On the Democratic side, progressive groups are openly pushing Maloney to give in and run for the more competitive 18th district. If he refuses, they’d rather see Mr. Jones go up against Mr. Maloney, a moderate, rather than an ideological ally like Mr. Bowman.
“For the head of the DCCC, whose role is to direct the electoral strategy that creates a just and representative Democratic Party, to position himself at the expense of his peers – two black men in particular – seems deeply cynical, unstrategic and selfish,” said Sochie Nnaemeka, the director of the Working Families Party.
Mr Jones turned down an interview request on Tuesday.
Maloney, on the other hand, wastes little time trying to get a lead in the race. He and his political aides almost immediately began calling Democratic leaders in the new district, urging support and pointing out that Mr. Jones would no longer live in the district. Allies of the campaign privately argued against fellow Democrats that Mr. Jones was too liberal to hold the new seat in an election year expected to favor Republicans.
Asked about the situation in Washington on Tuesday, Mr. Maloney downplayed the conflict and suggested there were no real primaries at this time.
“From my point of view, I’m just running away from where I landed,” he said. “If someone else also looks at the neighborhood, we will of course try to work through it as colleagues and friends.”
mr. Bowman has not commented on the possibility of opposing Mr. Jones to fight. But he posted a long thread on twitter on Tuesday expressed concern that Mr. Cervas’ map would weaken the electoral power of low-income black communities in his current district by dividing them into three new seats.
Jeffries, the chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, expressed similar objections to the votes of black and Latino communities in Brooklyn and Queens being “humiliated” in four different districts.
“Are you joking?” he said. “That doesn’t just happen.”
Some Democrats and public interest groups, including the Brooklyn NAACP, were considering trying to legally challenge the rules. But legal experts warned that the lawsuits would be difficult to pass this late in an election year.