2018 New York State Senate election explained

Election Name:2018 New York State Senate election
Country:New York
Flag Image:Flag of New York (1909–2020).svg
Type:legislative
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:2016 New York State Senate election
Previous Year:2016
Next Election:2020 New York State Senate election
Next Year:2020
Seats For Election:All 63 seats in the New York State Senate
Majority Seats:32
Election Date:November 6, 2018
Turnout:45.59%[1]
Leader2:John J. Flanagan
Party2:New York Republican Party
Leaders Seat2:2nd District
Seats Before2:32
Seats2:23
Seat Change2: 8
Percentage2:33.25%
Popular Vote2:1,926,123
Swing2:3.27%
Leader1:Andrea Stewart-Cousins
Party1:New York Democratic Party
Leaders Seat1:35th District
Seats Before1:31
Seats1:39
Seat Change1: 8
Percentage1:55.98%
Popular Vote1:3,242,586
Swing1:4.48%
Temporary President and Majority Leader
Posttitle:Temporary President and Majority Leader
Before Election:John J. Flanagan
Before Party:Republican Party (United States)
After Election:Andrea Stewart-Cousins
After Party:Democratic Party (United States)

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.[2]

In April 2018, The Wall Street Journal described the state senate as the "last bastion of power" of the Republican Party in the State of New York. The coalition of Republicans and members of the Independent Democratic Conference collapsed in 2018, with 7 of the 8 IDC members returning to the Democratic Caucus. Democrat Simcha Felder, however, continued to caucus with the Republicans, giving them control of the chamber with only 31 seats.[3] On Election Day, Democrats gained control of the chamber from the Republicans by picking up eight seats.[4]

The following day, The New York Times wrote that the Democrats had "decisively evict[ed] Republicans from running the State Senate, which they [had] controlled for all but three years since World War II".[5] 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 had been under total Republican control since the early 1970s. Brooklyn Senator Simcha Felder, a Democrat who had previously caucused with the Republicans, sought to rejoin the Senate Democratic Conference, but was turned down in December 2018; he was later accepted into the Conference on July 1, 2019.[6] [7]

The Democrats' election victories made possible the January 2019 election of Andrea Stewart-Cousins as the first female Majority Leader and Temporary President in the chamber's history.[8]

Party composition

Affiliation! colspan="3"
Party

(Shading indicates majority caucus)

Total
DemocraticRepublican
Mainline CaucusSF
nowrap style="font-size:80%"End 2017-2018 Session31bgcolor=lightblue13163
nowrap style="font-size:80%"Begin 2019-2020 Session3912363
Latest Voting Share

The vote totals for each party were:

Party Votes Percentage Swing
3,242,586 55.98% 4.48%
1,926,123 33.25% 3.27%
253,452 4.38% 0.69%
155,542 2.69% 0.38%
143,776 2.48% 0.40%
33,835 0.58% 0.11%
25,362 0.44% 0.12%
10,539 0.18% 0.36%
Stop de Blasio 415 0.01% New
Upstate Jobs 347 0.01% New
278 0.00% 0.02%

