New York State Senate elections, 2018

Elections in New York, 2018

* General election: Nov. 6
* Voter registration deadline: Oct. 12
* Early voting: N/A
* Absentee voting deadline: Nov. 6

* Online registration: Yes
* Same-day registration: No
* Voter ID: No
* Poll times: 6:00 a.m. and close at 9:00 p.m.

* * *

On the ballot: U.S. Senate • U.S. House • Congressional special elections • Governor • Attorney General • State executive offices • State Senate • State Assembly • Special state legislative • Local judges • Local ballot measures • School boards • Municipal • Democratic primaries • Republican primaries

2018 New York
Senate elections

General| November 6, 2018
Primary| September 13, 2018
Past election results

2016・2014・2012・2010・2008
2006・2004・2002・2000
2018 elections

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Democrats gained control of the chamber and expanded their majority in the 2018 elections for the New York State Senate, winning 40 seats to Republicans' 23. All 63 Senate seats were up for election. At the time of the election, Democrats held 32 seats to Republicans' 31. However, Republicans controlled the chamber, as one Democratic state senator caucused with the Republican Party.

Ballotpedia identified 12 of the races as battlegrounds, including 10 Republican-held districts and two Democratic-held districts. Democrats won nine of those elections, including seven in Republican-held seats, while Republicans won the remaining three.

Heading into the election, New York had been under divided government since 2010 when Republicans took control of the state Senate. This broke the state's Democratic trifecta that first formed after the 2008 elections when Democrats won the state Senate for the first time since 1964. Democrats again won a numerical majority in the Senate in 2012, but the Republican-IDC-Felder coalition maintained control of the chamber.[1] Heading into the election, Democrats had controlled the governor's office since 2006 and the state Assembly since 1974.[2]

Democrats needed to win the state Senate to have a trifecta, while Republicans needed to win the state Assembly and the governorship. Other than the Democratic trifecta that formed after the 2008 elections, Democrats had not had a trifecta since 1934.[1][2] Had the Republican Party maintained control of the chamber, it would have prevented a Democratic trifecta from forming in New York.

The New York State Senate was one of 87 state legislative chambers holding elections in 2018. There are 99 chambers throughout the country. The New York State Senate was one of 22 state legislative battleground chambers identified by Ballotpedia in the 2018 elections. Read more below.

New York state senators serve two-year terms, with all seats up for election every two years.

For more information about the Democratic primaries, click here.
For more information about the Republican primaries, click here.

## Contents

* 1 Post-election analysis
* 1.1 National background
* 2 Districts
* 3 Candidates
* 4 General election candidates
* 5 Primary candidates
* 5.1 Margins of victory
* 5.2 Seats flipped
* 5.3 Incumbents retiring
* 5.4 2018 battleground chamber
* 5.5 Battleground races
* 5.5.1 District 3
* 5.5.2 District 5
* 5.5.3 District 6
* 5.5.4 District 7
* 5.5.5 District 8
* 5.5.6 District 9
* 5.5.7 District 39
* 5.5.8 District 40
* 5.5.9 District 42
* 5.5.10 District 43
* 5.5.11 District 50
* 5.5.12 District 58
* 5.5.13 Battleground races map
* 5.6 Campaign activity
* 5.6.1 Andrew Cuomo and state party spending
* 5.6.2 State committee spending on races in Suffolk and Nassau counties
* 5.7 Control of the chamber in 2018
* 5.7.1 IDC and Mainline Democratic reunification
* 5.7.2 Background
* 5.8 New York political history
* 5.8.1 Party control
* 5.8.1.1 2018
* 5.8.1.2 2016
* 5.8.2 Trifectas
* 5.9 Wave election analysis
* 5.10 Candidate and office information
* 5.10.1 Process to become a candidate
* 5.10.2 For political party candidates
* 5.10.3 For independent candidates
* 5.10.4 Write-in candidates
* 5.10.5 Qualifications
* 5.10.6 Salaries and per diem
* 5.10.7 When sworn in
* 5.11 Competitiveness
* 5.11.1 Results from 2016
* 5.11.2 Historical context
* 5.12 Pivot Counties
* 5.12.1 Presidential results by legislative district
* 5.13 See also
* 5.14 External links
* 5.15 Footnotes

## Post-election analysis[edit]

See also: State legislative elections, 2018

The Democratic Party gained control of both chambers of the New York State Legislature in the 2018 election after increasing their majorityDemocrats won a numerical majority in the Senate in 2012, but the Republican-IDC-Felder coalition maintained control of the chamber. in the state Senate. The New York State Senate was identified as a battleground chamber. All 63 seats were up for election. Democrats increased their majority in the New York State Senate from 32-31 to 40-23. Seven Democratic incumbents were defeated in the primary, but six of the defeated incumbents advanced to the general election as Independence Party candidates. All six lost their bids for re-election in the general election. Five Republican incumbents were also defeated in the general election.

The New York State Assembly held elections for all 150 seats. The Democratic supermajority in the State Assembly increased. Before the election, Democrats held 104 seats, Republicans held 41 seats, an independent held one seat, and four seats were vacant. Following the election, Democrats held 106 seats, Republicans held 43 seats, and an independent held one seat. Three incumbents were defeated in the primary, two Democrats and one Republican. One defeated Democratic incumbent and one defeated Republican incumbent advanced to the general election as a Women's Equality Party candidate and an Independence Party candidate, respectively. They both lost their bids for re-election. Three Democratic incumbents and three Republican incumbents were also defeated in the general election.

### National background[edit]

On November 6, 2018, 87 of the nation's 99 state legislative chambers held regularly scheduled elections for 6,073 of 7,383 total seats, meaning that nearly 82 percent of all state legislative seats were up for election.

* Entering the 2018 election, Democrats held 42.6 percent, Republicans held 56.8 percent, and independents and other parties held 0.6 percent of the seats up for regular election.
* Following the 2018 election, Democrats held 47.3 percent, Republicans held 52.3 percent, and independents and other parties held 0.4 percent of the seats up for regular election.
* A total of 469 incumbents were defeated over the course of the election cycle, with roughly one-third of them defeated in the primary.

Want more information?

* Incumbents defeated in 2018's state legislative elections
* 2018 election analysis: Partisan balance of state legislative chambers
* 2018 election analysis: Number of state legislators by party
* 2018 election analysis: State legislative supermajorities

## Districts[edit]

See also: New York state legislative districts

Use the interactive map below to find your district.

## Candidates[edit]

See also: Statistics on state legislative candidates, 2018

# General election candidates[edit]

#### New York State Senate elections, 2018

* Incumbents are marked with an (i) after their name.

Office |  Democratic |  Republican | Other
District 1 |

Greg Fischer

Kenneth LaValle (i)

District 2 |

Kathleen Cleary

John J. Flanagan (i)

District 3 |

Monica Martinez

Dean Murray

District 4 |

Lou D'Amaro

Philip Boyle (i)

District 5 |

James Gaughran

Carl Marcellino (i)

James Gaughran (Democratic Party, Women's Equality Party, Working Families Party)

District 6 |

Kevin Thomas

Kemp Hannon (i)

District 7 |

Anna Kaplan

Elaine Phillips (i)

District 8 |

John E. Brooks (i)

Jeffrey Pravato

District 9 |

Todd Kaminsky (i)

Francis Becker Jr.

District 10 |

James Sanders, Jr. (i)

|  |

District 11 |

John Liu

Vickie Paladino

Tony Avella (i) (Independence Party)
Simon Minching (Conservative Party)

District 12 |

Michael Gianaris (i)

|  |

District 13 |

Jessica Ramos

|  |

Jose Peralta (i) (Independence Party)
Jessica Ramos (Democratic Party, Working Families Party)

District 14 |

Leroy Comrie (i)

|  |

District 15 |

Joseph Addabbo (i)

Thomas Sullivan

District 16 |

Toby Ann Stavisky (i)

|  |

Vincent Pazienza (Reform Party)

District 17 |

Simcha Felder (i)

|  |

Luis Rivera (Reform Party)
Jumaane Williams (Working Families Party)

Did not make the ballot:
Angharad Vaughan (Working Families Party)

District 18 |

Julia Salazar

|  |

District 19 |

Roxanne Persaud (i)

Jeffrey Ferretti

District 20 |

Zellnor Myrie

|  |

Jesse Hamilton (i) (Independence Party)

District 21 |

Kevin Parker (i)

|  |

Brian Kelly (Conservative Party)

District 22 |

Andrew Gounardes

Martin Golden (i)

District 23 |

Diane Savino (i)

David Krainert

Jasmine Robinson (Working Families Party)

District 24 |  |

Andrew Lanza (i)

District 25 |

Velmanette Montgomery (i)

|  |

District 26 |

Brian Kavanagh (i)

Anthony Arias

Stuart J. Avrick (Conservative Party)

District 27 |

Brad Hoylman (i)

|  |

Brad Hoylman (i) (Democratic Party, Working Families Party)

District 28 |

Liz Krueger (i)

Peter Holmberg

District 29 |

Jose M. Serrano (i)

Jose A. Colon

District 30 |

Brian Benjamin (i)

|  |

District 31 |

Robert Jackson

Melinda Crump

Marisol Alcantara (i) (Independence Party)
Robert Jackson (Democratic Party, Working Families Party)

District 32 |

Luis Sepulveda (i)

Patrick Delices

Migdalia Denis (Conservative Party)
Pamela Stewart-Martinez (Reform Party)

District 33 |

J. Gustavo Rivera (i)

Nicole Torres

Steven Stern (Conservative Party)

District 34 |

Alessandra Biaggi

Richard Ribustello

Jeffrey Klein (i) (Independence Party)
Antonio Vitiello (Conservative Party)

District 35 |

Andrea Stewart-Cousins (i)

|  |

District 36 |

Jamaal Bailey (i)

|  |

Robert Diamond (Conservative Party)

District 37 |

Shelley Mayer (i)

|  |

District 38 |

David Carlucci (i)

C. Scott Vanderhoef

District 39 |

James Skoufis

Thomas Basile

District 40 |

Peter Harckham

Terrence Murphy (i)

District 41 |

Karen Smythe

Susan Serino (i)

District 42 |

Jen Metzger

Ann Rabbitt

District 43 |

Aaron Gladd

Daphne Jordan

District 44 |

Neil Breslin (i)

Christopher Davis

District 45 |

Emily Martz

Betty Little (i)

Did not make the ballot:
Mark Schneider (Working Families Party)

District 46 |

Pat Courtney Strong

George Amedore (i)

District 47 |  |

Joseph Griffo (i)

District 48 |  |

Patricia Ritchie (i)

District 49 |

Michelle Ostrelich

James Tedisco (i)

District 50 |

John Mannion

Bob Antonacci

District 51 |

Joyce St. George

James L. Seward (i)

