New York State Senate | |
---|---|
New York State Legislature | |
Type | |
Type | |
Leadership | |
Minority Leader | |
Structure | |
Seats | 63 |
Political groups | Majority
Minority
|
Length of term | 2 years [1] |
Authority | Article III, New York Constitution |
Salary | $142,000/year + per diem |
Elections | |
Last election | November 8, 2022 |
Next election | November 5, 2024 |
Redistricting | Legislative Control |
Meeting place | |
Senate Chamber at New York State Capitol in Albany | |
Website | |
nysenate.gov |
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. [2] Established in 1777 by the Constitution of New York, its members are elected to two-year terms [3] with no term limits. [4] 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.
The New York State Senate was dominated by the Republican Party for much of the 20th century. Between World War II and the turn of the 21st century, the Democratic Party only controlled the upper house for one year. [5] The Democrats took control of the Senate following the 1964 elections; [6] however, the Republicans quickly regained a Senate majority in special elections later that year. [7] By 2018, the State Senate was the last Republican-controlled body in New York's government. [8]
In the 2018 elections, Democrats gained eight Senate seats, taking control of the chamber from the Republicans. [9] In the 2020 elections, Democrats won a total of 43 seats, while Republicans won 20; [10] the election results gave Senate Democrats a veto-proof two-thirds supermajority. [11] As of January 2025, the Democratic Party holds 41 seats in the Senate and the Republican Party holds 22 seats. [12]
Affiliation | Recent party affiliation history (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Total | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Republican | ||||||
SDC [a] | IDC [b] | SF [c] | Vacant | ||||
Begin 2007 session [13] | 29 | 33 | 62 | 0 | |||
End 2008 session | 30 | 31 | 61 | 1 | |||
Begin 2009 session [14] | 32 | 30 | 62 | 0 | |||
End 2010 session | 32 | 29 | 61 | 1 | |||
Begin 2011 session [15] | 26 | 4 | 32 | 62 | 0 | ||
End 2012 session | 25 | 33 | 62 | 0 | |||
Begin 2013 session [16] | 27 | 5 | 1 | 30 | 63 | 0 | |
End 2014 session | 24 | 2 [d] | 29 | 61 | 2 | ||
Begin 2015 session [17] | 25 | 1 [e] | 5 | 1 | 32 | 63 | 0 |
End 2016 session | 25 | 31 | 62 | 1 | |||
Begin 2017 session [18] | 24 | 7 | 1 | 31 | 63 | 0 | |
End 2018 session | 31 | ||||||
Begin 2019 session [19] | 39 | 1 [20] | 23 | 63 | 0 | ||
End 2020 session | 40 | 20 | 60 | 3 | |||
Begin 2021 session [21] | 43 | 20 | 63 | 0 | |||
September 9, 2021 [22] | 42 | 62 | 1 | ||||
End of 2022 session [23] | 43 | 63 | 0 | ||||
Begin 2023 Session | 42 | 21 | 63 | 0 | |||
May 6, 2024 [24] [25] [26] [27] | 41 | 21 | 63 | 1 | |||
Begin 2025 Session [12] | 41 | 22 | 63 | 0 | |||
Latest voting share | 65% | 35% |
Democrats won 32 of 62 seats in New York's upper chamber in the 2008 general election on November 4, capturing the Senate majority for the first time in more than four decades. [56] [57]
However, a power struggle emerged before the new term began. Four Democratic senators — Rubén Díaz Sr. (Bronx), Carl Kruger (Brooklyn), Pedro Espada Jr. (Bronx), and Hiram Monserrate (Queens) — immediately refused to caucus with their party. [58] The self-named "Gang of Four" refused to back Malcolm Smith (Queens) as the chamber's majority leader and sought concessions. [59] Monserrate soon rejoined the caucus after reaching an agreement with Smith that reportedly included the chairmanship of the Consumer Affairs Committee. [60] The remaining "Gang of Three" reached an initial compromise in early December that collapsed within a week, [61] but was ultimately resolved [62] with Smith becoming majority leader. [63]
At the beginning of the 2009–2010 legislative session, there were 32 Democrats and 30 Republicans in the Senate. On June 8, 2009, then-Senators Hiram Monserrate and Pedro Espada Jr.—both Democrats—voted with the 30 Republican members to install Senate Republican Leader Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre) as the new majority leader of the Senate, replacing Democratic Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith. [64] [65] The Associated Press described the vote as a "parliamentary coup". The move came after Republican whip Tom Libous introduced a surprise resolution to vacate the chair and replace Smith as temporary president and majority leader. In an effort to stop the vote, Democratic whip Jeff Klein (Bronx) unilaterally moved to recess, and Smith had the lights and Internet cut off; however, they were unable to prevent the vote from being held. In accordance with a prearranged deal, Espada was elected temporary president and acting lieutenant governor while Skelos was elected majority leader. [66]