Summary of results

DistrictIncumbentPartyElected SenatorParty
1Kenneth LaValleRepKenneth LaValleRep
2John J. FlanaganRepJohn J. FlanaganRep
3Thomas CrociRepMonica MartinezDem
4Phil BoyleRepPhil BoyleRep
5Carl L. MarcellinoRepJim GaughranDem
6Kemp HannonRepKevin ThomasDem
7Elaine PhillipsRepAnna KaplanDem
8John BrooksDemJohn BrooksDem
9Todd KaminskyDemTodd KaminskyDem
10James Sanders Jr.DemJames Sanders Jr.Dem
11Tony AvellaDemJohn LiuDem
12Michael GianarisDemMichael GianarisDem
13Jose PeraltaDemJessica RamosDem
14Leroy ComrieDemLeroy ComrieDem
15Joseph Addabbo Jr.DemJoseph Addabbo Jr.Dem
16Toby Ann StaviskyDemToby Ann StaviskyDem
17Simcha FelderDemSimcha FelderDem
18Martin Malave DilanDemJulia SalazarDem
19Roxanne PersaudDemRoxanne PersaudDem
20Jesse HamiltonDemZellnor MyrieDem
21Kevin ParkerDemKevin ParkerDem
22Martin GoldenRepAndrew GounardesDem
23Diane SavinoDemDiane SavinoDem
24Andrew LanzaRepAndrew LanzaRep
25Velmanette MontgomeryDemVelmanette MontgomeryDem
26Brian P. KavanaghDemBrian P. KavanaghDem
27Brad HoylmanDemBrad HoylmanDem
28Liz KruegerDemLiz KruegerDem
29Jose M. SerranoDemJose M. SerranoDem
30Brian BenjaminDemBrian BenjaminDem
31Marisol AlcantaraDemRobert JacksonDem
32Luis R. SepúlvedaDemLuis R. SepúlvedaDem
33Gustavo RiveraDemGustavo RiveraDem
34Jeffrey D. KleinDemAlessandra BiaggiDem
35Andrea Stewart-CousinsDemAndrea Stewart-CousinsDem
36Jamaal BaileyDemJamaal BaileyDem
37Shelley MayerDemShelley MayerDem
38David CarlucciDemDavid CarlucciDem
39William J. Larkin Jr.RepJames SkoufisDem
40Terrence MurphyRepPeter HarckhamDem
41Sue SerinoRepSue SerinoRep
42John BonacicRepJen MetzgerDem
43Kathy MarchioneRepDaphne JordanRep
44Neil BreslinDemNeil BreslinDem
45Betty LittleRepBetty LittleRep
46George A. Amedore Jr.RepGeorge A. Amedore Jr.Rep
47Joseph GriffoRepJoseph GriffoRep
48Patty RitchieRepPatty RitchieRep
49Jim TediscoRepJim TediscoRep
50John DeFranciscoRepBob AntonacciRep
51James SewardRepJames SewardRep
52Fred AksharRepFred AksharRep
53David ValeskyDemRachel MayDem
54Pam HelmingRepPam HelmingRep
55Richard FunkeRepRichard FunkeRep
56Joseph RobachRepJoseph RobachRep
57Catharine YoungRepCatharine YoungRep
58Tom O'MaraRepTom O'MaraRep
59Patrick GallivanRepPatrick GallivanRep
60Chris JacobsRepChris JacobsRep
61Michael RanzenhoferRepMichael RanzenhoferRep
62Robert OrttRepRobert OrttRep
63Timothy KennedyDemTimothy KennedyDem
Sources:[9] [10] [11]

Retiring incumbents

Five incumbent Republican senators did not seek re-election in 2018. They were:

Incumbents defeated

In primary

Seven incumbent senators (all Democrats) ran for re-election, but were defeated in the September 13 primaries.[17] They were:

With the exception of Sen. Dilan, all seven had been members of the Independent Democratic Conference.[18] [19]

In general election

The following Republican incumbents were defeated on Election Day:

The six Democratic members of the IDC who were defeated in the September primaries (Sens. Avella, Peralta, Hamilton, Alcantara, Klein, and Valesky) were also on the ballot in November on either the Independence Party line, the Women's Equality Party line, or both (Sen. Peralta also received votes on the Reform Party line). None of the six was re-elected.[11]

Detailed results

align=center District 1 • District 2 • District 3 • District 4 • District 5 • District 6 • District 7 • District 8 • District 9 • District 10 • District 11 • District 12 • District 13 • District 14 • District 15 • District 16 • District 17 • District 18 • District 19 • District 20 • District 21 • District 22 • District 23 • District 24 • District 25 • District 26 • District 27 • District 28 • District 29 • District 30 • District 31 • District 32 • District 33 • District 34 • District 35 • District 36 • District 37 • District 38 • District 39 • District 40 • District 41 • District 42 • District 43 • District 44 • District 45 • District 46 • District 47 • District 48 • District 49 • District 50 • District 51 • District 52 • District 53 • District 54 • District 55 • District 56 • District 57 • District 58 • District 59 • District 60 • District 61 • District 62 • District 63

Sources:[20] [21]

District 3

The 3rd district is located on Long Island and includes Medford, Ronkonkoma, and Sayville. Republican Thomas Croci has represented this district since 2015. Croci did not run for reelection.