District 52 |  |

Fred Akshar (i)

District 53 |

Rachel May

Janet Berl Burman

David Valesky (i) (Independence Party)

District 54 |

Kenan Baldridge

Pamela Helming (i)

District 55 |

Jennifer Lunsford

Rich Funke (i)

District 56 |

Jeremy Cooney

Joseph Robach (i)

District 57 |  |

Catharine Young (i)

District 58 |

Amanda Kirchgessner

Thomas O'Mara (i)

Did not make the ballot:
Michael Lausell (Working Families Party)

District 59 |  |

Patrick Gallivan (i)

District 60 |

Carima El Behairy

Christopher Jacobs (i)

Did not make the ballot:
James DePasquale (Green Party)

District 61 |

Joan Seamans

Michael Ranzenhofer (i)

District 62 |  |

Robert Ortt (i)

Peter Diachun (Green Party)

District 63 |

Timothy M. Kennedy (i)

Did not make the ballot:
Thomas Gaglione

Political party key:
Democratic
Republican
Conservative Party
Green Party
Independence Party
Reform Party
Tax Revolt Party
Women's Equality Party
Working Families Party

Fusion voting candidates

* District 1: Kenneth LaValle
* District 2: Kathleen Cleary
* District 2: John J. Flanagan
* District 3: Monica Martinez
* District 3: Dean Murray
* District 4: Lou D'Amaro
* District 4: Philip Boyle
* District 5: James Gaughran
* District 5: Carl Marcellino
* District 6: Kevin Thomas
* District 6: Kemp Hannon
* District 7: Anna Kaplan
* District 7: Elaine Phillips
* District 8: John E. Brooks
* District 8: Jeffrey Pravato
* District 9: Todd Kaminsky
* District 9: Francis Becker Jr.
* District 10: James Sanders Jr.
* District 11: Tony Avella
* District 12: Michael Gianaris
* District 13: Jessica Ramos
* District 13: Jose Peralta
* District 14: Leroy Comrie
* District 15: Joseph Addabbo
* District 15: Thomas Sullivan
* District 16: Toby Ann Stavisky
* District 17: Simcha Felder
* District 19: Roxanne Persaud
* District 19: Jeffrey J. Ferretti
* District 20: Zellnor Myrie
* District 20: Jesse Hamilton
* District 21: Kevin Parker
* District 22: Andrew S. Gounardes
* District 22: Martin Golden
* District 23: Diane Savino
* District 23: David Krainert
* District 24: Andrew Lanza
* District 25: Velmanette Montgomery
* District 26: Brian Kavanagh
* District 26: Anthony Arias
* District 27: Brad M. Hoylman
* District 28: Liz Krueger
* District 28: Peter Holmberg
* District 30: Brian Benjamin
* District 31: Robert Jackson
* District 31: Melinda Crump
* District 32: Luis Sepulveda
* District 33: J. Gustavo Rivera
* District 34: Alessandra Biaggi
* District 35: Andrea Stewart-Cousins
* District 36: Jamaal Bailey
* District 37: Shelley Mayer
* District 38: David Carlucci
* District 38: C. Scott Vanderhoef
* District 39: James G. Skoufis
* District 39: Thomas Basile
* District 40: Peter Harckham
* District 40: Terrence P. Murphy
* District 41: Karen Smythe
* District 41: Susan J. Serino
* District 42: Jen Metzger
* District 42: Ann Rabbitt
* District 43: Aaron Gladd
* District 43: Daphne Jordan
* District 44: Neil Breslin
* District 44: Christopher Davis
* District 45: Emily Martz
* District 45: Betty Little
* District 46: Pat Courtney Strong
* District 46: George Amedore
* District 47: Joseph Griffo
* District 48: Patricia Ritchie
* District 49: Michelle Ostrelich
* District 49: James Tedisco
* District 50: John Mannion
* District 50: Bob Antonacci
* District 51: Joyce St. George
* District 51: James L. Seward
* District 52: Fred Akshar
* District 53: Rachel May
* District 53: Janet Berl Burman
* District 53: David Valesky
* District 54: Kenan Baldridge
* District 54: Pamela Helming
* District 55: Rich Funke
* District 56: Jeremy Cooney
* District 56: Joseph Robach
* District 57: Catharine Young
* District 58: Amanda Kirchgessner
* District 58: Thomas O'Mara
* District 59: Patrick Gallivan
* District 60: Carima El Behairy
* District 60: Christopher Jacobs
* District 61: Joan Seamans
* District 61: Michael Ranzenhofer
* District 62: Robert Ortt
* District 63: Timothy M. Kennedy

# Primary candidates[edit]

2018 New York State Senate primary candidates

District |

Democrat

Republican

| Other party tickets
1  |  Greg Fischer a |  Kenneth LaValle (I) a |  Conservative: Kenneth LaValle (I)
Independence: Kenneth LaValle (I)
Reform: Kenneth LaValle (I)
2  |  Kathleen Cleary a |  John J. Flanagan (I) a |  Women's Equality: Kathleen Cleary
Conservative: John J. Flanagan (I)
Independence: John J. Flanagan (I)
Reform: John J. Flanagan (I)
3  |  Monica Martinez a |  Dean Murray a |  Working Families: Monica Martinez
Women's Equality: Monica Martinez
Conservative: Dean Murray
Independence: Dean Murray
Reform: Dean Murray
4  |  Lou D'Amaro a |  Philip Boyle (I) a |  Working Families: Lou D'Amaro
Women's Equality: Lou D'Amaro
Conservative: Philip Boyle (I)
Independence: Philip Boyle (I)
5  |  James Gaughran a |  Carl Marcellino (I) a | Working Families: James Gaughran
Women's Equality: James Gaughran
Conservative: Carl Marcellino (I)
Independence: Carl Marcellino (I)
Reform: Carl Marcellino (I)
6  |  Kevin Thomas a |  Kemp Hannon (I) a |  Working Families: Kevin Thomas
Conservative: Kemp Hannon (I)
Women's Equality: Kevin Thomas
Independence: Kemp Hannon (I)
Reform: Kemp Hannon (I)

7  |  Anna Kaplan a |  Elaine Phillips (I) a |  Working Families: Anna Kaplan
Women's Equality: Anna Kaplan
Conservative: Elaine Phillips (I)
Independence: Elaine Phillips (I)
Reform: Elaine Phillips (I)

8  |  John E. Brooks (I) a |  Jeffrey Pravato a | Working Families: John E. Brooks (I)
Women's Equality: John E. Brooks (I)
Conservative: Jeffrey Pravato
Independence: Jeffrey Pravato
Reform: Jeffrey Pravato

9  |  Todd Kaminsky (I) a |  Francis Becker Jr. a |  Working Families: Todd Kaminsky (I)
Women's Equality: Todd Kaminsky (I)
Conservative: Francis Becker Jr.
Independence: Todd Kaminsky (I)
Reform: Todd Kaminsky (I)

10  |  James Sanders Jr. (I) a |  No candidate |  Working Families: James Sanders Jr. (I)
Reform: James Sanders Jr. (I)

11  |  Tony Avella (I)
John Liu a |  Simon Minching
Vickie Paladino a |  Women's Equality: Tony Avella (I)
Conservative: Simon Minching a
Independence: Tony Avella (I) a
12  |  Michael Gianaris (I) a |  No candidate |  Working Families: Michael Gianaris (I)
13  |  Jose Peralta (I)
Jessica Ramos a |  No candidate |  Working Families: Jessica Ramos
Women's Equality: Jose Peralta (I)
Independence: Jose Peralta (I) a
Reform: Jose Peralta (I)
14  |  Leroy Comrie (I) a |  No candidate |  Working Families: Leroy Comrie (I)
Reform: Leroy Comrie (I)
15  |  Joseph Addabbo (I) a |  Slawomir Platta
Thomas Sullivan a |  Conservative: Thomas Sullivan
Working Families: Joseph Addabbo (I)
Independence: Thomas Sullivan
16  |  Toby Ann Stavisky (I) a |  No candidate |  Working Families: Toby Ann Stavisky (I)
Women's Equality: Toby Ann Stavisky (I)
Reform: Vincent Pazienza
17  |  Simcha Felder (I) a
Blake Morris |  Simcha Felder (I) a |  Working Families: Angharad Vaughan a
Conservative: Simcha Felder (I)
Independence: Simcha Felder (I)
Reform: Luis Rivera a
18  |  Martin Malave Dilan (I)
Julia Salazar a |  No candidate |
19  |  Roxanne Persaud (I) a |  Jeffrey J. Ferretti a |  Working Families: Roxanne Persaud (I)
Conservative: Jeffrey J. Ferretti
20  |  Jesse Hamilton (I)
Zellnor Myrie a |  No candidate | Working Families: Zellnor Myrie
Women's Equality: Jesse Hamilton (I)
Independence: Jesse Hamilton (I) a

