential: 49.4O-49.9M
Peter King would be favored in this matchup, as most of the territory is already represented by King, and it's a district McCain won.
4th District
Incumbent: Carolyn McCarthy (D)
Demographics: 54.2w-17.3b-18.1h-8.5a
Presidential: 59.0O-40.3M
This is the safest district for either party on Long Island. This district, by total population, is only 51.5% white. By the end of the decade we may have a minority-majority district on Long Island. The eastern protrusion is the minority-heavy city of Westbury.
New York City
Great use, or the greatest use, of the aerial feature of Dave's App? The 4th doesn't look small now, does it?
5th District
Incumbent: Gregory Meeks (D)
Demographics: 14.5w-46.0b-20.0h-11.8a
Presidential: 85.6O-14.1M
This district covers all of southern Queens. It is a VRA black district that had to expand, and 46% is the most you can get while staying in Queens. A lot of that land area is JFK airport, so the inhabited land area is pretty densely populated.
6th District
Incumbent: Joseph Crowley (D)
Demographics: 31.2w-15.3b-32.6h-18.9a
Presidential: 72.2O-27.2M
The population is almost exactly half Bronx-half Queens. The Bronx and Queens sections are connected by the Throgs Neck Bridge and the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge. Joe Crowley doesn't live here but he represents the current Bronx-Queens district. If Crowley doesn't run here then Gary Ackerman could, as he already represents a lot of the Queens territory. It is such a diverse district so a candidate of any race could get elected here.
7th District
Incumbent: Anthony Weiner (D)
Demographics: 24.2w-5.8b-35.8h-31.8a
Presidential: 72.8O-26.5M
So here is Anthony Weiner's new district. I'm sure he won't mind getting a district that's 17% more Democratic than his current district. If Weiner gets elected mayor and vacates the district then Joe Crowley can run here, because he lives here. It is intended to be an Asian or Hispanic opportunity district.
8th District
Incumbent: Nydia Velazquez (D)
Demographics: 47.1w-4.8b-33.2h-13.0a
Presidential: 76.0O-23.1M
This district is a combination of liberal white people who can't afford Manhattan, and Hispanics (just like Hudson County, NJ). Nydia Velazquez should have no problem getting reelected here.
9th District
Incumbent: Ed Towns (D)
Demographics: 15.6w-53.9b-22.1h-5.6a
Presidential: 94.0O-5.7M
This will be the most Democratic district in New York, and possibly in the whole country.
10th District
Incumbent: Yvette Clarke (D)
Demographics: 31.5w-51.0b-9.5h-6.0a
Presidential: 79.3O-20.4M
It is a black VRA district but it also covers some white Republican neighborhoods along the waterfront.
11th District
Incumbent: Michael Grimm (R)
Demographics: 64.6w-6.0b-14.2h-13.7a
Presidential: 49.2O-50.1M
Republicans have a district they can win in NYC. It had to expand further into Brooklyn so it became a little more Democratic.
12th District
Incumbent: Jerrold Nadler (D)
Demographics: 49.6w-4.9b-20.8h-23.0a
Presidential: 71.5O-27.8M
This district is a new creation. It combines working class neighborhoods in Brooklyn, and Chinatown and the Lower East Side in Manhattan. It's a diverse group of communities, but they should get along. Nadler doesn't live here, but he represents more of it than any other incumbent.
13th District
Incumbent: Carolyn Maloney (D)
Demographics: 73.6w-3.7b-8.5h-12.2a
Presidential: 81.5O-17.6M
All of Manhattan south of 84th or 85th street. Manhattan, south of Harlem, has traditionally been 2 districts, but now that districts are bigger it fits into 1. This has got to be the richest district in America.
14th District
Incumbent: Charles Rangel (D)
Demographics: 29.8w-23.2b-39.7h-5.4a
Presidential: 91.2O-8.1M
It's Harlem, and upper Manhattan north of 84th/85th street. By now it has nearly twice as many Hispanics as Blacks. A candidate who can rally all of the Hispanic voters would have a good chance of winning the primary.
15th District
Incumbent: Jose Serrano (D)
Demographics: 4.6w-27.4b-64.1h-2.5a
Presidential: 93.9O-5.8M
93.9% Obama is less Democratic than the current South Bronx district. That's because it expands north.