Following the "coup", Senate Democrats voted for John Sampson (D-Brooklyn) to replace Smith as Democratic Leader. On June 14, Monserrate declared that he would once again caucus with the Democrats. This development meant that the Senate was evenly split, 31–31, between the Republican Conference and the Democratic Conference. Due to a vacancy in the office of the Lieutenant Governor, there was no way to break the deadlock. [67]
Between June 8 and the end of the "coup" on July 9, the Senate did not conduct any official business. [68] According to The New York Times , Espada's power play "threw the Senate into turmoil and hobbled the state government, making the body a national laughingstock as the feuding factions shouted and gaveled over each other in simultaneous legislative sessions." [69] The "coup" also led to litigation. [70]
On July 9, 2009, the "coup" ended. Espada rejoined the Senate Democratic Conference after reaching a deal in which he would be named Senate Majority Leader, [69] Sampson would remain Senate Democratic Leader, and Smith would be Temporary President of the Senate during a "transition period" after which Sampson would ascend to the Temporary Presidency. [71] On February 9, 2010, the Senate voted to expel Monserrate from the Senate following a misdemeanor domestic violence conviction. [72] Espada was defeated in a September 2010 primary election [73] in which the Democratic Party backed his challenger, Gustavo Rivera.
Republicans retook the Senate majority in the 2010 elections, [74] winning 32 seats to the Democrats' 30 on Election Day. [75] [76] One Republican Senate incumbent (Sen. Frank Padavan of Queens) was defeated, [77] while Democratic candidate David Carlucci was elected to an open seat in Senate District 38 [78] that had been vacated due to the death of Republican Senator Thomas Morahan on July 12, 2010. [79] Four Democratic incumbents lost their seats to Republicans in the 2010 elections: Sen. Brian Foley was defeated by Lee Zeldin, [80] Sen. Antoine Thompson was defeated by Mark Grisanti, [81] Sen. Darrel Aubertine was defeated by Patty Ritchie, [82] and Craig M. Johnson was defeated by Jack Martins. [83] [75]
Just before the new legislative session convened in January 2011, four Senate Democrats—led by former Democratic whip Jeff Klein—broke away from the Senate Democratic Conference to form an Independent Democratic Conference (IDC). Klein said that he and his three colleagues, Diane Savino, David Carlucci and David Valesky could no longer support the leadership of Senate Democratic Leader John Sampson. [84]
In March 2011, "Gang of Four" member Senator Carl Kruger surrendered to bribery charges. He later pleaded guilty to those charges in December 2011. [85] On March 20, 2012, Republican David Storobin defeated Democrat Lew Fidler in a special election to fill Kruger's vacated seat; results of the special election took weeks to finalize. [34] [86]
On June 24, 2011, same-sex marriage legislation passed the Senate by a vote of 33–29. Governor Andrew Cuomo signed it into law at 11:55 P.M. [87]
On March 15, 2012, Gov. Cuomo signed redistricting legislation [88] that added a 63rd State Senate district. [89] Months prior to the passage of the redistricting legislation, the New York Daily News reported that according to Republican sources, adding a 63rd seat "to the current 62-member body would...make political coups like the one that shut down the chamber two years ago more difficult". The Daily News added: "Insiders note that adding a 63rd seat in the state Senate would avoid any legislative chaos by ensuring one party would be in the majority – as opposed to now, with an even number of seats". [90] Following a lawsuit, the New York Court of Appeals upheld the enacted redistricting plan on May 3, 2012. [91]