21  |  Kevin Parker (I) a |  No candidate |  Working Families: Kevin Parker (I)
Conservative: Brian Kelly
22  |  Andrew S. Gounardes a
Ross Barkan |  Martin Golden (I) a |  Working Families: Andrew S. Gounardes
Conservative: Martin Golden (I)
Independence: Martin Golden (I)
Reform: Andrew S. Gounardes
23  |  Diane Savino (I) a
Jasmine Robinson
Brandon Stradford |  David Krainert a |  Working Families: Jasmine Robinson a
Women's Equality: Diane Savino (I)
Conservative: David Krainert
Independence: Diane Savino (I)
Reform: Diane Savino (I)
24  |  No candidate |  Andrew Lanza (I) a |  Conservative: Andrew Lanza (I)
Independence: Andrew Lanza (I)
Reform: Andrew Lanza (I)
25  |  Velmanette Montgomery (I) a |  No candidate |  Working Families: Velmanette Montgomery (I)
26  |  Brian Kavanagh (I) a |  Anthony Arias a |  Working Families: Brian Kavanagh (I)
Conservative: Stuart J. Avrick
Reform: Anthony Arias
27  |  Brad M. Hoylman (I) a |  No candidate |  Working Families: Brad M. Hoylman (I)
28  |  Liz Krueger (I) a |  Peter Holmberg a |  Working Families: Liz Krueger (I)
Reform: Peter Holmberg
29  |  Jose M. Serrano (I) a |  Jose A. Colon a |
30  |  Brian Benjamin (I) a |  No candidate |  Working Families: Brian Benjamin (I)
31  |  Marisol Alcantara (I)
Robert Jackson a
Thomas Leon
Tirso Santiago Pina |  Melinda Crump a |  Working Families: Robert Jackson
Independence: Marisol Alcantara (I) a
Reform: Melinda Crump
32  |  Luis Sepulveda (I) a |  Patrick Delices a |  Working Families: Luis Sepulveda (I)
Conservative: Migdalia Denis a
Reform: Pamela Stewart-Martinez a
33  |  J. Gustavo Rivera (I) a |  Nicole J. Torres a |  Working Families: J. Gustavo Rivera (I)
Conservative: Steven Stern
34  |  Jeffrey Klein (I)
Alessandra Biaggi a |  Richard Ribustello a |  Working Families: Alessandra Biaggi
Conservative: Antonio Vitiello a
Independence: Jeffrey Klein (I) a
35  | Andrea Stewart-Cousins (I) a
Virginia Perez |  No candidate |  Independence: Andrea Stewart-Cousins (I)
Reform: Andrea Stewart-Cousins (I)
Working Families: Andrea Stewart-Cousins (I)
Women's Equality: Andrea Stewart-Cousins (I)
36  |  Jamaal Bailey (I) a |  No candidate |  Working Families: Jamaal Bailey (I)
Conservative: Robert Diamond
37  | Shelley Mayer (I) a |  No candidate |  Independence: Shelley Mayer (I)
Working Families: Shelley Mayer (I)
Women's Equality: Shelley Mayer (I)
38  |  David Carlucci (I) a
Julie Goldberg |  C. Scott Vanderhoef a |  Women's Equality: David Carlucci (I)
Conservative: C. Scott Vanderhoef
Independence: C. Scott Vanderhoef
Reform: C. Scott Vanderhoef
39  |  James G. Skoufis a |  Thomas Basile a |  Working Families: James G. Skoufis
Women's Equality: James G. Skoufis
Conservative: Thomas Basile
Independence: Thomas Basile
Reform: James G. Skoufis
40  |  Peter Harckham a
Robert Kesten |  Terrence P. Murphy (I) a |  Working Families: Peter Harckham
Women's Equality: Peter Harckham
Conservative: Terrence P. Murphy (I)
Independence: Terrence P. Murphy (I)
Reform: Terrence P. Murphy (I)
41  |  Karen Smythe a |  Susan J. Serino (I) a |  Working Families: Karen Smythe
Women's Equality: Karen Smythe
Conservative: Susan J. Serino (I)
Independence: Susan J. Serino (I)
Reform: Susan J. Serino (I)
42  |  Jen Metzger a
Pramilla Malick |  Ann Rabbitt a |  Working Families: Jen Metzger
Women's Equality: Jen Metzger
Conservative: Ann Rabbitt
Independence: Ann Rabbitt
Reform: Ann Rabbitt
43  |  Aaron Gladd a |  Daphne Jordan a |  Working Families: Aaron Gladd
Women's Equality: Aaron Gladd
Conservative: Daphne Jordan
Independence: Daphne Jordan
Reform: Daphne Jordan
44  |  Neil Breslin (I) a |  Christopher Davis a |  Working Families: Neil Breslin (I)
Conservative: Christopher Davis
Independence: Neil Breslin (I)
Reform: Christopher Davis
45  |  Emily Martz a |  Betty Little (I) a |  Working Families: Mark Schneider
Conservative: Betty Little (I)
Independence: Betty Little (I)
Reform: Betty Little (I)
46  |  Pat Courtney Strong a |  George Amedore (I) a |  Working Families: Pat Courtney Strong
Women's Equality: Pat Courtney Strong
Conservative: George Amedore (I)
Independence: George Amedore (I)
Reform: George Amedore (I)
47  |  No candidate |  Joseph Griffo (I) a |  Conservative: Joseph Griffo (I)
Independence: Joseph Griffo (I)
Reform: Joseph Griffo (I)
48  |  No candidate |  Patricia Ritchie (I) a |  Conservative: Patricia Ritchie (I)
Independence: Patricia Ritchie (I)
49  |  Michelle Ostrelich a |  James Tedisco (I) a |  Working Families: Michelle Ostrelich
Women's Equality: Michelle Ostrelich
Conservative: James Tedisco (I)
Independence: James Tedisco (I)
Reform: James Tedisco (I)
50  |  John Mannion a |  Bob Antonacci a |  Working Families: John Mannion
Women's Equality: John Mannion
Conservative: Bob Antonacci
Independence: Bob Antonacci
Reform: John Mannion
51  |  Joyce St. George a |  James L. Seward (I) a |  Women's Equality: Joyce St. George
Conservative: James L. Seward (I)
Independence: James L. Seward (I)
Reform: James L. Seward (I)
52  |  No candidate |  Fred Akshar (I) a |  Conservative: Fred Akshar (I)
Independence: Fred Akshar (I)
Reform: Fred Akshar (I)
53  |  David Valesky (I)
Rachel May a |  Janet Berl Burman a |  Working Families: Rachel May
Women's Equality: David Valesky (I)
Conservative: Janet Berl Burman
Independence: David Valesky (I) a

54  |  Kenan Baldridge a |  Pamela Helming (I) a |  Working Families: Kenan Baldridge
Women's Equality: Kenan Baldridge
Conservative: Pamela Helming (I)
Independence: Pamela Helming (I)
Reform: Pamela Helming (I)
55  |  Jennifer Lunsford a |  Rich Funke (I) a |  Conservative: Rich Funke (I)
Independence: Rich Funke (I)
Reform: Rich Funke (I)
56  |  Jeremy Cooney a |  Joseph Robach (I) a |  Working Families: Jeremy Cooney
Women's Equality: Jeremy Cooney
Conservative: Joseph Robach (I)
Independence: Joseph Robach (I)
Reform: Joseph Robach (I)
57  |  No candidate |  Catharine Young (I) a |  Conservative: Catharine Young (I)
Independence: Catharine Young (I)
Reform: Catharine Young (I)
58  |  Amanda Kirchgessner a
Michael Lausell |  Thomas O'Mara (I) a |  Working Families: Michael Lausell a
Conservative: Thomas O'Mara (I)
Independence: Thomas O'Mara (I)
Reform: Thomas O'Mara (I)
59  |  No candidate |  Patrick Gallivan (I) a |  Conservative: Patrick Gallivan (I)
Independence: Patrick Gallivan (I)
Reform: Patrick Gallivan (I)
60  |  Carima El Behairy a |  Christopher Jacobs (I) a |  Working Families: Carima El Behairy
Women's Equality: Carima El Behairy
Conservative: Christopher Jacobs (I)
Independence: Christopher Jacobs (I)
Reform: Christopher Jacobs (I)
Green: James DePasquale
61  |  Joan Seamans a |  Michael Ranzenhofer (I) a |  Working Families: Joan Seamans
Women's Equality: Joan Seamans
Conservative: Michael Ranzenhofer (I)
Independence: Michael Ranzenhofer (I)
Reform: Michael Ranzenhofer (I)
62  |  No candidate |  Robert Ortt (I) a |  Conservative: Robert Ortt (I)
Independence: Robert Ortt (I)
Reform: Robert Ortt (I)
Green: Peter Diachun
63  |  Timothy M. Kennedy (I) a
Shaqurah Zachery |  Thomas Gaglione a |  Working Families: Timothy M. Kennedy (I)
Women's Equality: Timothy M. Kennedy (I)
Independence: Timothy M. Kennedy (I)
Notes |  • An (I) denotes an incumbent.
|  • Candidate lists can change frequently throughout an election season. Ballotpedia staff update this list monthly. To suggest changes, click here to email our Elections Project.

## Margins of victory[edit]

See also: Margin of victory analysis for the 2018 state legislative elections

A margin of victory (MOV) analysis for the 2018 New York State Senate races is presented in this section. MOV represents the percentage of total votes that separated the winner and the second-place finisher. For example, if the winner of a race received 47 percent of the vote and the second-place finisher received 45 percent of the vote, the MOV is 2 percent.

The table below presents the following figures for each party:

* Elections won
* Elections won by less than 10 percentage points
* Elections won without opposition
* Average margin of victory[3]

New York State Senate: 2018 Margin of Victory Analysis

Party |  Elections won |  Elections won by less than 10% |  Unopposed elections |  Average margin of victory[3]
Democratic | 40 | 8 | 10 | 47.0%
Republican | 23 | 7 | 6 | 16.1%
Other | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A
Total | 63 | 15 | 16 | 31.5%

The margin of victory in each race is presented below. The list is sorted from the closest MOV to the largest (including unopposed races).

New York State Senate: 2018 Margin of Victory by District

District |  Winning Party |  Losing Party |  Margin of Victory
New York State Senate District 41 |  Republican |  Democratic | 0.6%
New York State Senate District 6 |  Democratic |  Republican | 1.7%
New York State Senate District 50 |  Republican |  Democratic | 1.9%
New York State Senate District 22 |  Democratic |  Republican | 1.9%
New York State Senate District 3 |  Democratic |  Republican | 3.1%
New York State Senate District 40 |  Democratic |  Republican | 3.2%
New York State Senate District 4 |  Republican |  Democratic | 3.6%
New York State Senate District 42 |  Democratic |  Republican | 3.7%
New York State Senate District 55 |  Republican |  Democratic | 3.8%
New York State Senate District 43 |  Republican |  Democratic | 6.1%
New York State Senate District 39 |  Democratic |  Republican | 7.9%
New York State Senate District 61 |  Republican |  Democratic | 8.3%
New York State Senate District 8 |  Democratic |  Republican | 9.6%
New York State Senate District 5 |  Democratic |  Republican | 9.9%
New York State Senate District 2 |  Republican |  Democratic | 9.9%
New York State Senate District 7 |  Democratic |  Republican | 10.2%
New York State Senate District 56 |  Republican |  Democratic | 11.1%
New York State Senate District 60 |  Republican |  Democratic | 11.5%
New York State Senate District 46 |  Republican |  Democratic | 11.6%
New York State Senate District 1 |  Republican |  Democratic | 13.8%
New York State Senate District 53 |  Democratic |  Republican | 14.3%
New York State Senate District 49 |  Republican |  Democratic | 18.6%
New York State Senate District 58 |  Republican |  Democratic | 19.0%
New York State Senate District 9 |  Democratic |  Republican | 23.6%
New York State Senate District 54 |  Republican |  Democratic | 23.9%
New York State Senate District 51 |  Republican |  Democratic | 27.0%
New York State Senate District 15 |  Democratic |  Republican | 28.2%
New York State Senate District 45 |  Republican |  Democratic | 28.8%
New York State Senate District 11 |  Democratic |  Republican | 29.3%
New York State Senate District 38 |  Democratic |  Republican | 30.8%
New York State Senate District 23 |  Democratic |  Republican | 41.2%
New York State Senate District 44 |  Democratic |  Republican | 41.3%
New York State Senate District 34 |  Democratic |  Republican | 61.2%
New York State Senate District 28 |  Democratic |  Republican | 63.6%
New York State Senate District 17 |  Democratic |  Working Families Party | 71.5%
New York State Senate District 62 |  Republican |  Green Party | 73.5%
New York State Senate District 26 |  Democratic |  Republican | 76.7%
New York State Senate District 13 |  Democratic |  Independence Party | 79.6%
New York State Senate District 19 |  Democratic |  Republican | 79.7%
New York State Senate District 31 |  Democratic |  Republican | 82.5%
New York State Senate District 20 |  Democratic |  Independence Party | 85.5%
New York State Senate District 29 |  Democratic |  Republican | 85.8%
New York State Senate District 33 |  Democratic |  Republican | 90.8%
New York State Senate District 16 |  Democratic |  Reform Party | 90.8%
New York State Senate District 32 |  Democratic |  Republican | 91.4%
New York State Senate District 21 |  Democratic |  Conservative Party | 94.1%
New York State Senate District 36 |  Democratic |  Conservative Party | 95.6%
New York State Senate District 10 |  Democratic | None | Unopposed
New York State Senate District 12 |  Democratic | None | Unopposed
New York State Senate District 14 |  Democratic | None | Unopposed
New York State Senate District 24 |  Republican | None | Unopposed
New York State Senate District 25 |  Democratic | None | Unopposed
New York State Senate District 27 |  Democratic | None | Unopposed
New York State Senate District 37 |  Democratic | None | Unopposed
New York State Senate District 47 |  Republican | None | Unopposed
New York State Senate District 48 |  Republican | None | Unopposed
New York State Senate District 52 |  Republican | None | Unopposed
New York State Senate District 57 |  Republican | None | Unopposed
New York State Senate District 59 |  Republican | None | Unopposed
New York State Senate District 18 |  Democratic | None | Unopposed
New York State Senate District 30 |  Democratic | None | Unopposed
New York State Senate District 35 |  Democratic | None | Unopposed
New York State Senate District 63 |  Democratic | None | Unopposed