16th District
Incumbent: Eliot Engel (D)
Demographics: 42.3w-29.0b-22.0h-4.7a
Presidential: 72.2O-27.2M
This district is turned into a compact Bronx-Westchester district. It extends as far north as Scarsdale and Harrison.
Upstate New York
Many Upstate NY districts have switched parties, and switched back, in the past decade. With these lines, it is likely to continue.
17th District
Incumbent: Nita Lowey (D)
Demographics: 66.1w-9.2b-17.4h-6.0a
Presidential: 58.6O-40.7M
In an earlier age this district would have been Republican but by now it is safe Democratic.
18th District
Incumbent: Nan Hayworth (R)
Demographics: 73.8w-7.8b-14.0h-2.9a
Presidential: 50.7O-48.3M
It's within the NYC sphere of influence, but it's mostly rural, with small cities such as Newburgh. It remains a Republican-leaning swing district.
19th District
Incumbent: Maurice Hinchey (D) vs Chris Gibson (R)
Demographics: 85.7w-5.2b-6.3h-1.3a
Presidential: 54.8O-44.2M
Hinchey and Gibson get combined into a district that is politically about halfway between their two districts. This district has a Democratic southeast and a Republican northwest. In 2010 it would have probably gone Republican, but in an average election year it would lean Democratic, even for Hinchey, who doesn't have a ton of crossover appeal.
20th District
Incumbent: Paul Tonko (D)
Demographics: 83.4w-7.6b-3.6h-3.5a
Presidential: 57.8O-40.5M
This district shifts east to be more centered around Albany.
21st District
Incumbent: Bill Owens (D)
Demographics: 92.0w-2.9b-2.4h-0.9a
Presidential: 52.3O-46.1M
This district becomes a pure rural North Country/Adirondacks district. It does not extend into the Albany or Syracuse suburbs. It has a Republican PVI but Bill Owens already survived 2010 so he should be able to keep getting reelected here.
22nd District
Incumbent: Richard Hanna (R)
Demographics: 88.5w-3.7b-3.0h-3.4a
Presidential: 52.4O-45.9M
Hanna doesn't get a safe district, but it still has a Republican PVI. I don't support giving the Republicans a safe Oneida County district.
23rd District
Incumbent: Ann Buerkle (R)
Demographics: 86.7w-6.5b-2.7h-2.2a
Presidential: 56.6O-41.2M
This district becomes more centered around Syracuse.
24th District
Incumbent: Tom Reed (R)
Demographics: 93.1w-2.9b-2.1h-0.9a
Presidential: 44.7O-53.8M
This will be the only safe Republican district in the entire state.
25th District
Incumbent: Louise Slaughter (D)
Demographics: 76.0w-13.2b-6.0h-3.3a
Presidential: 58.6O-40.2M
Monroe County gets ungerrymandered. Slaughter's district, while becoming less Democratic, is still safe-D.
Buffalo
26th District
Incumbent: Kathy Hochul (D)
Demographics: 83.5w-7.9b-3.9h-3.0a
Presidential: 54.2O-44.2M
The 26th gains about half of Buffalo, and Niagara Falls and Tonawanda, making it a Democratic-leaning swing district.
27th District
Incumbent: Brian Higgins (D)
Demographics: 84.8w-10.2b-2.6h-0.8a
Presidential: 54.7O-43.7M
Brian Higgins' district doesn't change much. It gains Cattaraugus County and some black neighborhoods in Buffalo, making it less than 1% more Democratic. Higgins was reelected with over 60% in his 54%-Obama district in 2010, so he doesn't need to be shored up.
Alternative Western NY
26th District
Incumbent: Kathy Hochul (D)
Demographics: 93.3w-2.1b-2.2h-0.8a
Presidential: 45.7O-52.7M
The 26th becomes a Buffalo-influenced strongly-Republican rural/suburban district. An incumbent Democrat would have to be very talented, and have a conservative voting record, to keep getting reelected here.
27th District
Incumbent: Brian Higgins (D)
Demographics: 75.1w-15.9b-4.3h-3.0a
Presidential: 63.5O-35.0M
Higgins gets the safe Democratic Buffalo-based urban district he deserves. If only an unexpected special election didn't force him to share the Democratic strength with someone. At around D+11, it would be the most lopsided district upstate.