In the November 6, 2012 elections, Democrats won a total of 33 seats for a three-seat majority. Democrats gained seats in Senate Districts 17 (where Democrat Simcha Felder defeated Republican incumbent David Storobin), 41, and 55 (where Ted O'Brien defeated Sean Hanna to win the seat vacated by the retiring Republican Sen. Jim Alesi), and won the election in the newly created Senate District 46 (discussed below). [92] [93] [35] [94] [95]
The election in Senate District 46—a new district that was created through the redistricting process in 2012—was noteworthy because the candidate who was sworn in as the victor was later found, following a recount, to have lost the election. Republican George Amedore was sworn in to the State Senate following the election. However, a recount revealed that Democrat Cecilia Tkaczyk had defeated Amedore by 18 votes; therefore, Amedore vacated the seat, becoming the shortest-tenured senator in modern New York history. [35] [96] Amedore would eventually win a rematch with Tkaczyk in 2014. [97]
Of the four Republican state senators who voted for the Marriage Equality Act in 2011 (Sens. Roy McDonald, James Alesi, Mark Grisanti, and Stephen Saland), [98] ) only Grisanti was re-elected in 2012. [99] [100] The Conservative Party of New York withdrew support for any candidate who had voted for the bill. [101] Sen. Alesi opted to retire instead of facing a potential primary challenge; [102] Sen. McDonald lost a Republican primary to Saratoga County Clerk Kathy Marchione; [103] and Sen. Saland won his Republican primary, but lost the general election to Democrat Terry Gipson [94] after Saland's Republican primary challenger, Neil Di Carlo, remained on the ballot on the Conservative line and acted as a spoiler. [95]
On December 4, 2012, it was announced that Senate Republicans had reached a power-sharing deal with the four-member Independent Democratic Conference (IDC). Under their power-sharing arrangement, the IDC and the Senate Republicans to "jointly decide what bills [would] reach the Senate floor each day of the session", would "dole out committee assignments", would "have the power to make appointments to state and local boards", and would "share negotiations over the state budget". [104] Sens. Klein and Skelos also agreed that the title of Senate President would shift back and forth between the two of them every two weeks. [104] Together, the Senate Republicans and the IDC held enough seats to form a governing majority; that majority was augmented when freshman Sen. Simcha Felder of Brooklyn, a Democrat, joined the Senate Republican Conference. [105] Also, former Democratic Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith joined the IDC in December 2012. [106]
On December 17, 2012, Senate Democrats elected Andrea Stewart-Cousins as Senate Democratic Leader. [107] [108] Stewart-Cousins became the first woman in history to lead a conference in the New York State Legislature. [109]
Malcolm Smith was expelled from the IDC in April 2013 due to a scandal in which he attempted to bribe the Republican Party chairs in New York City for a Wilson Pakula to run in the upcoming New York City mayoral election. [110]
Former Senate Minority Leader John L. Sampson was expelled from the Senate Democratic Conference on May 6, 2013, following his arrest on embezzlement charges. [111] [112] Sampson later forfeited his Senate seat after being convicted of making false statements to federal agents in relation to the initial embezzlement case. [113]
In February 2014, Tony Avella joined the IDC. [114]
In June 2014, the IDC announced that it would end its political alliance with the Republicans and create a new one with the Senate Democratic Conference, citing a need "to fight for the core Democratic policies that are left undone." [115] In the 2014 elections, Senate Republicans retook an outright majority in the Senate. [116] The election results meant that Klein lost his position as co-leader, with Skelos taking over as the Senate Majority Leader and Temporary President of the Senate and regaining sole control over which bills would reach the Senate floor. [104] [117] [118] After the election, the IDC reversed course and continued its alliance with the Republicans in the 2015 legislative session [117] [119] despite their conference's diminished role. [104]