## Seats flipped[edit]

See also: State legislative seats that changed party control, 2018

The below map displays each seat in the New York State Senate which changed partisan hands as a result of the 2018 elections, shaded according to the partisan affiliation of the winner in 2018. Hover over a shaded district for more information.

State legislative seats flipped in 2018, New York State Senate

District  |  Incumbent  |  2018 winner  |  Direction of flip
New York State Senate District 22 |  Martin Golden |  Andrew Gounardes | R to D
New York State Senate District 3 |  Tom Croci |  Monica Martinez | R to D
New York State Senate District 39 |  William Larkin |  James Skoufis | R to D
New York State Senate District 40 |  Terrence P. Murphy |  Peter Harckham | R to D
New York State Senate District 42 |  John Bonacic |  Jen Metzger | R to D
New York State Senate District 5 |  Carl Marcellino |  James Gaughran | R to D
New York State Senate District 6 |  Kemp Hannon |  Kevin Thomas | R to D
New York State Senate District 7 |  Elaine Phillips |  Anna Kaplan | R to D

## Incumbents retiring[edit]

Five incumbents did not run for re-election in 2018.[4] Those incumbents were:

Name  |  Party  |  Office

|
|

Tom Croci |  Republican | Senate District 3
William Larkin |  Republican | Senate District 39
John Bonacic |  Republican | Senate District 42
Kathleen A. Marchione |  Republican | Senate District 43
John DeFrancisco |  Republican | Senate District 50

## 2018 battleground chamber[edit]

See also: State legislative battleground chambers, 2018

Ballotpedia identified the New York State Senate as one of 22 battleground chambers in 2018. These were chambers that we anticipated to be, overall, more competitive than other chambers and had the potential to see significant shifts in party control.

The chamber was selected because it met the following conditions:

* Competitive seats: In 2016, five seats won by Republicans had a margin of victory that was less than 10 percent. Two Democratic seats had a margin of victory less than 10 percent. See the 2018 races to watch here.

* Majority held less than 55 percent of seats: Heading into the elections, the Republican-led coalition held 32 of 63 seats, 50.8 percent of the total. This included the 31 Republicans elected to the chamber and Democrat Simcha Felder, who caucused with Republicans.

* 2016 presidential election results: Hillary Clinton (D) won nine districts that elected Republicans to the state Senate. Donald Trump (R) won a single Democratic-controlled district. See the 2016 presidential results in state legislative districts here.

* Recent party control switches: The chamber flipped from Democratic to Republican control in 2010 after flipping from Republican to Democratic in 2008 for the first time since 1964.

Party control: 2006 - 2016

Election Year:  | 2006  | 2008  | 2010  | 2012  | 2014  | 2016
Winning Party: | R | D | R | R* | R | R*
*Chamber controlled by Republican-led coalition

## Battleground races[edit]

New York State Senate
Battleground races

Democratic seats
District 8
District 9
Republican seats
District 3
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 39
District 40
District 42
District 43
District 50
District 58

Ballotpedia identified 12 battleground races in the New York State Senate 2018 elections: two Democratic seats and ten Republican seats. Based on analysis of these districts' electoral histories, these races had the potential to be more competitive than other races and could possibly have led to shifts in a chamber's partisan balance.

To determine state legislative battleground races in 2018, Ballotpedia looked for races that fit one or more of the four factors listed below:

1. If the incumbent won less than 55 percent of the vote in the most recent election prior to 2018
2. If the presidential candidate opposite of the incumbent's party won the district in the 2016 elections and the incumbent’s margin of victory in the previous election was 10 percentage points or less
3. If the presidential candidate opposite of the incumbent's party won the district in the 2016 elections and the incumbent did not file to run for re-election
4. If the presidential candidate opposite of the incumbent's party won the district in the 2016 elections by 20 points or more

Other factors could also cause a race to be classified as a battleground. For example, Ballotpedia may have considered an election to be a battleground race if an outside group or a national or state party announced that they were targeting a specific seat in order to flip it. We may have also determined a race to be a battleground if it received an unusual amount of media attention. Two additional factors were open seats and districts impacted by redistricting.

### District 3[edit]

Who won this race?

Democrat Monica Martinez defeated Republican Dean Murray.

What party controlled the seat heading into the election?

The Republican Party

Who were the candidates running?

Monica Martinez
Dean Murray

What made this a battleground race?

Incumbent Tom Croci announced he would not seek re-election in May 2018.[5] Croci was first elected in 2014. In 2016, he won the seat by 17.3 points. District 3 was one of 23 New York Senate districts that Republican Donald Trump won in the 2016 presidential election. Trump carried District 3 by 6.0 points. Barack Obama (D) won the district in the 2012 presidential election by 12.0 points.

Politico said this race slightly favored the Republican.[6]

### District 5[edit]

Who won this race?

Democrat James Gaughran defeated Republican incumbent Carl Marcellino.

What party controlled the seat heading into the election?

The Republican Party

Who were the candidates running?

James Gaughran
Carl Marcellino (incumbent)

What made this a battleground race?

This was a district where the incumbent won less than 55 percent of the vote in 2016 and the presidential candidate of the opposite party won. Incumbent Carl Marcellino (R) was first elected in 1995 in a special election. In 2016, he won the seat by 1.2 points. District 5 was one of 40 New York Senate districts that Democrat Hillary Clinton won in the 2016 presidential election. Clinton carried District 5 by 3.0 points. Mitt Romney (R) won the district in the 2012 presidential election by 1.6 points.

Politico called the race a toss-up.[6]

### District 6[edit]

Who won this race?

Democrat Kevin Thomas defeated Republican incumbent Kemp Hannon.

What party controlled the seat heading into the election?

The Republican Party

Who were the candidates running?

Kevin Thomas
Kemp Hannon (incumbent)

What made this a battleground race?

This was a district where the incumbent won less than 55 percent of the vote in 2016 and the presidential candidate of the opposite party won. Incumbent Kemp Hannon (R) was first elected in 1989. In 2016, he won the seat by 7.7 points. District 6 was one of 40 New York Senate districts that Democrat Hillary Clinton won in the 2016 presidential election. Clinton carried District 6 by 2.7 points. Barack Obama (D) won the district in the 2012 presidential election by 10.4 points.

Politico said this race was a likely Republican hold.[6]

### District 7[edit]

Who won this race?

Democrat Anna Kaplan defeated Republican incumbent Elaine Phillips.

What party controlled the seat heading into the election?

The Republican Party

Who were the candidates running?

Anna Kaplan
Elaine Phillips (incumbent)

What made this a battleground race?

This was a district where the incumbent won less than 55 percent of the vote in 2016 and the presidential candidate of the opposite party won. Incumbent Elaine Phillips (R) was first elected in 2016. She won the seat by 2.5 points. District 7 was one of 40 New York Senate districts that Democrat Hillary Clinton won in the 2016 presidential election. Clinton carried District 7 by 12.8 points. Barack Obama (D) won the district in the 2012 presidential election by 8.7 points.

Phillips endorsements

* Newsday[7]

Politico called the race a toss-up.[6]

### District 8[edit]

Who won this race?

Democratic incumbent John E. Brooks defeated Republican Jeffrey Pravato.

What party controlled the seat heading into the election?

The Democratic Party

Who were the candidates running?

John E. Brooks (incumbent)
Jeffrey Pravato

What made this a battleground race?

This was a district where the incumbent won less than 55 percent of the vote in 2016. Incumbent John E. Brooks (D) was first elected in 2016. He won the seat by 0.2 points, defeating the previous incumbent, Michael Venditto (R). District 8 was one of 40 New York Senate districts that Democrat Hillary Clinton won in the 2016 presidential election. Clinton carried District 8 by 2.8 points. Barack Obama (D) won the district in the 2012 presidential election by 12.4 points.

Brooks endorsements

* Newsday[8]

Politico called the race a toss-up.[6]

### District 9[edit]

Who won this race?

Democratic incumbent Todd Kaminsky defeated Republican Francis Becker Jr..

What party controlled the seat heading into the election?

The Democratic Party

Who were the candidates running?

Todd Kaminsky (incumbent)
Francis Becker Jr.

What made this a battleground race?

This was a district where the incumbent won less than 55 percent of the vote in 2016. Incumbent Todd Kaminsky (D) was first elected in a 2016 special election to replace former Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos (R). He won the special election by 1.2 points and then later won in the 2016 general election by 4.4 points. District 9 was one of 40 New York Senate districts that Democrat Hillary Clinton won in the 2016 presidential election. Clinton carried District 8 by 8.3 points. Barack Obama (D) won the district in the 2012 presidential election by 8.0 points.

Politico said this race was a likely Democratic hold.[6]

### District 39[edit]

Who won this race?

Democrat James Skoufis defeated Republican Thomas Basile.

What party controlled the seat heading into the election?

The Republican Party

Who were the candidates running?

James Skoufis
Thomas Basile

What made this a battleground race?

