New York's 10th congressional district

This congressional district has changed configurations and locations many times throughout its history due to redistricting, initially starting out as an upstate constituency before gradually moving south. Beginning in the 1870s, it shifted into parts of New York City, where it has remained to this day.

In the 20th century, the 10th district was always a Brooklyn-based seat from 1913 until 1973, when that iteration of the district was redrawn and renumbered as the new 16th, and the 10th was reassigned to a district in northern Queens and the east Bronx. The 1980 redistricting cycle restored the 10th district to Brooklyn, covering largely the same terrain as before. In the 1990 remap, much of the old 10th district was added to the new Queens–Brooklyn 9th district, while the new 10th then absorbed much of the old 11th district, including its congressman, Ed Towns.

From 2003 to 2013, this district was exclusively Brooklyn-based. During this time, it was majority-African American and included the neighborhoods of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn Heights, Brownsville, Canarsie, East New York, and Ocean Hill, as well as parts of Fort Greene, Prospect Heights, and Williamsburg.^[4] Following the 2010–12 redistricting cycle, the district shed most of its Brooklyn territory, and picked up parts of Manhattan that had been in the 8th district.

The 2010 map had a size of 14.25 sq mi (36.9 km²), New York's 10th district was the second-smallest by total area in the country, after New York's 13th.^[5] Demographically, it also had the largest number (197,000 or 270,000) and the highest percentage of Jews (27.5% or 37.6%)^[a] of any congressional district,^[6] largely as a result of the fact that it included several heavily Jewish neighborhoods of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Prior to the 2020 census, the district stretched from the Upper West Side of Manhattan to Borough Park.

District election results

The following are historical results for the 10th district's congressional elections.^[b]

U.S. House election, 1998:
New York's 10th congressional district

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Edolphus Towns (incumbent)	83,528	92.3	1.0
	Republican	Ernestine M. Brown	5,577	6.2	1.7
	Conservative	Ernest Johnson	1,396	1.5	1.5
Majority			77,951	86.1	2.7
Turnout			90,501	100	17.3

U.S. House election, 2000:
New York's 10th congressional district

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Edolphus Towns (incumbent)	120,700	90.2	2.1
	Republican	Ernestine M. Brown	6,852	5.1	1.1
	Working Families	Barry Ford	5,530	4.1	4.1
	Conservative	Ernest Johnson	802	0.6	0.9
Majority			113,848	85.0	1.1
Turnout			133,884	100	47.9

U.S. House election, 2002:
New York's 10th congressional district

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Edolphus Towns (incumbent)	73,859	97.8	7.6
	Conservative	Herbert F. Rayn	1,639	2.2	1.6
Majority			72,220	95.7	10.7
Turnout			75,498	100	43.6

U.S. House election, 2004:
New York's 10th congressional district

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Edolphus Towns (incumbent)	136,113	91.5	6.3
	Republican	Harvey R. Clarke	11,099	7.5	7.5
	Conservative	Mariana Blume	1,554	1.0	1.2
Majority			125,014	84.0	11.7
Turnout			148,766	100	97.0

U.S. House election, 2006:
New York's 10th congressional district

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Edolphus Towns (incumbent)	72,171	92.2	0.7
	Republican	Jonathan H. Anderson	4,666	6.0	1.5
	Conservative	Ernest Johnson	1,470	1.9	0.9
Majority			67,505	86.2	2.2
Turnout			78,307	100	47.4

U.S. House election, 2008:
New York's 10th congressional district

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Edolphus Towns (incumbent)	72,171	92.2	0.7
	Republican	Jonathan H. Anderson	4,666	6.0	1.5
	Conservative	Ernest Johnson	1,470	1.9	0.9
Majority			67,505	86.2	2.2
Turnout			78,307	100	47.4

• List of United States congressional districts
• New York's congressional districts
• United States congressional delegations from New York

• Martis, Kenneth C. (1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
• Martis, Kenneth C. (1982). The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
• Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present
• 2006 House election data Clerk of the House of Representatives
• 2004 House election data
• 2002 House election data
• 2000 House election data
• 1998 House election data
• 1996 House election data

40°42′07″N 74°00′26″W / 40.70194°N 74.00722°W / 40.70194; -74.00722