District 6

In an unexpected upset, Democratic challenger Kevin Thomas defeated Republican incumbent Kemp Hannon.[22]

District 9

Democrat Todd Kaminsky was first elected in a 2016 special election.[23]

General election

District 11

Democratic primary

General election

District 12

General election

District 13

Democratic primary

General election

District 15

General election

District 17

Democratic primary

General election

District 18

Democratic primary

General election

District 20

Democratic primary

General election

District 22

Democratic challenger Andrew Gounardes defeated Ross Barkan in the Democratic primary and narrowly defeated Golden in the general election.[24]

Democratic primary

General election

District 23

Democratic primary

General election

District 26

General election

District 28

General election

District 31

Democratic primary

General election

District 32

Democrat Luis Sepúlveda has represented this district since winning a special election in April 2018.[25]

District 34

Democratic primary

General election

District 35

Democratic primary

General election

District 37

Democrat Shelley Mayer has represented this district since winning a special election in April 2018.[26]

District 38

Democrat David Carlucci, a former member of the Independent Democratic Conference (IDC), was first elected in 2010. Like other former IDC members, Carlucci received a Democratic primary challenge in 2018. After defeating Julie Goldberg in the primary,[27] Carlucci turned back Republican Scott Vanderhoef in the general election.[28]

Democratic primary

General election

District 39

Republican Sen. William J. Larkin Jr. did not seek re-election.[13]

General election

District 40

General election

District 42

Republican John Bonacic, who has represented this district since 1999, did not seek re-election, and was succeeded by Democrat Jen Metzger.

Democratic primary

General election

District 43

Republican Kathy Marchione, who had represented this district since 2013, did not seek re-election, and was succeeded by fellow Republican Daphne Jordan.

District 49

General election

District 50

Republican John DeFrancisco has represented this district since 1993 and did not seek re-election. As of November 7, 2018, Republican Bob Antonacci led Democrat John Mannion by 2,829 votes and declared victory in the race, although absentee ballots remained to be counted.[29] On November 21, 2018, elections officials confirmed Antonacci's victory.[30]