This was a district where the incumbent won less than 55 percent of the vote in 2016 and did not seek re-election in 2018. Incumbent William Larkin (R) was first elected in 1990. In 2016, he won his election by 5.7 points. He announced he would not seek re-election in May 2018.[9] District 39 was one of 23 New York Senate districts that Republican Donald Trump won in the 2016 presidential election. Trump carried District 39 by 3.5 points. Barack Obama (D) won the district in the 2012 presidential election by 6.6 points.

Politico called the race a toss-up.[6]

### District 40[edit]

Who won this race?

Democrat Peter Harckham defeated Republican incumbent Terrence P. Murphy.

What party controlled the seat heading into the election?

The Republican Party

Who were the candidates running?

Peter Harckham
Terrence P. Murphy (incumbent)

What made this a battleground race?

This was a district where Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) became involved.. In May 2018, the New York Daily News reported that Cuomo was recruiting former staffer Peter Harckham to run against incumbent Terrence P. Murphy (R). Murphy was first elected in 2014. In 2016, he was re-elected by 15.5 points. District 40 was one of 40 New York Senate districts that Democrat Hillary Clinton won in the 2016 presidential election. Clinton carried District 40 by 6.9 points. Barack Obama (D) won the district in the 2012 presidential election by 2.5 points.

Politico said this race slightly favored the Republican.[6]

### District 42[edit]

Who won this race?

Democrat Jen Metzger defeated Republican Ann Rabbitt.

What party controlled the seat heading into the election?

The Republican Party

Who were the candidates running?

Jen Metzger
Ann Rabbitt

What made this a battleground race?

Incumbent John Bonacic (R) announced he would not seek re-election in April 2018.[10] Bonacic was first elected in 1998. In 2016, he won his election by 22.3 points. District 42 was one of 23 New York Senate districts that Republican Donald Trump won in the 2016 presidential election. Trump carried District 42 by 5.2 points. Barack Obama (D) won the district in the 2012 presidential election by 9.2 points.

Politico said this race slightly favored the Republican.[6]

### District 43[edit]

Who won this race?

Republican Daphne Jordan defeated Democrat Aaron Gladd.

What party controlled the seat heading into the election?

The Republican Party

Who were the candidates running?

Aaron Gladd
Daphne Jordan

What made this a battleground race?

Incumbent Kathleen A. Marchione (R) announced she would not seek re-election in April 2018.[10] Marchione was first elected in 2012. In 2016, she won her election by 24.7 points. District 43 was one of 23 New York Senate districts that Republican Donald Trump won in the 2016 presidential election. Trump carried District 43 by 2.9 points. Barack Obama (D) won the district in the 2012 presidential election by 7.7 points.

Politico said this race slightly favored the Republican.[6]

### District 50[edit]

Who won this race?

Republican Bob Antonacci defeated Democrat John Mannion.

What party controlled the seat heading into the election?

The Republican Party

Who were the candidates running?

John Mannion
Bob Antonacci

What made this a battleground race?

Incumbent John DeFrancisco (R) announced he would not seek re-election in April 2018.[10] DeFrancisco was first elected in 1992. In 2016, he was unopposed. District 50 was one of 40 New York Senate districts that Democrat Hillary Clinton won in the 2016 presidential election. Clinton carried District 50 by 5.0 points. Barack Obama (D) won the district in the 2012 presidential election by 11.5 points.

Politico called the race a toss-up.[6]

### District 58[edit]

Who won this race?

Republican incumbent Thomas O'Mara defeated Democrat Amanda Kirchgessner.

What party controlled the seat heading into the election?

The Republican Party

Who were the candidates running?

Amanda Kirchgessner
Thomas O'Mara (incumbent)

What made this a battleground race?

This was a district where the incumbent won less than 55 percent of the vote in 2016. Incumbent Thomas O'Mara (R) was first elected in 2010. In 2016, he won his election by 9.3 points. District 58 was one of 23 New York Senate districts that Republican Donald Trump won in the 2016 presidential election. Trump carried District 58 by 8.9 points. Barack Obama (D) won the district in the 2012 presidential election by 3.5 points.

Politico said this race was safe for the Republican.[6]

### Battleground races map[edit]

## Campaign activity[edit]

### Andrew Cuomo and state party spending[edit]

On October 15, 2018, Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) launched a $2 million television and advertising campaign to help Democrats take control of the state Senate. The $2 million came jointly from Cuomo's campaign and the state Democratic Party. Cuomo said, ""This election is not about red and blue, it's black and white — and we need a Democratic state Senate to protect New York and keep progress moving forward."

In response to the spending, a Senate Republican spokesperson said, "If Gov. Cuomo elects a Democrat majority in the Senate, there will be no accountability, no checks and balances, and no one to stop this administration from the corruption, bribery and pay-to-play schemes that have sent (former aides Joseph) Percoco, (Alain) Kaloyeros and other associates to jail."[11]

### State committee spending on races in Suffolk and Nassau counties[edit]

Newsday reported that the Democratic and Republican state committees spent the following amounts on Senate races in Suffolk and Nassau counties, both on Long Island.

* District 3: As of October 24, the Senate Republican Campaign Committee had given $200,000 to Dean Murray (R), and Democratic Senate Campaign Committee had given $181,000 to Monica Martinez (D).[12]
* District 5: As of October 9, the Senate Republican Campaign Committee had given $436,000 to Sen. Carl Marcellino (R), and the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee had given $348,000 to James Gaughran (D).[13]
* District 7: As of October 9, the Senate Republican Campaign Committee had given $461,000 to Sen. Elaine Phillips (R). The Democratic Senate Campaign Committee had not spent on behalf of Anna Kaplan (D) as of October 9.[13]
* District 8: As of October 9, the Senate Republican Campaign Committee had given $396,000 to Jeffrey Pravato (R), and the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee had given $536,000 to John E. Brooks (D).[13]

## Control of the chamber in 2018[edit]

### IDC and Mainline Democratic reunification[edit]

Prior to April 2018, factions in the New York State Senate included the mainline Democratic Party, the Republican Party, and an offshoot of the Democratic Party called the Independent Democratic Conference (IDC). Republicans controlled the chamber from 2012 to 2018 through an alliance with the IDC and Democrat Simcha Felder. In April 2018, the eight members of the IDC rejoined the mainline Democratic conference, but Felder stayed with the Republicans, giving them an effective 32-31 majority in the chamber.

In the September 13 Democratic primaries, progressive primary challengers defeated former IDC leader Jeff Klein and former IDC members Tony Avella, Jose Peralta, Jesse Hamilton, Marisol Alcantara, and David Valesky. Felder and former IDC members Diane Savino and David Carlucci won their primaries. Read more here.

Click here to see more about what happened with the IDC in late 2017 and early 2018|

|

Klein

In late 2017, Buffalo Mayor and New York Democratic Party Chairman Byron Brown began applying pressure to IDC leader Jeff Klein and mainline Democratic leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins to reunify their caucuses. If the two sides could not work together in the state Senate, the state party said it would run primary challengers against IDC members and possibly change up the leadership among the mainline Democrats.

If they could, however, Klein and Stewart-Cousins were to hold co-leadership positions in a chamber controlled by a Democratic majority for the first time since 2010. Moreover, the IDC and the mainline Democrats would be able to approve the other side's deputies. According to the New York Times, this was important because Klein had a feud with state Sen. Michael Gianaris, who served as Stewart-Cousins' deputy and was an IDC critic.

Stewart-Cousins

Both Klein and Stewart-Cousins responded positively to the proposal and suggested that they were willing to work together in the 2018 legislative session.[14]

Stewart-Cousins told the New York Daily News that the proposed alliance depended on the outcome of special elections in 2018 where Democrats would need to replace two of their members--Ruben Diaz (D) and George Latimer (D)-- who resigned to take local elected positions in order to maintain a 32-31 numerical majority in the chamber. The special elections were scheduled for April 24, 2018. With the seats held by Latimer and Diaz vacant, Republicans held a 31-30 numerical majority in the chamber.

She said that Democrats would also have to convince Simcha Felder (D) to end his alliance with Republicans and begin caucusing with Democrats. She said that if she was not the majority leader by the end of the 2018 legislative session, then the mainline Democrats and potentially the state party might back primary challenges against the IDC members.

Felder

Stewart-Cousins dismissed concerns that the Democrats would not be able to take control of the chamber from Republicans in the middle of the session due to a rule requiring 38 members to change leadership during a session. She said, “I think we will be in a position as the majority to make the rules." She also said she was not worried about a potential court challenge to a leadership change by Senate Republicans.[15]

In December 2017, Sen. Felder chose to remain with the Republicans until the state budget was passed (the deadline was at the end of March 2018), meaning Republicans would retain control of the chamber until at least mid-2018. Felder previously said that he would align with the party that focused on his legislative priorities, including securing funding for yeshivas and placing armed guards in New York City schools.[16]

On April 4, 2018, Klein and Stewart-Cousins agreed to reunify immediately in a new agreement proposed by Gov. Cuomo. The agreement was reached at a closed-door meeting at a Manhattan steakhouse on April 3, with leaders of the state's labor unions and U.S. Rep. Joe Crowley (R) both present. The agreement dissolved the IDC to dissolve and put Stewart-Cousins in charge of the Democratic conference, with Klein as her deputy. It was set to go forward regardless of whether Felder began caucusing with Democrats or if Democrats won the April 24 special elections.[17]

Following the reunification, Felder said he would continue caucusing with Republicans (giving them a one-seat majority even if Democrats won the April 24 special elections), but that he was still open to joining the new Democratic caucus. He said, “I don’t feel obligated to remain with the Republicans, or obligated to join the Democrats. I’m loyal to God, my wife and my constituents, and New Yorkers.” He also said, “I think it’s fair to say that I would have to feel a compelling reason to leave [the Republican caucus]."[17]

Felder later told City and State New York, "As someone with no allegiance to either party, I’d have to be an idiot to do anything now. How do my constituents gain? There’s an election coming up in a few weeks. So, either the Republicans win and I’m 33 and it certainly doesn’t make sense for me to move at that time. Or the Democrats win both seats and we’re back to the horse trading!"[18][19]

As of April 5, the seven IDC primary challengers still planned on running against the former IDC members in September. Jessica Ramos, who planned to challenge state Sen. Jose Peralta (D), said that she did not trust that the reunification would last.[17] Alexandra Biaggi, who planned to challenge Klein, said that just because the IDC dissolved, it does not "[undo] the seven years of damage that has already occurred in New York state." Gov Cuomo said that the reunification deal prohibited incumbent state senators from backing primary challenges against other incumbents.[20]

On April 9, Klein held a fundraiser for members of the IDC to help them defend themselves against primary challengers.[21] The funds went to the Senate Independence Campaign Committee, the fundraising arm of the former IDC members.[22]

The IDC was officially dissolved on April 16, 2018, when the state Senate convened in session. Four IDC members who held committee chairs under Republican leadership--Marisol Alcantara (Labor), David Carlucci (Consumer Protection), Jesse Hamilton (Banks), and Tony Avella (Children and Families)--were stripped of their posts.[23][24]

On April 24, the same day the special elections for the Latimer and Diaz seats were scheduled, Felder announced that he would remain in the Republican caucus regardless of the outcome.

