George Elmer Pataki is an American politician who served as the 53rd governor of New York from 1995 to 2006. He previously served in the State Legislature from 1985 to 1994, and as the mayor of Peekskill from 1981 to 1984. Pataki was the third Republican since 1923 to win New York's governorship, after Thomas E. Dewey and Nelson Rockefeller, and is the most recent one to do so.
The Conservative Party of New York State is an American political party founded in 1962 following conservative dissatisfaction with the Republican Party in New York. Running on the Conservative Party line, James L. Buckley won election to the U.S. Senate in 1970 and served for one term. Since 2010, the party has held "Row C" on New York ballots—the third-place ballot position, directly below the Democratic and Republican parties—because it received the third-highest number of votes of any political party in the 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022 New York gubernatorial elections. The party is known for its strategy of attempting to influence the Republican Party in a more conservative direction.
The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature, while the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Established in 1777 by the Constitution of New York, its members are elected to two-year terms with no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. The Democratic Party has held control of the New York State Senate since 2019. The Senate Majority Leader is Andrea Stewart-Cousins.
Same-sex marriage has been legally recognized in New York since July 24, 2011, under the Marriage Equality Act. The Act does not have a residency restriction, as some similar laws in other U.S. states do. It also allows religious organizations to decline to officiate at same-sex wedding ceremonies.
John J. Flanagan is an American politician from Long Island, New York. A Republican, Flanagan represented New York's 2nd State Senate district from 2003 to 2020. He also served as senate majority leader from 2015 to 2019, and as senate minority leader from 2019 to 2020. Prior to his senate tenure, Flanagan served in the New York State Assembly from 1987 to 2002.
Joseph Louis Bruno was an American businessman and Republican politician from upstate New York. Bruno served in the New York State Senate from 1977 to 2008 and was Senate Majority Leader from 1994 to 2008. Bruno was convicted of federal corruption charges in 2009, but his conviction was overturned on appeal and a subsequent retrial resulted in an acquittal.
Simcha Felder is an American politician from Borough Park, Brooklyn. He represents the 22nd district of the New York State Senate. Felder has been elected to multiple offices as a Democrat, but is known for having caucused with the Republicans during the early part of his New York State Senate tenure. Prior to serving in the State Senate, Felder represented the 44th district in the New York City Council.
Earl William Brydges was an American lawyer and politician from New York. He was Temporary President and Majority Leader of the State Senate from 1966 to 1972.
Catharine M. Young is an American politician. From May 2005 to March 2019, Young represented New York State's 57th district in the New York State Senate. The district includes all of Chautauqua County, Cattaraugus County and Allegany County, as well as seven towns in Livingston County.
James Nicholas Tedisco is an American politician. Since 2023, he has been the New York State Senator for New York's 44th State Senate district.
John A. DeFrancisco is an attorney and Republican politician who formerly represented District 50 in the New York State Senate from 1993 to 2018. Senate District 50 comprises Skaneateles, Pompey, Van Buren, most of Onondaga County, and the western half of Syracuse, among other communities located in Upstate New York.
C. Bradley Hutto is an American politician currently serving as a Democratic member of the South Carolina Senate, representing Senate District 40 since 1996. He is the Democratic Minority Leader in the Senate, succeeding Nikki Setzler on November 17, 2020.
Mark John Grisanti is an American lawyer, politician, and judge from New York. After being elected to the New York State Senate in District 60 as a Republican in 2010, Grisanti took office as a State Senator on January 3, 2011. Grisanti served in the State Senate from 2011 to 2014, when he was defeated in the Republican primary and in the general election. Grisanti was appointed to the New York State Court of Claims in May 2015 and later became an Acting Justice of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, Eighth Judicial District.
The Marriage Equality Act is a 2011 landmark New York State law that made same-sex marriage legal. The bill was introduced in the New York State Assembly by Assemblyman Daniel O'Donnell and in the New York State Senate by Senator Thomas Duane. It was signed into law by Gov. Andrew Cuomo on June 24, 2011 and took effect on July 24, 2011.
The 2012 New York state elections took place on November 6, 2012. These elections included the 2012 presidential election, an election to one U.S. Senate seat, and elections to all 27 New York congressional seats, all 63 seats in the New York State Senate, and all 150 seats in the New York State Assembly.
Robert Gary Ortt II is an American military veteran, treasurer, and politician who is a member of the New York State Senate. Ortt represents the 62nd district, which covers Niagara and Orleans counties. First elected in 2014, Ortt is a Republican.
The 2018 New York gubernatorial election occurred on November 6, 2018. Incumbent Democratic governor Andrew Cuomo won re-election to a third term, defeating Republican Marc Molinaro and several minor party candidates. Cuomo received 59.6% of the vote to Molinaro's 36.2%.
Frederick J. Akshar II is an American Republican politician from the State of New York. Akshar represented District 52 in the New York State Senate from 2015 to 2022. Since January 1, 2023, Akshar has served as the Broome County Sheriff.
The 2018 New York state elections took place on November 6, 2018. On that date, the State of New York held elections for the following offices: Governor and Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Comptroller, U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, New York State Senate, New York state assembly, and various others. Primary elections took place on September 13, 2018. As of May 2018, Democrats had won all 19 elections to statewide offices that have occurred in New York since 2002.
Jennifer Metzger is an American politician serving as the County Executive of Ulster County, New York since 2023. She is a member of the Democratic Party. She previously represented the 42nd district in the New York State Senate from 2019 to 2020, and served on the Rosendale town council from 2013 to 2018.
