Will Claudia Tenney Be Forced to Challenge John Katko to Stay in Congress?

There's a great deal of unknown when it comes to who will represent our region in 2022 in the United States Congress. The reason has nothing to do with Rep. Claudia Tenney's popularity or lack thereof. It's all about redistricting, the population center and what happens to the 22nd congressional district.

The issue stems from New York's census results which fell short by less than 100 people resulting in the loss of a congressional seat. Most political analysts believe NY-22 could be the one district that is chopped up as it spreads from Oswego through the Mohawk Valley and down to Binghamton. It's also important to note that with a Democrat super majority in New York, it will be the Dems that get to draw the lines.

Luke Perry, a professor of government at Utica College, told WIBX that there's a great deal of unknown but one of the more likely possibilities is that our area would be consumed by the 24th congressional district from the Syracuse region. This scenario likely mean there would be a primary between Congressman John Katko and Congresswoman Claudia Tenney. It would also mean the larger population center in the district would shift to Syracuse. Many believe this would mean that it will be very difficult for the Utica-Rome region to elect one of our own.

Luke Perry is considered an expert on NY-22 and regional congressional districts and he goes into depth into the redistricting process and what scenarios are possible during his interview with the Keeler Show. Listen to the full interview below.