“I believe it is my obligation to prevent an unprecedented and uncertain late-session political battle that will only hurt my constituents and New Yorkers,” he said. “Political gamesmanship must not be allowed to jeopardize the leadership, committee structure and staff of the New York State Senate and push this institution into turmoil.”[25]

Democrats won both special elections on April 24, giving them a 32-31 numerical majority with Republicans still in control of the chamber through their alliance with Felder.

In early May 2018, Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown and nine labor union leaders wrote a letter to state Senate Democratic leadership urging them to not support primary challenges against former IDC members. A spokesman for the Senate leadership said, "it has been clear for months that we are not supporting the primary opponents of our conference members."[26]

At the May 2018 New York Democratic Convention, Stewart-Cousins announced that she was endorsing all state Senate incumbents, including the former IDC members.[27]

On May 19, the Albany Times-Union reported that 39 IDC staffers lost their positions following the dissolution of the caucus. Of the 77 staffers who kept their jobs, 30 saw pay reductions.[28]

### Background[edit]

Click here to read more background on the conflict between the IDC and mainline Democrats|

|

In 2008, Democrats took control of the New York State Senate for the first time since the 1964 elections with a 32-30 majority. They also took trifecta control of New York for the first time since the New Deal era.[1] Democrats lost control of the Senate in the summer of 2018 due to defections in their caucus but later regained control when the defecting members returned to them.[29][1][30][31][32]

Republicans won a 32-30 majority in the 2010 elections and Andrew Cuomo (D) won the governorship. The Independent Democratic Caucus (IDC), a group of state Senate Democrats led by state Sen. Jeffrey Klein, broke away from the chamber's mainline Democrats the same week that Cuomo took office in early 2011. Prior to his departure from the mainline Democrats, Klein had been the second-ranking Democrat in the chamber. Following the 2012 elections, where Democrats regained a numerical majority in the chamber, the IDC entered into a power-sharing agreement with Senate Republicans where Klein and Republican leader Dean Skelos alternated as Senate president. Newly-elected Democrat Simcha Felder (D) began caucusing with the Republicans as well, although he was not part of the IDC. As part of the deal, Republican and IDC leaders were to have joint authority over bills, committee assignments, and budget negotiations. Klein also said that Republicans committed to allowing some Democratic priorities to receive a vote on the floor.

After the alliance was announced, Gov. Cuomo did not call for Democratic control of the Senate, with his office saying, "The governor will withhold judgment until he sees how the Senate functions and acts on critical issues facing the state."[33]

Progressives argued that the IDC-Republican alliance in the Senate prevented the state from passing healthcare, housing, and immigration policies opposed by Republican senators. Progressives also accused Gov. Cuomo of enabling the alliance in order to suit his own policy goals and political ambitions, including a possible presidential run in 2020.[34]

In 2014, Klein announced that the IDC would rejoin with mainline Democrats in January 2015, citing the Republican-controlled Senate's inability to pass on the DREAM Act, increase the state's minimum wage, or allow for the public financing of elections. Gov. Cuomo, who was under pressure from the Working Families Party according to the New York Daily News, had called for the IDC to realign with the mainline Democrats and said he would campaign against them if they did not. Cuomo and New York Mayor Bill de Blasio both issued statements in support of the IDC realignment.[35]

Republicans ended up winning an outright majority in the 2014 elections, and Klein maintained the alliance that kept them as part of the majority. He said, “I think the Independent Democratic Conference is an important, stabilizing force in the State Senate.”[36]

Democrats won a 32-31 numerical majority in the 2016 elections, but the IDC and Felder again chose to align with Republicans, giving them effective control of the chamber.[37] They now partnered with Republican leader John Flanagan. Skelos stepped down in May 2015 following his arrest on federal corruption charges.

The IDC-Republican power-sharing agreement again looked tenuous in November 2017, as more state and national figures began calling for the IDC members to rejoin the mainline Democrats. In May 2017, Felder wrote a letter to Klein where he called for the IDC to return to the mainline Democratic caucus. He said he would possibly rejoin the mainline Democrats if the IDC did. The IDC criticized Felder's alliance with the Republicans in response. Mainline Democratic leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and DNC Deputy Chairman and U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) also called for the IDC to return to the Democratic caucus.[38][16]

## New York political history[edit]

See also: Partisan composition of state senates and State government trifectas

### Party control[edit]

#### 2018[edit]

In the 2018 elections, Democrats gained full control of the New York State Senate.

New York State Senate

Party  |  As of November 6, 2018  |  After November 7, 2018
|  Democratic Party |  32  |  40
|  Republican Party |  31 |  23
Total |  63 |  63

#### 2016[edit]

In the 2016 elections, Democrats maintained their numerical majority in the New York State Senate but a power-sharing agreement between the Independent Democratic Conference and Senate Republicans has kept the state Senate under Republican control.

New York State Senate

Party  |  As of November 7, 2016  |  After November 8, 2016
|  Democratic Party |  31  |  32
|  Republican Party |  31 |  31
|  Vacant  |  1  |  0
Total |  63 |  63

### Trifectas[edit]

A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government. Democrats in New York held a state government trifecta for two years between 1992 and 2017.

New York Party Control: 1992-2021
Five years of Democratic trifectas • No Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year  |  92  |  93  |  94  |  95  |  96  |  97  |  98  |  99  |  00  |  01  |  02  |  03  |  04  |  05  |  06  |  07  |  08  |  09  |  10  |  11  |  12  |  13  |  14  |  15  |  16  |  17  |  18  |  19  |  20  |  21

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Governor |  D |  D |  D |  R |  R |  R |  R |  R |  R |  R |  R |  R |  R |  R |  R |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D
Senate |  R |  R |  R |  R |  R |  R |  R |  R |  R |  R |  R |  R |  R |  R |  R |  R |  R |  D |  D |  R |  R |  R |  R |  R |  R |  R |  R |  D |  D |  D
Assembly |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D

## Wave election analysis[edit]

See also: Wave elections (1918-2016)

The term wave election is frequently used to describe an election cycle in which one party makes significant electoral gains. How many seats would Republicans have had to lose for the 2018 midterm election to be considered a wave election?

Ballotpedia examined the results of the 50 election cycles that occurred between 1918 and 2016—spanning from President Woodrow Wilson's (D) second midterm in 1918 to Donald Trump's (R) first presidential election in 2016. We define wave elections as the 20 percent of elections in that period resulting in the greatest seat swings against the president's party.

Applying this definition to state legislative elections, we found that Republicans needed to lose 494 seats for 2018 to qualify as a wave election.

The chart below shows the number of seats the president's party lost in the 10 state legislative waves from 1918 to 2016. Click here to read the full report.

State legislative wave elections

Year | President | Party | Election type | State legislative seats change | Elections analyzed[39]
1932 | Hoover | R | Presidential | -1,022 | 7,365
1922 | Harding | R | First midterm | -907 | 6,907
1966 | Johnson | D | First midterm[40] | -782 | 7,561
1938 | Roosevelt | D | Second midterm | -769 | 7,179
1958 | Eisenhower | R | Second midterm | -702 | 7,627
2010 | Obama | D | First midterm | -702 | 7,306
1974 | Ford | R | Second midterm[41] | -695 | 7,481
1920 | Wilson | D | Presidential | -654 | 6,835
1930 | Hoover | R | Presidential | -640 | 7,361
1954 | Eisenhower | R | First midterm | -494 | 7,513

## Candidate and office information[edit]

### Process to become a candidate[edit]

See also: Ballot access requirements for political candidates in New York

See statutes: Article 6 of the New York Election Law

### For political party candidates[edit]

Political party candidates seeking placement on the primary ballot must be nominated via designating petitions. Sample forms are provided by the New York State Board of Elections. A party may nominate a non-enrolled member by filing a certificate of authorization, signed by the presiding officer and secretary of the meeting at which such authorization was given. Only enrolled party members may sign designating petitions. Signature requirements vary according to the office being sought. Generally speaking, a candidate must collect signatures equaling at least 5 percent of the number of active enrolled voters in the political unit (e.g., the state for statewide offices, such as governor; the legislative district for state senate or assembly districts; etc.), or a fixed total established by statute, whichever is less.[42][43][44][45][46]

Designating petitions must be submitted to the appropriate county board of elections, with the following exceptions:[47]

* If the political unit of the office being sought lies entirely within New York City, the petition must be filed with the city board of elections.
* If the political unit of the office being sought comprises more than one county or portions of two or more counties, the petition must be filed with the New York State Board of Elections.

Designating petitions must be filed between the 10th Monday and ninth Tuesday prior to the primary election. A candidate must file a certificate of acceptance or declination of the designation no later than the fourth day after the last day to file designating petitions.[48]

Enrolled party members may also circulate petitions to allow for the opportunity to write in a candidate for an office for which there is no contest for the party nomination at the primary. These are called opportunity to ballot petitions and are substantially the same as designating petitions (i.e., the petitions are held to the same signature and filing requirements, etc.), except that they do not require a candidate to be named.[42][49]

### For independent candidates[edit]

Independent candidates seeking placement the general election ballot must be nominated via nominating petitions. Sample forms are provided by the New York State Board of Elections.[42][50]

The group of voters making the nomination may designate a name for themselves, provided the name is rendered in English and does not suggest similarity with an existing political party or a political organization that has already filed a nominating petition.[51]

Signature requirements vary according to the office being sought. Generally speaking, candidates must collect signatures equaling at least 5 percent of the total number of votes cast for governor within the political unit at the last gubernatorial election, or a fixed total established by statute, whichever is less.[52]

Nominating petitions must be submitted to the appropriate county board of elections, with the following exceptions:[47]

* If the political unit of the office being sought lies entirely within New York City, the petition must be filed with the city board of elections.
* If the political unit of the office being sought comprises more than one county or portions of two or more counties, the petition must be filed with the New York State Board of Elections.