On May 4, 2015, U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara announced the arrest of Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos (along with his son, Adam Skelos) and the arrest of Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. [120] Within days, Skelos announced that he was stepping down as leader of the Republican Caucus and as Majority Leader. Senator John Flanagan, of Suffolk County, became the new Majority Leader, and the first Majority Leader from Suffolk County. [121] After Skelos was convicted in December 2015, his seat was declared vacant, with a special election to be held on the presidential primary of 2016. [122] [123] The special election was won by Democrat Todd Kaminsky, resulting in the Democratic Party having a numerical 32–31 advantage over the Republicans in the State Senate. [124] [125] Despite this, both Senator Felder and the members of the IDC chose to remain in coalition with the Republican majority. [126]
Late in 2016, Senator Jesse Hamilton announced his intention to join the IDC if re-elected. [127] The IDC aided Hamilton in his first election in 2014, which had resulted in speculation he would eventually join the conference. [128]
In the 2016 elections, Senate Republicans lost one seat on Long Island and gained an upstate seat in Buffalo. On Long Island, freshman Sen. Michael Venditto was defeated in a close race by Democrat John Brooks. [129] In Buffalo, the open seat vacated by Democratic Sen. Mark Panepinto (who did not seek re-election) was won by Republican Erie County Clerk Chris Jacobs. Sen. Simcha Felder announced that he would continue to caucus with the GOP; Felder's move ensured that the Republicans would retain control of the Senate by a margin of 32–31. [130] Newly elected Democratic Sen. Marisol Alcantara also announced that she would join the IDC, after Klein assisted her campaign. [131] [132]
Liberal groups in New York State, including the Working Families Party, called on Gov. Cuomo to intervene and pressure Sen. Felder, the IDC, and the Senate Democratic Conference to unite. On January 2, 2017, Senate Majority Leader Flanagan and Senate IDC Leader Klein announced the continuation of their coalition. [133]
In late January 2017, Senator Jose Peralta announced that he was joining the IDC, expanding the IDC to 8 members, the Republican-IDC-Felder coalition to 40 members, and reducing the Democratic conference to 23 members. [134]
On April 4, 2018, the IDC announced that it would dissolve, that its members would rejoin the Senate Democratic Conference, that Stewart-Cousins would continue as Senate Democratic Leader, and that Sen. Klein would become the Deputy Democratic Conference Leader. [135] The announcement followed a meeting called by Governor Andrew Cuomo at which Cuomo requested that the IDC reunite with the Senate Democratic Conference. [135] On April 16, the IDC was dissolved. [136] After the IDC dissolved, the Senate Democratic Conference contained 29 Members, the Senate Republican Conference contained 32 Members (including Sen. Felder), and there were two vacant Senate seats. [137]
After two April 24, 2018 special elections were won by Democrats, the Democrats gained a 32–31 numerical Senate majority; however, Felder continued to caucus with the Republicans, allowing them to maintain a 32–31 majority instead. [138]
In 2018, five Republican senators announced that they would not seek re-election in the fall. [139]
In the September 13, 2018 Democratic primary elections, all eight Democratic senators who had been members of the IDC at the time of its dissolution faced challengers. [140] Six of the challengers prevailed. [141] Another Democratic incumbent, Martin Malave Dilan, was also defeated by a primary challenger (Julia Salazar, a self-described democratic socialist). [142]
On November 6, 2018, the Democratic Party gained eight seats and won control of the State Senate. [9] Democratic challengers defeated incumbent Republican Sens. Carl Marcellino, Kemp Hannon, Martin Golden, Terrence Murphy, and Elaine Phillips and won races in three districts (Districts 3, 39, and 42, respectively) in which Republican incumbents had not sought re-election. The mainstream Democrats won 39 seats, a decisive majority. [109] [143] In total, enrolled Democrats won 40 of the chamber's 63 seats, including all but one seat in New York City and six of the nine seats on Long Island, the latter of which has been under GOP control for decades. Felder offered to rejoin the Democratic Conference, but was turned down in December 2018. [144] Senate Republicans won 23 seats in the 2018 elections. [143] Stewart-Cousins was formally elected Majority Leader and Temporary President on January 9, becoming the first woman to hold the post. [145]