District 53

Democratic primary

General election

District 58

Democratic primary

General election

District 63

Democratic primary

General election

Aftermath

One question that remained after the 2018 elections was which caucus Democratic senator Simcha Felder would join. Felder, since his first Senate election in 2012, had been a member of the Republican majority.[31] After the dissolution of the Independent Democratic Conference, Felder remained with the Republicans as the decisive vote for Senate control. Felder maintained throughout his tenure that he would rejoin the Democrats if doing so would benefit his district, but after retaking control of the Senate in the 2018 elections, the Senate Democratic Conference did not allow him to join.[32] Felder was allowed into the Senate Democratic Conference in July 2019; this action gave the Conference a total of 40 members.[33] [34]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Enrollment by County New York State Board of Elections . 2018-11-01 . elections.ny.gov .
  2. Web site: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo wins his primary against Cynthia Nixon. www.cbsnews.com.
  3. News: Democrats Win New York Senate Races. Wall Street Journal. April 24, 2018. October 23, 2018.
  4. News: Democrats Take Control of New York Senate for First Time in Decade. The New York Times. Wang. Vivian. November 7, 2018. December 19, 2018.
  5. News: Democrats Finally Control the Power in Albany. What Will They Do With It?. The New York Times. McKinley. Jesse. Goldmacher. Shane. November 7, 2018. November 12, 2018.
  6. Web site: EXCLUSIVE: NYS Senate Dems say thanks, but no thanks, to Simcha Felder's return to Democratic conference - NY Daily News. Kenneth. Lovett. 31 December 2018. nydailynews.com. 4 January 2019.
  7. News: Felder Joins Senate Dem Fold. Reisman. Nick. July 1, 2019. State of Politics. January 4, 2020.
  8. News: After 242 years, a woman is in charge of the State Senate. Buffalo News. Precious. Tom. January 9, 2018. January 10, 2018.
  9. Web site: Certified Results from the November 6, 2018 General Election for NYS Senate . New York Board of Elections . 20 December 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181220231112/https://www.elections.ny.gov/NYSBOE/elections/2018/general/2018NYSenate.pdf . 20 December 2018 . live . dmy-all .
  10. Web site: New York State Senate . Ballotpedia.
  11. Web site: NYS Board of Elections Unofficial Election Night Results. nyenr.elections.ny.gov. 2018-12-15. https://web.archive.org/web/20181120174014/https://nyenr.elections.ny.gov/. 2018-11-20. dead.
  12. Web site: Croci's absence throws Senate into uncharted territory. Yancey. Roy. Michael. Gormley. Newsday. June 3, 2018.
  13. Web site: Longtime NY Sen. Bill Larkin, a Republican, won't seek re-election. Cempbell. Jon. Spector. Joseph. The Journal News. May 3, 2018.
  14. Web site: Campbell. Jon. 3 NY Senate Republicans drop re-election bids in 3 days. The Poughkeepsie Journal. April 27, 2018.
  15. News: State Sen. Marchione will not seek re-election . April 26, 2018 . Griffith, Glenn . The Saratogian.
  16. Web site: Robert. Harding. Longtime state Sen. John DeFrancisco will not run for re-election. AuburnPub.com. April 26, 2018.
  17. Web site: New York voters reject some Democrats who broke off to give state Senate control to the Republicans. Jen. Kirby. Vox. September 14, 2018.
  18. Web site: Julia Salazar overcomes controversy to notch another victory for democratic socialists. Libby. Nelson. Zack. Beauchamp. Vox. September 13, 2018.
  19. Web site: Democratic Insurgents Topple 6 New York Senate Incumbents. Vivian. Wang. September 14, 2018. NYTimes.com.
  20. Web site: New York State Senate elections, 2018 . . September 17, 2018.
  21. Web site: New York State Unofficial Election Night Results . . September 17, 2018.
  22. Web site: Anatomy of an upset: LI's Thomas scores state surprise. Newsday. en. 2018-12-15.
  23. Web site: Democrats Take Over NY Senate as Skelos' Successor Certified.
  24. Web site: Marty Golden concedes State Senate Race. www.ny1.com. en. 2018-12-15.
  25. Web site: Sepúlveda wins special election for State Senate seat. Hunts Point Express.
  26. Web site: Mayer wins NYS Senate 37th District race, updated results. Mark. Lungariello. The Journal News.
  27. Web site: Carlucci defeats Goldberg in Democratic primary for 38th Senate district. Steve. Lieberman. The Journal News.
  28. Web site: Rockland elections: Seven takeaways on local races. Robert. Brum. The Journal News.
  29. Web site: Antonacci declares victory in NY Senate race. November 7, 2018. syracuse.
  30. Web site: Confirmed: Bob Antonacci wins NY Senate race over John Mannion. syracuse.com. en-US. 2018-12-15.
  31. Web site: Sen. Simcha Felder, explained. Rachel. Silberstein. 30 May 2018. Albany Times Union.
  32. Web site: EXCLUSIVE: NYS Senate Dems say thanks, but no thanks to Simcha Felder's return to Democratic conference. Kenneth. Lovett. December 31, 2018. New York Daily News.
  33. Web site: Williams. Zach. July 1, 2019. Turncoat turns back: Simcha Felder joins Democratic state Senate majority. City & State New York.
  34. Web site: Felder Joins Senate Dem Fold. https://web.archive.org/web/20190701174628/https://www.nystateofpolitics.com/2019/07/felder-joins-senate-dem-fold/. dead. July 1, 2019. Nick. Reisman. NYstateofpolitics.com. July 1, 2019. July 1, 2019.