Nominating petitions must be filed between the 12th and 11th week prior to the general election. A candidate must file a certificate of acceptance or declination of the designation no later than the third day after the last day to file nominating petitions.[48]

### Write-in candidates[edit]

A write-in candidate for president or vice-president must file a certificate of candidacy with the New York State Board of Elections. Write-in candidates for other federal or state offices do not have to submit any filing paperwork.[53]

### Qualifications[edit]

See also: State legislature candidate requirements by state

Article 3, Section 7 of the New York Constitution states: No person shall serve as a member of the legislature unless he or she is a citizen of the United States and has been a resident of the state of New York for five years, and, except as hereinafter otherwise prescribed, of the assembly or senate district for the twelve months immediately preceding his or her election; if elected a senator or member of assembly at the first election next ensuing after a readjustment or alteration of the senate or assembly districts becomes effective, a person, to be eligible to serve as such, must have been a resident of the county in which the senate or assembly district is contained for the twelve months immediately preceding his or her election. No member of the legislature shall, during the time for which he or she was elected, receive any civil appointment from the governor, the governor and the senate, the legislature or from any city government, to an office which shall have been created, or the emoluments whereof shall have been increased during such time.

### Salaries and per diem[edit]

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
State legislators

Salary| Per diem
$110,000/year| For non-overnight travel: $61/day. For overnight stays: $176/day.

### When sworn in[edit]

See also: When state legislators assume office after a general election

New York legislators assume office the first Wednesday in January. When the first Wednesday in January falls on January 1, it shall meet the next Wednesday.

## Competitiveness[edit]

Every year, Ballotpedia uses official candidate lists from each state to examine the competitiveness of every state legislative race in the country. Nationally, there has been a steady decline in electoral competitiveness since 2010. Most notable is that the number of districts with general election competition has dropped by more than 10 percent.

### Results from 2016[edit]

Below is Ballotpedia's 2016 competitiveness analysis. Click here to read the full study »

### Historical context[edit]

See also: Competitiveness in State Legislative Elections: 1972-2014

Uncontested elections: In 2014, 32.8 percent of Americans lived in states with an uncontested state senate election. Similarly, 40.4 percent of Americans lived in states with uncontested house elections. Primary elections were uncontested even more frequently, with 61 percent of people living in states with no contested primaries. Uncontested elections often occur in locations that are so politically one-sided that the result of an election would be a foregone conclusion regardless of whether it was contested or not.

Open seats: In most cases, an incumbent will run for re-election, which decreases the number of open seats available. In 2014, 83 percent of the 6,057 seats up for election saw the incumbent running for re-election. The states that impose term limits on their legislatures typically see a higher percentage of open seats in a given year because a portion of incumbents in each election are forced to leave office. Overall, the number of open seats decreased from 2012 to 2014, dropping from 21.2 percent in 2012 to 17.0 percent in 2014.

Incumbent win rates: Ballotpedia's competitiveness analysis of elections between 1972 and 2014 documented the high propensity for incumbents to win re-election in state legislative elections. In fact, since 1972, the win rate for incumbents had not dropped below 90 percent—with the exception of 1974, when 88 percent of incumbents were re-elected to their seats. Perhaps most importantly, the win rate for incumbents generally increased over time. In 2014, 96.5 percent of incumbents were able to retain their seats. Common convention holds that incumbents are able to leverage their office to maintain their seat. However, the high incumbent win rate may actually be a result of incumbents being more likely to hold seats in districts that are considered safe for their party.

Marginal primaries: Often, competitiveness is measured by examining the rate of elections that have been won by amounts that are considered marginal (5 percent or less). During the 2014 election, 90.1 percent of primary and general election races were won by margins higher than 5 percent. Interestingly, it is usually the case that only one of the two races—primary or general—will be competitive at a time. This means that if a district's general election is competitive, typically one or more of the district's primaries were won by more than 5 percent. The reverse is also true: If a district sees a competitive primary, it is unlikely that the general election for that district will be won by less than 5 percent. Primaries often see very low voter turnout in comparison to general elections. In 2014, there were only 27 million voters for state legislative primaries, but approximately 107 million voters for the state legislative general elections.

## Pivot Counties[edit]

See also: Pivot Counties by state

Eighteen of 62 New York counties—29 percent—are Pivot Counties. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008

County  |  Trump margin of victory in 2016  |  Obama margin of victory in 2012  |  Obama margin of victory in 2008
Broome County, New York | 2.01% | 5.31% | 8.02%
Cayuga County, New York | 11.64% | 11.40% | 8.48%
Cortland County, New York | 5.58% | 9.11% | 9.96%
Essex County, New York | 1.14% | 18.77% | 13.32%
Franklin County, New York | 5.45% | 26.07% | 22.23%
Madison County, New York | 14.20% | 0.89% | 0.87%
Niagara County, New York | 17.75% | 0.84% | 1.00%
Orange County, New York | 5.50% | 5.65% | 4.13%
Oswego County, New York | 21.99% | 7.93% | 2.44%
Otsego County, New York | 11.13% | 2.72% | 5.91%
Rensselaer County, New York | 1.41% | 12.19% | 9.34%
St. Lawrence County, New York | 8.82% | 16.71% | 16.33%
Saratoga County, New York | 3.21% | 2.44% | 3.40%
Seneca County, New York | 11.01% | 9.08% | 2.60%
Suffolk County, New York | 6.84% | 3.69% | 5.99%
Sullivan County, New York | 11.23% | 9.02% | 9.46%
Warren County, New York | 8.47% | 2.32% | 2.64%
Washington County, New York | 18.40% | 1.90% | 0.81%

In the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton (D) won New York with 59 percent of the vote. Donald Trump (R) received 36.5 percent. In presidential elections between 1792 and 2016, New York voted Democratic 45.6 percent of the time and Republican 35 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, New York voted Democratic all five times.[54]

#### Presidential results by legislative district[edit]

The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state Senate districts in New York. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[55][56]

In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 55 out of 63 state Senate districts in New York with an average margin of victory of 36.9 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 40 out of 63 state Senate districts in New York with an average margin of victory of 46.4 points. Clinton won nine districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections.

In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won eight out of 63 state Senate districts in New York with an average margin of victory of 8.7 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 23 out of 63 state Senate districts in New York with an average margin of victory of 11.3 points. Trump won one district controlled by a Democrat heading into the 2018 elections.

2016 presidential results by state Senate District

District |  Obama |  Romney |  2012 Margin |  Clinton |  Trump |  2016 Margin |  Party Control
1 | 50.90% | 47.88% | D+3 | 44.35% | 52.33% | R+8 | R
2 | 45.97% | 52.77% | R+6.8 | 41.94% | 54.84% | R+12.9 | R
3 | 55.37% | 43.36% | D+12 | 45.31% | 51.29% | R+6 | R
4 | 52.92% | 45.94% | D+7 | 44.38% | 52.49% | R+8.1 | R
5 | 48.65% | 50.29% | R+1.6 | 49.99% | 46.98% | D+3 | R
6 | 54.70% | 44.28% | D+10.4 | 49.95% | 47.21% | D+2.7 | R
7 | 53.84% | 45.19% | D+8.7 | 54.97% | 42.17% | D+12.8 | R
8 | 55.72% | 43.33% | D+12.4 | 49.98% | 47.21% | D+2.8 | D
9 | 53.52% | 45.56% | D+8 | 52.74% | 44.45% | D+8.3 | D
10 | 94.32% | 5.43% | D+88.9 | 90.58% | 8.00% | D+82.6 | D
11 | 64.43% | 34.54% | D+29.9 | 61.47% | 35.93% | D+25.5 | D
12 | 82.58% | 15.75% | D+66.8 | 81.02% | 15.76% | D+65.3 | D
13 | 86.00% | 13.09% | D+72.9 | 82.54% | 15.01% | D+67.5 | D
14 | 92.63% | 6.95% | D+85.7 | 89.88% | 8.43% | D+81.4 | D
15 | 59.80% | 39.13% | D+20.7 | 55.27% | 41.92% | D+13.4 | D
16 | 74.05% | 24.93% | D+49.1 | 71.29% | 26.14% | D+45.2 | D
17 | 40.75% | 58.27% | R+17.5 | 44.65% | 52.80% | R+8.1 | D
18 | 93.65% | 5.10% | D+88.6 | 91.22% | 6.15% | D+85.1 | D
19 | 88.72% | 10.99% | D+77.7 | 85.32% | 13.28% | D+72 | D
20 | 94.22% | 5.00% | D+89.2 | 91.61% | 6.35% | D+85.3 | D
21 | 94.22% | 4.83% | D+89.4 | 92.65% | 5.25% | D+87.4 | D
22 | 51.91% | 46.79% | D+5.1 | 48.13% | 48.81% | R+0.7 | R
23 | 68.53% | 30.54% | D+38 | 61.11% | 36.43% | D+24.7 | D
24 | 40.33% | 58.66% | R+18.3 | 31.17% | 66.54% | R+35.4 | R
25 | 96.45% | 2.40% | D+94 | 94.51% | 2.88% | D+91.6 | D
26 | 81.80% | 16.47% | D+65.3 | 85.08% | 11.83% | D+73.3 | D
27 | 82.55% | 15.85% | D+66.7 | 86.86% | 9.99% | D+76.9 | D
28 | 69.41% | 29.42% | D+40 | 80.47% | 16.46% | D+64 | D
29 | 90.81% | 8.46% | D+82.3 | 91.28% | 6.67% | D+84.6 | D
30 | 95.32% | 3.84% | D+91.5 | 93.67% | 3.96% | D+89.7 | D
31 | 90.22% | 8.61% | D+81.6 | 90.50% | 6.96% | D+83.5 | D
32 | 96.69% | 3.09% | D+93.6 | 93.47% | 5.15% | D+88.3 | D
33 | 95.86% | 3.81% | D+92 | 93.06% | 5.46% | D+87.6 | D
34 | 74.28% | 24.79% | D+49.5 | 73.53% | 23.86% | D+49.7 | D
35 | 71.95% | 27.13% | D+44.8 | 74.56% | 22.84% | D+51.7 | D
36 | 95.08% | 4.59% | D+90.5 | 92.60% | 5.89% | D+86.7 | D
37 | 53.95% | 44.97% | D+9 | 59.30% | 37.54% | D+21.8 | D
38 | 53.82% | 45.17% | D+8.6 | 54.08% | 43.17% | D+10.9 | D
39 | 52.65% | 46.04% | D+6.6 | 46.34% | 49.87% | R+3.5 | R
40 | 50.60% | 48.13% | D+2.5 | 51.70% | 44.80% | D+6.9 | R
41 | 53.27% | 45.04% | D+8.2 | 48.54% | 47.22% | D+1.3 | R
42 | 53.76% | 44.52% | D+9.2 | 45.19% | 50.41% | R+5.2 | R
43 | 52.88% | 45.21% | D+7.7 | 45.59% | 48.53% | R+2.9 | R
44 | 67.28% | 30.57% | D+36.7 | 62.93% | 31.77% | D+31.2 | D
45 | 56.26% | 41.95% | D+14.3 | 43.49% | 50.06% | R+6.6 | R
46 | 53.64% | 44.32% | D+9.3 | 45.17% | 49.44% | R+4.3 | R
47 | 48.55% | 49.76% | R+1.2 | 37.30% | 57.12% | R+19.8 | R
48 | 51.45% | 46.82% | D+4.6 | 36.95% | 57.13% | R+20.2 | R
49 | 51.16% | 46.87% | D+4.3 | 45.32% | 48.90% | R+3.6 | R
50 | 54.90% | 43.37% | D+11.5 | 49.62% | 44.58% | D+5 | R
51 | 50.06% | 47.79% | D+2.3 | 40.12% | 53.82% | R+13.7 | R
52 | 49.19% | 48.63% | D+0.6 | 42.43% | 51.85% | R+9.4 | R
53 | 62.30% | 35.77% | D+26.5 | 54.34% | 39.79% | D+14.5 | D
54 | 49.68% | 48.41% | D+1.3 | 41.56% | 52.32% | R+10.8 | R
55 | 56.53% | 41.45% | D+15.1 | 56.31% | 37.77% | D+18.5 | R
56 | 59.96% | 38.41% | D+21.5 | 54.14% | 41.05% | D+13.1 | R
57 | 42.64% | 55.49% | R+12.8 | 32.19% | 62.30% | R+30.1 | R
58 | 50.71% | 47.19% | D+3.5 | 42.70% | 51.62% | R+8.9 | R
59 | 45.03% | 53.16% | R+8.1 | 37.05% | 57.81% | R+20.8 | R
60 | 56.05% | 42.01% | D+14 | 49.77% | 45.33% | D+4.4 | R
61 | 50.21% | 48.08% | D+2.1 | 47.26% | 47.78% | R+0.5 | R
62 | 47.60% | 50.61% | R+3 | 37.24% | 57.94% | R+20.7 | R
63 | 75.27% | 23.14% | D+52.1 | 66.90% | 29.33% | D+37.6 | D
Total | 63.43% | 35.22% | D+28.2 | 59.48% | 36.81% | D+22.7 | \-
Source: Daily Kos