In July 2019, Simcha Felder was accepted into the Senate Democratic Conference; this action gave the Conference a total of 40 members. [51] [146]
During the 2019-2020 session, Republican Bob Antonacci resigned his seat to become a trial court judge, and eight other members of the Senate Republican Conference announced that they would not seek re-election in 2020. [147] In anticipation of Leader Flanagan's resignation on June 28, Sen. Rob Ortt was named the leader of the Senate Republican Conference. [148] [149] On July 20, 2020, Sen. Chris Jacobs stepped down after being elected to the United States House of Representatives. [53]
In the 2020 elections, Senate Democrats won a total of 43 seats, while Republicans won 20. [10]
Sen. Tim Kennedy ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2024 [150] and prevailed; he left the Senate and became a member of Congress. [24] [25]
As of October 2024, the Democratic Party holds 41 seats in the Senate. [26] The Republicans hold 21 seats, [151] and one seat is vacant. [26]
The Lieutenant Governor of New York is the ex officio President of the Senate.[ citation needed ] The Lieutenant Governor has a casting vote in the event of a tie; however, there is debate over the meaning of the term "casting vote". [152] With few exceptions, the Senate is presided over by the Temporary President, a post which is normally also held by the Majority Leader.[ citation needed ]
The Senate has one additional officer outside those who are elected by the people. The Secretary of the Senate is a post that is chosen by a majority vote of the senators, and does not have voting power (the Secretary is allowed, though officially discouraged, from discussing and negotiating legislative matters). The Secretary of the Senate is responsible for administering the Senate's office space, overseeing the handling of bills and the oversight of the sergeants-at-arms and the stenographer. Alejandra Paulino was appointed to the position in December 2018. [153]
Position | Name | Party | District |
---|---|---|---|
President of the Senate/Lieutenant Governor | Antonio Delgado | Democratic | — |
Temporary President/Majority Leader | Andrea Stewart-Cousins | Democratic | 35 [154] |
Minority Leader | Rob Ortt | Republican | 62 |
* First elected in a special election.
The majority leader of the New York State Senate is elected by the majority of the members of the New York State Senate. The position usually coincides with the title of temporary president of the State Senate, who presides over the session of the State Senate if the lieutenant governor of New York is absent. The temporary president of the State Senate becomes acting lieutenant governor for the remainder of the unexpired term in case of a vacancy in the office of lieutenant governor, or until a new lieutenant governor is appointed In case of a vacancy in the offices of both the governor and lieutenant governor at the same time, the temporary president of the State Senate becomes Acting Governor. If the double vacancy occurs until three months before the mid-term state elections, a special election for governor of New York and lieutenant governor is held. If the double vacancy occurs later, the Temporary President of the State Senate acts as governor until the end of the unexpired term. The temporary president of the State Senate retains both majority leadership and a seat in the State Senate while acting as lieutenant governor or governor.
Simcha Felder is an American politician from Borough Park, Brooklyn. He represents the 22nd district in the New York State Senate. A Democrat, Felder has been a member of the State Senate since 2013; he caucused with Senate Republicans from 2013 to 2018 and has caucused with Senate Democrats since 2019. Prior to his State Senate tenure, Felder represented the 44th district on the New York City Council from 2002 to 2010. He is known as a conservative Democrat.
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.
Jeffrey David Klein is an American politician and a member of the Democratic Party. He represented the New York State Senate's 34th District, serving parts of Bronx and Westchester Counties from 2005 to 2018. Klein also served as Deputy Democratic Conference Leader.
