Neil Breslin | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Member of the New York State Senate | |
Assumed office January 1, 1997 | |
Preceded by | Michael J. Hoblock Jr. |
Constituency | 42nd district (1997–2002) 46th district (2003–2012) 44th district (2013–2022) 46th district (2023–present) |
Personal details | |
Born | Albany,New York,U.S. | June 9,1942
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Ellen |
Residence | Delmar,New York |
Alma mater | Fordham College |
Signature | ![]() |
Website | Campaign website Official website |
Neil Breslin (born June 9,1942) is an American attorney and politician serving as a member of the New York State Senate. A Democrat,he has represented a district based in the state capital,Albany,since 1997. He currently represents parts of Albany and Schenectady counties and all of Montgomery County,including the cities of Albany,Rotterdam,and Amsterdam.
Breslin is currently the longest-tenured member of the New York State Senate,serving in office since 1997.
Breslin graduated from Fordham University in 1964,and received his law degree from the University of Toledo College of Law. In law school he was editor-in-chief of the Law Review and selected as the outstanding student in his class.
After admission to the bar,Breslin practiced in Albany as an associate in the firm of Garry Cahill &Edmunds,and then a partner in the reorganized Garry,Cahill,Edmunds &Breslin. In 1981,he began to practice in partnership with his brothers Michael and Thomas (later a longtime state court judge) creating the firm Breslin,Breslin,and Breslin. He later practiced as an "of counsel" attorney with the firm of Hiscock &Barclay. Breslin was an attorney for St. Annes Institute in Albany,and was Vice President of the Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless from 1994 to 1998.
Breslin was first elected to the State Senate in 1996,defeating one-term Republican incumbent Michael Hoblock by just over eight points. However,he has never faced another contest even that close in what has historically been one of the few safe Democratic districts in Upstate,and has been reelected every 2 years since. He has only dropped below 60% of the vote once since then,in 2010,but even then won by 13 points.
Hoblock had previously served as Albany County Executive and was succeeded by Neil Breslin's brother Michael after Hoblock won the State Senate seat in 1994.
Breslin had two challengers in the 2008 Democratic Primary,who cited Breslin's continued service in a law firm and family connections (one brother a county executive,the other a judge) as possible conflicts of interest. [1] He won the primary in September 2008 with more than 50% of the vote. He was re-elected on November 4,2008. [2]
Breslin voted in favor of same-sex marriage legislation on December 2,2009;the bill was defeated. [3]
Breslin's 2010 bid for re-election got off to a rocky start,as the Candidate Review Committee of the Albany County Democratic Party voted to recommend no endorsement in his Senate race. [4] Breslin was criticized during his 2010 primary campaign against Luke Martland for failing to answer questions about the content of multiple pieces of legislation he sponsored as the chair of the Insurance Committee. [5]
With Democrats taking the majority in 2018,Breslin is serving as the Chairman of the Committee on Insurance. [6]
Breslin is a native of Albany and a lifetime resident of the Capital District.
Guy John Velella was an American Republican politician serving as a New York State Senator from the Bronx.
Susan Bysiewicz is an American politician and attorney who has served as the 109th lieutenant governor of Connecticut since 2019. She previously served as the 72nd secretary of the state of Connecticut from 1999 to 2011 and a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives from 1993 to 1999.
Michael E. McMahon is an American politician and attorney serving as the District Attorney for Richmond County,which is coextensive with Staten Island. A member of the Democratic Party,McMahon is a former U.S. Representative for New York's 13th congressional district,serving from 2009 until 2011,and a former member of the New York City Council.
Anthony Avella Jr. is an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party,he represented the New York State Senate's 11th district in northeast Queens from 2011 to 2019. The district included the mostly affluent neighborhoods of College Point,Whitestone,Bayside,Little Neck,Douglaston,Floral Park,Beechhurst,Malba and Auburndale. Avella also served as a member of the New York City Council from 2002 to 2009,representing some of the same Queens neighborhoods in District 19. Avella is a former member of the Independent Democratic Conference (IDC),a group of Democratic state senators who allied themselves with Senate Republicans. He was also a losing candidate in the 2009 New York City mayoral election,the 2013 Queens Borough President election,and the 2017 New York City mayoral election.
