My fellow New Yorkers. Do we have a good replacement in line for Weiner's seat should he step down?

There is much speculation about whether Representative Anthony D. Weiner will remain in Congress or resign his seat. But there is a politically expedient solution for Democrats if they want to show him the door: Neuter his district in the redistricting process, which will require New York to lose 2 of its 29 seats in the House of Representatives.

No discussion of redistricting is simple, especially in New York, so some background is in order.

Mr. Weiner’s seat, the 9th Congressional District, is the second most conservative in New York City, after the 13th (Staten Island and part of Brooklyn). Conservative, of course, has a relative meaning in the context of New York — the 9th District remains Democratic-leaning — but it has become much more competitive than might have been expected.

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If they must lose a seat, the 9th might be an attractive option for Democrats, both because it is the only one they now hold in Brooklyn or Queens that would be vulnerable with a poor Democratic candidate or in a strong Republican year, and because it is centered in an area with relatively slow population growth.