James Sanders Jr. Explained

James Sanders Jr.
State Senate:New York State
District:10th
Term Start:January 1, 2013
Preceded:Shirley Huntley
Office2:Member of the New York City Council
from the 31st district
Term Start2:January 1, 2002
Term End2:January 1, 2013
Predecessor2:Juanita Watkins
Successor2:Donovan Richards
Birth Date:14 August 1957
Birth Place:Far Rockaway, New York, U.S.
Birthname:James Sanders Jr.
Party:Democratic
Spouse:Andrea Stevenson-Sanders[1]
Residence:New York City
Alma Mater:Brooklyn College

James Sanders Jr. (born 1957) is a member of the New York State Senate, serving since January 2013. He represents the 10th district, which includes the Queens neighborhoods of Richmond Hill, South Ozone Park, Jamaica, Rochdale Village, Rosedale and parts of Far Rockaway.

Early life and education

Sanders was born at the Hammel Houses in Far Rockaway. He attended public schools throughout the Rockaways then attended Brooklyn College. Sanders served as a Marine.[2]

Career

In 2001, Sanders won election to the 31st district of the New York City Council in an underdog win against powerful candidates James Blake and Charlotte Jefferson. Blake had received the support of incumbent councilwoman Juanita Watkins. On the council, Sanders was the first African-American to sit as Chair of the Economic Development Committee'.[3] In July 2009, Sanders was reported to have shown up for only 61% of City Council meetings for fiscal year 2009, the second-fewest on the list.[4] However, he has attributed this to the near fatal car crash that he had in the fall of 2008 which also injured his staffers, Donovan Richards and Mike Duvall.[5]

In 2009, he was challenged for reelection from candidates Michael Duncan, Jacques Leandre, and Frederick Lewis.[6] He was re-elected with 40% of the vote, with his next leading opponent, Jacques Leandre, receiving 19%.[7] His council seat is now held by his former District Manager Donovan Richards.

In early 2007, Sanders endorsed then-Senator Barack Obama for President and traveled to Pennsylvania, Ohio, and South Carolina to campaign for him. He became an Obama delegate and represented his district at the Democratic National Convention in Denver.[3] In 2015, Sanders endorsed Senator Bernie Sanders for President of the United States in the 2016 Democratic primaries and the 2016 general election.[8] He endorsed Bernie Sanders again for the 2020 Primary.[9] [10]

New York Senate

In 2012, Sanders, who would have been term-limited in the City Council and unable to run again in 2013, opted to primary Senator Shirley Huntley, who was facing corruption charges.[11] He would go on to win with 56% of the vote,[12] winning the general election unopposed. He has been unopposed in the general election ever since.

In December 2015, Sanders filed papers to challenge Congressman Gregory Meeks in the Democratic primary for New York's 5th congressional district.[13] However, he dropped out of the race in March 2016, accusing Meeks of leaking information to the New York Post about a Federal Bureau of Investigation probe into Sanders' use of slush funds and alleged solicitation of a $250,000 kickback from a non-profit.[14] [15] [16] [17] Sanders was never charged with any wrongdoing, and he successfully ran for reelection to his Senate seat despite the Queens Democratic Party backing an opponent, Adrienne Adams.[18]

When Democrats took control of the state senate in 2019, Sanders was named chairman on the Committee on Banks.[19]

In 2019, Sanders introduced a resolution to recognize October 1, the National Day of the People's Republic of China, as "China Day" in New York State.[20] [21] The resolution in the state senate was attended by China's counsel general for New York State, Huang Ping, who praised it.[22] [23] [24]

Personal life

In 2005, he married his former chief of staff.[25] He has two children from a previous marriage.[2]