Kwame Raoul is an American lawyer and politician who has been the 42nd Attorney General of Illinois since 2019. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
Charles D. Lavine is a member of the New York State Assembly,representing the 13th district,which includes portions of the towns of North Hempstead and Oyster Bay in Nassau County. First elected in 2004,Lavine is a Democrat.
Kevin A. Cahill is an American politician who was a member of the New York State Assembly. Cahill is a Democrat and represented parts of Hudson Valley from 1993-1994,then again from 1999-2022. He currently serves as an appointed member of the New York Tax Appeals Tribunal.
The New York State Democratic Committee is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of New York. Its headquarters are in Manhattan,and it has an office in Albany.
The 2010 New York state elections took place on November 2,2010. Due to the special election for US Senate,all of New York's six statewide offices were up for popular election on the same date. At the same time,all 29 members from New York of the U.S. House of Representatives,all 212 members of the New York State legislature,and many other local officials were elected.
Pedro Espada Jr. is an American former politician. A Democrat,Espada served multiple nonconsecutive terms in the New York State Senate.
Kevin Bacon is a former state senator for the 3rd District of the Ohio Senate,who served from 2011 to 2018. Formerly,he served in the Ohio House of Representatives from 2007 to 2010,and as a Blendon Township Trustee. Bacon represented portions of Franklin County,including Westerville,New Albany,Gahanna,Whitehall,Reynoldsburg,Canal Winchester,Obetz,Valley View,Marble Cliff and portions of Columbus.
Andrea F. Nuciforo Jr. served as a Democratic State Senator from January 1,1997,until January 3,2007,representing the Berkshire,Hampshire,Franklin,and Hampden and Berkshire,Hampshire and Franklin Massachusetts Senate districts in western Massachusetts. He is an attorney,having practiced law with a focus on commercial real estate,health care,education and business litigation. He ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination of the United States House of Representatives in Massachusetts's newly drawn 1st congressional district on September 6,2012.
Gerald Steven Pigeon,usually cited in newspaper accounts as Steve Pigeon,is a Democratic politician from Western New York. A controversial figure in contemporary Western New York politics,Pigeon was Erie County Democratic Chairman from 1996 to 2002,parlaying his clout to become an advisor to State Senator Pedro Espada Jr.,Tom Golisano,and Clare Bronfman of NXIVM. He is a convict serving concurrent sentences for federal and state corruption charges to which he has confessed. He is also accused of sexual assault of a child,which he denies.
The 1970 United States Senate election in New Jersey was held on November 3,1970. Incumbent Democrat Harrison A. Williams defeated Republican nominee Nelson G. Gross with 54.02% of the vote.
Manfred Ohrenstein is an American lawyer and politician. Counsel to the New York law firm of Ruskin Moscou Faltischek,he is also a former member of the New York State Senate. A Democrat,he represented Manhattan from 1961 until 1994. From 1975 until 1994,he served as the New York State Senate minority leader. He is married to Dr. Marilyn Bacher and has two children,Nancy and David and four grandchildren.
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.
The 2014 New York Attorney General election took place on November 4,2014,to elect the Attorney General of New York. The incumbent Democratic Attorney General Eric Schneiderman won reelection to a second term in office,defeating Republican John P. Cahill.
Daniel Adam Rayfield is an American politician and attorney who served as the Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives from 2022 to 2024. He represents the 16th district,which includes Corvallis and Adair Village. He is the Democratic nominee for Attorney General of Oregon in the 2024 election.
Brian Barnwell is an American lawyer and politician,who served as a Democratic member of the New York State Assembly. Since January 2017 until December 2022,he has represented Assembly District 30 in Queens;the district includes Maspeth,Woodside,Middle Village,and portions of Astoria,Sunnyside,Elmhurst,Rego Park and Long Island City.
Jeremy Cooney is an American politician from the state of New York. A Democrat,Cooney represents the 56th district of the New York State Senate,covering parts of the City of Rochester,the Town of Brighton,and the western suburbs of Monroe County. His term of office began on January 1,2021.