## See also[edit]

* New York State Senate
* New York State Legislature
* State legislative elections, 2018
* New York state legislative Democratic primaries, 2018
* New York state legislative Republican primaries, 2018

## External links[edit]

|  Suggest a link

|

* New York State Senate

## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Spectrum News, "Analysis: Eyes on Senate in Albany power struggle and these 5 races," September 5, 2018
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Dubin, M. (2007). Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures. Jefferson, NC: McFarland Press. (pages 132-138)
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Excludes unopposed elections
4. ↑ Ballotpedia defines an incumbent as retiring if the incumbent did not file for office or filed for office but withdrew, was disqualified, or otherwise left a race in a manner other than losing the primary, primary runoff, or convention. If an incumbent runs as a write-in candidate, Ballotpedia does not consider them to be retiring. If an incumbent runs in the same chamber for a different seat, Ballotpedia does not consider them to be retiring.
5. ↑ Newsday, "GOP State Sen. Tom Croci won’t seek third term," May 2, 2018
6. ↑ 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 6.11 Politico, "POLITICO map: Where the action is in state Senate races," November 1, 2018
7. ↑ Newsday, "Elaine Phillips to represent NY’s 7th Senate District," October 25, 2018
8. ↑ Newsday, "John Brooks to represent NY’s 8th Senate District," October 25, 2018
9. ↑ CBS Albany, "5th Republican announces plans to leave NY Senate," May 3, 2018
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Poughkeepsie Journal, "3 NY Senate Republicans drop re-election bids in 3 days," April 27, 2018
11. ↑ New York Daily News, "Cuomo to kick off $2 million ad campaign on behalf of state Senate Dems," October 15, 2018
12. ↑ Newsday, "Dems, GOP dump nearly $400G into Senate race," October 24, 2018
13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Newsday, "LI has the 3 most endangered state senators, money flow shows," October 9, 2018
14. ↑ New York Times, "Threats, and Hints of a Deal, in New York Democrats’ Divorce Saga," November 27, 2017
15. ↑ New York Daily News, "LOVETT: Pol says Democrats must control Senate or else plan to unite the party is dead," December 11, 2017
16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Village Voice, "Meet The Senator Who Stands Between New Yorkers And Universal Health Care," May 25, 2017
17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 New York Times, "Democrats in New York State Senate Reconcile After Years of Infighting," April 4, 2018
18. ↑ Twitter, "Frank G. Runyeon on April 4, 2018,"
19. ↑ Twitter, "Frank G. Runyeon on April 4, 2018,"
20. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `lohud2`
21. ↑ WNYC, "'Independent' No More, But IDC Still Fundraising," April 11, 2018
22. ↑ Buffalo News, "Defunct under new state Senate unity deal, breakaway group sends fundraising appeal," April 9, 2018
23. ↑ New York Times, "As Session Resumes, a Democratic Truce in Albany Seems Uneasy," April 16, 2018
24. ↑ Legislative Gazette, "New committee chairs appointed following dissolution of IDC," April 9, 2018
25. ↑ New York Times, "Felder, a Democrat, Says He Will Remain With Republicans," April 24, 2018
26. ↑ New York Daily News, "Key unions urge NYS Senate Dems to back former IDC members," May 7, 2018
27. ↑ Kings County Politics, "Hamilton, Savino Get Stewart-Cousins Endorsement," May 25, 2018
28. ↑ Albany Times Union, "39 ex-IDC staffers purged after unity deal," May 19, 2018
29. ↑ New York Times, "The Mutineer Becomes the Captain," September 11, 2009
30. ↑ Washington Post, "Stalemate in N.Y. State Senate Appears to Be Resolved as Democrat Rejoins Caucus," July 10, 2009
31. ↑ New York Times, "Albany Impasse Ends as Defector Rejoins Caucus," July 9, 2009
32. ↑ New York Times, "Senate Democrats Try to Reverse G.O.P. Coup," June 9, 2009
33. ↑ New York Times, "Coalition Is to Control State Senate as Dissident Democrats Join With Republicans," December 4, 2012
34. ↑ New Republic, "How Andrew Cuomo Profits From a Republican Senate," May 12, 2017
35. ↑ New York Daily News, "Senate's Independent Democratic Conference announces end to alliance with Republicans," June 25, 2014
36. ↑ Politico, "Klein, diminished but still desired, sides with power," November 7, 2014
37. ↑ Times Union, "IDC will once again partner with Senate GOP," January 2, 2017
38. ↑ New York Times, "Simcha Felder Tells Fellow Rogue Democrats to Rejoin the Party Fold," May 24, 2017
39. ↑ The number of state legislative seats available for analysis varied, with as many as 7,795 and as few as 6,835.
40. ↑ Lyndon Johnson's (D) first term began in November 1963 after the death of President John F. Kennedy (D), who was first elected in 1960. Before Johnson had his first midterm in 1966, he was re-elected president in 1964.
41. ↑ Gerald Ford's (R) first term began in August 1974 following the resignation of President Richard Nixon (R), who was first elected in 1968 and was re-elected in 1972. Because Ford only served for two full months before facing the electorate, this election is classified as Nixon's second midterm.
42. ↑ 42.0 42.1 42.2 New York State Board of Elections, "Running for Elective Office," accessed February 13, 2014
43. ↑ New York Election Law, "Article 6, Section 118," accessed February 13, 2014
44. ↑ New York Election Law, "Article 6, Section 132," accessed February 13, 2014
45. ↑ New York Election Law, "Article 6, Section 120," accessed February 13, 2014
46. ↑ New York Election Law, "Article 6, Section 136," accessed February 13, 2014
47. ↑ 47.0 47.1 New York Election Law, "Article 6, Section 144," accessed February 13, 2014
48. ↑ 48.0 48.1 New York Election Law, "Article 6, Section 158," accessed February 13, 2014
49. ↑ New York Election Law, "Article 6, Section 164," accessed February 13, 2014
50. ↑ New York Election Law, "Article 6, Section 140," accessed February 13, 2014
51. ↑ New York Election Law, "Article 6, Section 138," accessed February 12, 2014
52. ↑ New York Election Law, "Article 6, Section 142," accessed February 13, 2014
53. ↑ New York Election Law, "Article 6, 153," accessed February 13, 2014
54. ↑ 270towin.com, "New York," accessed June 1, 2017
55. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
56. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017

[show]

Current members of the New York State Senate

Leadership

Majority Leader:Andrea Stewart-Cousins

Minority Leader:Robert Ortt

Senators

District 1

Anthony Palumbo (R)

District 2

Mario Mattera (R)

District 3

Alexis Weik (R)

District 4

Philip Boyle (R)

District 5

James Gaughran (D)

District 6

Kevin Thomas (D)

District 7

Anna Kaplan (D)

District 8

John Brooks (D)

District 9

Todd Kaminsky (D)

District 10

James Sanders (D)

District 11

John Liu (D)

District 12

Michael Gianaris (D)

District 13

Jessica Ramos (D)

District 14

Leroy Comrie (D)

District 15

Joseph Addabbo (D)

District 16

Toby Stavisky (D)

District 17

Simcha Felder (D)

District 18

Julia Salazar (D)

District 19

Roxanne Persaud (D)

District 20

Zellnor Myrie (D)

District 21

Kevin Parker (D)

District 22

Andrew Gounardes (D)

District 23

Diane Savino (D)

District 24

Andrew Lanza (R)

District 25

Jabari Brisport (D)

District 26

Brian Kavanagh (D)

District 27

Brad Hoylman (D)

District 28

Liz Krueger (D)

District 29

Jose Serrano (D)

District 30

Vacant

District 31

Robert Jackson (D)

District 32

Luis Sepulveda (D)

District 33

J. Rivera (D)

District 34

Alessandra Biaggi (D)

District 35

Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D)

District 36

Jamaal Bailey (D)

District 37

Shelley Mayer (D)

District 38

Elijah Reichlin-Melnick (D)

District 39

James Skoufis (D)

District 40

Peter Harckham (D)

District 41

Susan Serino (R)

District 42

Mike Martucci (R)

District 43

Daphne Jordan (R)

District 44

Neil Breslin (D)

District 45

Daniel Stec (R)

District 46

Michelle Hinchey (D)

District 47

Joseph Griffo (R)

District 48

Patricia Ritchie (R)

District 49

James Tedisco (R)

District 50

John Mannion (D)

District 51

Peter Oberacker (R)

District 52

Fred Akshar (R)

District 53

Rachel May (D)

District 54

Pamela Helming (R)

District 55

Samra Brouk (D)

District 56

Jeremy Cooney (D)

District 57

George Borrello (R)

District 58

Thomas O'Mara (R)

District 59

Patrick Gallivan (R)

District 60

Sean Ryan (D)

District 61

Edward Rath (R)

District 62

Robert Ortt (R)

District 63

Timothy Kennedy (D)

Democratic Party (42)

Republican Party (20)

Vacancies (1)

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