Hiram Monserrate is an influential American politician and community leader known for his dedicated service as a district leader and his longstanding commitment to political activism. Throughout his career, Monserrate has held various significant positions, including serving as a New York State Senator from 2009 to 2010 and as a member of the New York City Council from 2006 to 2009. His extensive experience in public office has equipped him with the skills and insights necessary to advocate effectively for his constituents
José Rafael Peralta was an American politician who served in the New York State Assembly and New York State Senate. A member of the Democratic Party, he last represented District 13 in the State Senate, which includes the Queens neighborhoods of Corona, East Elmhurst, Elmhurst, Jackson Heights, and Woodside. He previously represented District 39 in the New York State Assembly, which is located in Queens, New York and includes Corona, Elmhurst and Jackson Heights. He was elected to the New York State Senate in a landslide on March 16, 2010. Peralta was a member of the Independent Democratic Conference (IDC), a group of Democratic senators who allied themselves with Senate Republicans. He was re-elected in 2012, 2014 and 2016, but was defeated in the 2018 Democratic primary.
Pedro Espada Jr. is an American former politician and ex-convict. A Democrat, Espada served multiple nonconsecutive terms in the New York State Senate.
The 2009 New York State Senate leadership crisis was a political dispute and constitutional crisis that prevented the New York State Senate from functioning for a month.
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 2010 New York State Senate elections were held on November 2, 2010 to elect representatives from all 62 State Senate districts in the U.S. state of New York. Primary elections were held on September 14, 2010. Republicans retook the Senate majority, winning 32 seats to the Democrats' 30 on Election Day.
The 2012 New York State Senate elections were held on November 6, 2012 to elect representatives from all 63 State Senate districts in the U.S. state of New York. Primary elections were held on September 13, 2012.
The Independent Democratic Conference (IDC) was a group of several Democratic members of the New York State Senate that was formed to caucus with the Republican Party and protect its status as the majority party. At the time of its dissolution, the IDC included eight members: Jeffrey D. Klein, Marisol Alcantara, Tony Avella, David Carlucci, Jesse Hamilton, Jose Peralta, Diane Savino, and David Valesky.
Jesse Hamilton is an American lawyer and politician in New York City. A member of the Democratic Party, he represented the New York State Senate's 20th District, including parts of the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Crown Heights, Brownsville and East Flatbush from 2015 to 2018. Hamilton is a former member of the Independent Democratic Conference (IDC), a group of Democratic senators who allied themselves with Senate Republicans. Hamilton is the Secretary of the Brooklyn Democratic Party, the official organization of the Democratic Party for Brooklyn. He was defeated in the September 2018 Democratic primary election by lawyer Zellnor Myrie.
The 2016 New York state elections took place on November 8, 2016. Presidential primary elections occurred on April 19, 2016, congressional primary elections occurred on June 28, 2016, and state and local primary elections occurred on September 13, 2016. One U.S. Senate seat and all 27 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives were up for election, as were all 63 seats in the New York State Senate and all 150 seats in the New York State Assembly. The 2016 United States presidential election occurred on the same date as the general election.
The 2018 New York State Senate elections were held on November 6, 2018, to elect representatives from all 63 State Senate districts in the U.S. state of New York. Primary elections were held on September 13, 2018.
David J. Valesky is an American politician who is a former member of the New York State Senate. A Democrat, Valesky represented the 53rd Senate District and the 49th Senate District in upstate New York.
The 2020 New York State Senate elections were held on November 3, 2020, to elect representatives from all 63 State Senate districts across the U.S. state of New York. Primary elections were held on June 23, 2020.
The 2016 New York State Senate elections were held on November 8, 2016, to elect representatives from all 63 State Senate districts in the U.S. state of New York.
The 2014 New York State Senate elections were held on November 4, 2014, to elect representatives from all 63 State Senate districts in the U.S. state of New York.
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