Notes and References

  1. News: Andrea Stevenson-Sanders. New York . Daily News .
  2. News: 10 questions for Queens City Councilman James Sanders Jr. . . 2007-11-13 . 2009-07-28 . Wisloski, Jess . https://web.archive.org/web/20101023233415/http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/queens/2007/11/13/2007-11-13_10_questions_for_queens_city_councilman_-1.html . 2010-10-23 . live .
  3. Web site: James Sanders Jr. . 2009-07-28 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090725053319/http://council.nyc.gov/d31/html/members/home.shtml . 2009-07-25 . live .
  4. News: AWOL At City Hall: Council Truants Are Rarely There. Goldenberg, Sally. 2009-07-20. 2009-07-28. New York Post. 8. https://web.archive.org/web/20090822200028/http://www.nypost.com/seven/07202009/news/regionalnews/awol_at_city_hall_180268.htm. 2009-08-22. live.
  5. News: Sanders Released From Intensive Care. Paybarah, Azi. 2008-11-18. 2009-07-30. PolitickerNY. 1.
  6. Web site: City Council District 31. https://web.archive.org/web/20110708084051/http://boropolitics.com/sections/news/politics/council/district31/. July 8, 2011. bot: unknown. 2009-08-15. . boropolitics.com
  7. http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stories/105793/ny1-online--2009-new-york-city-primary-returns/Default.aspx NY1 Online: 2009 New York City Primary Returns
  8. Web site: KING: Senators in Harlem, Queens support Sanders — EXCLUSIVE. . 30 December 2015 . 31 March 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170313024055/http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/king-senators-harlem-queens-support-sanders-exclusive-article-1.2480639. 13 March 2017. live.
  9. Marans. Daniel. danielmarans. 1139272850584547329. .@berniesanders announces New York endorsements: City Councilman Rafael Espinal; state Sens. Julia Salazar and James Sanders; Assemblymen Ron Kim and Phil Steck.. June 13, 2019. June 13, 2019.
  10. Web site: 2020-03-05. Who are prominent New Yorkers endorsing for president?. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200416151954/https://www.cityandstateny.com/articles/politics/campaigns-elections/new-york-presidential-endorsements.html. 2020-04-16. 2020-06-21. CSNY. en.
  11. Web site: NY Senator Shirley Huntley Arrested. Gormley. Michael. Gingras. Brynn. NBC New York. 25 August 2012 . en. 2019-01-30. https://web.archive.org/web/20190130220624/https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/NY-Senator-Shirley-Huntley-Says-She-Expects-to-be-Arrested-167426745.html. 2019-01-30. live.
  12. Web site: Our Campaigns - NY State Senate 10 - D Primary Race - Sep 13, 2012. www.ourcampaigns.com. 2019-01-30. https://web.archive.org/web/20190130161902/https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=773875. January 30, 2019. live.
  13. Web site: Scandal-plagued politicians will battle for Queens congressional seat . Short . Aaron . New York Post . en . 2015-12-13 . 2019-04-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190402170413/https://nypost.com/2015/12/13/scandal-plagued-politicians-will-battle-for-queens-congressional-seat/ . 2019-04-02 . live .
  14. Web site: 'Bribe' politician drops bid to unseat Gregory Meeks . Short . Aaron . New York Post . en . 2016-03-20 . 2019-04-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190402170429/https://nypost.com/2016/03/20/bribe-politician-drops-bid-to-unseat-gregory-meeks/ . 2019-04-02 . live .
  15. Web site: Short. Aaron. Vincent. Isabel. Klein. Melissa. 2016-02-07. We were blacklisted for refusing politician $250K bribe. 2020-06-21. New York Post. en-US. https://web.archive.org/web/20200530235139/https://nypost.com/2016/02/07/politician-demanded-250k-bribe-for-funding-nonprofit-suit/. 2020-05-30. live.
  16. Web site: Short. Aaron. Vincent. Isabel. Klein. Melissa. 2016-02-14. Politician used $1M of taxpayers' money to host 'parties'. 2020-06-21. New York Post. en-US. https://web.archive.org/web/20190810152500/https://nypost.com/2016/02/14/politician-used-1m-of-taxpayers-money-to-host-parties/. 2019-08-10. live.
  17. Web site: Klein. Melissa. 2017-10-21. Councilman, state senator eyed by feds in criminal probe. 2020-06-21. New York Post. en-US. https://web.archive.org/web/20190812054443/https://nypost.com/2017/10/21/councilman-state-senator-eyed-by-feds-in-criminal-probe/. 2019-08-12. live.
  18. Web site: Meet Gregory Meeks: Queens' new boss. Coltin. Jeff. City & State NY. en. 2019-04-01. 2019-04-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20190402170414/https://www.cityandstateny.com/articles/personality/interviews-profiles/queens-new-boss-gregory-meeks.html. 2019-04-02. live.
  19. Web site: The New York State Senate . August 2023 .
  20. Web site: 2019-07-23. Sanders' Resolution Recognizing "China Day" Celebrated with Ceremony in Brooklyn. 2020-06-21. NY State Senate. en. 2020-08-23. https://web.archive.org/web/20200823235818/https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/james-sanders-jr/sanders-resolution-recognizing-china-day-celebrated. live.
  21. Web site: Yan . Flora . December 2, 2021 . 'China Day' in New York: A Case Study in United Front Work . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240609041904/https://thediplomat.com/2021/12/china-day-in-new-york-a-case-study-in-united-front-work/ . 2024-06-09 . 2024-07-29 . . en-US.
  22. Web site: June 19, 2019. New York state to set up China Day to strengthen friendship. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20200109141217/http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-06/19/c_138156040.htm. January 9, 2020. 2020-06-21. Xinhua News Agency.
  23. Web site: Wenzheng. Kong. June 20, 2019. Empire State marks China Day. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200605013346/http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201906/20/WS5d0a5d5ba3103dbf143292f8.html. June 5, 2020. 2020-06-21. China Daily.
  24. Web site: July 21, 2019. New York State's establishment of China Day celebrated in NYC. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20190721033900/http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-07/21/c_138244155.htm. July 21, 2019. 2020-06-21. Xinhua News Agency.
  25. Web site: The New King of Queens?. 2014-09-18. Queens Tribune. en-US. 2019-01-30. https://web.archive.org/web/20170205223948/http://queenstribune.com/the-new-king-of-queens/. 2017-02-05. dead.

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