Shake Up for Steve Israel’s District

New York’s 3rd Congressional District, covering Dix Hills and Huntington, will look drastically different next year as the seat currently held by U.S. Rep. Steve Israel, D-Dix Hills, will no longer include parts of Suffolk's south shore.

The new map shows that Israel’s seat will now represent Huntington Town and a small portion of western Smithtown in Suffolk County. In Nassau, the district covers and the townships of Oyster Bay and North Hempstead and the City of Glen Cove. Areas in the townships of Babylon and Islip that are currently under Israel’s representation will shift to Rep. .

One of the big challenges for Israel will be gaining name recognition with voters in the Nassau portion of the newly drawn district. He is up for re-election this November.

“I’ll work wherever I am sent, and the issues I am focused on will be the same in my new district,” Israel said in a statement. “I will continue to work for job creation, protecting Medicare and Social Security, providing tax cuts for the middle class and relentlessly fighting for our veterans. I’ve been and will continue to be a tireless advocate for those I represent.”

A panel of judges in the Eastern District of New York approved the new congressional lines after the state Senate and Assembly did not come to an agreement on the boundaries. In the new map, Long Island will lose one of its five current Congressional Districts.

King did not return calls seeking comment.