The New York State Democratic Party is the affiliate of the
Democratic Party in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
of
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
. Its headquarters are in
Manhattan
Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
, and it has an office in
Albany.
Home
New York State Democratic Committee. Retrieved on May 13, 2010.
It is currently the dominant party in the state, controlling the majority of New York's U.S. House
The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...
seats, both U.S. Senate
The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...
seats, both houses of the state legislature
A state legislature is a Legislature, legislative branch or body of a State (country subdivision), political subdivision in a Federalism, federal system.
Two federations literally use the term "state legislature":
* The legislative branches of ...
, and the governorship.
History
The three Democratic presidents who were from New York are Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...
(32nd) who was the governor of New York from 1929 to 1932, Grover Cleveland
Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States, serving from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. He was the first U.S. president to serve nonconsecutive terms and the first Hist ...
(22nd and 24th) who was the governor from 1883 to 1885, and Martin Van Buren
Martin Van Buren ( ; ; December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862) was the eighth president of the United States, serving from 1837 to 1841. A primary founder of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as Attorney General o ...
(eighth) who was the governor in 1829. Van Buren is also the only Democratic vice president who was from New York.
In the early 20th century when New York was without a Democratic governor, county leaders controlled nominations and campaign finances. President John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...
got involved in the early 1960s, funneling federal patronage through New York City mayor Robert F. Wagner Jr. to the detriment of state chair Michael H. Prendergast.
In 1974, Democrats benefited from Republican problems stemming from the Watergate scandal
The Watergate scandal was a major political scandal in the United States involving the Presidency of Richard Nixon, administration of President Richard Nixon. The scandal began in 1972 and ultimately led to Resignation of Richard Nixon, Nix ...
, winning control of the New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits.
The Ass ...
and electing a governor, Hugh Carey
Hugh Leo Carey (April 11, 1919 – August 7, 2011) was an American politician and attorney of the Democratic Party who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1961 to 1974 and as the 51st governor of New York from 1975 to 1982.
Early ...
. Democrats have controlled the Assembly ever since. Republicans controlled the State Senate for some years after that, but Democrats gained a decisive advantage in the chamber in 2018
Events January
* January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency.
* January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
and 2020
The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...
.
In August 2021, Jay Jacobs of the committee was the one to tell Andrew Cuomo
Andrew Mark Cuomo ( , ; born December 6, 1957) is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 56th governor of New York from 2011 until his resignation in 2021. A member of the Democratic Party and son of former governor Mario Cuomo, ...
to resign as New York governor over reports of sexual harassment, then supported Cuomo's successor Kathy Hochul
Kathleen Hochul ( ; ; born August 27, 1958) is an American politician and lawyer who has served since 2021 as the 57th governor of New York. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, she is New York's List of female ...
. As of 2022, the NY Democratic Party was described as having "dominance" in New York politics, as it largely controlled political positions in Albany, and Republicans had not won statewide since 2002. As of August 2022 the chair of the committee was Jay S. Jacobs. He was reelected chairman in September 2022. The Executive Committee is chaired by former New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn
Christine Callaghan Quinn (born July 25, 1966) is an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party, she formerly served as the Speaker of the New York City Council. The third person to hold this office, she was the first female and fi ...
. The Executive Director is Alexander Wang.
Current elected officials
The following is a list of elected statewide and federal Democratic officeholders:
Members of Congress
Democrats hold 16 of New York's 26 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...
and both of New York's seats in the U.S. Senate
The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...
.
U.S. Senate
Democrats have controlled both of New York's seats in the U.S. Senate since 1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...
:
File:Chuck Schumer official photo (cropped 2).jpg, Senior U.S. Senator
( Minority Leader)
File:Kirsten Gillibrand, official photo, 116th Congress (cropped).jpg, Junior U.S. Senator
U.S. House of Representatives
Statewide officials
NYS Democrats control all four of the elected statewide offices and NYS Cabinet and Departmental Head positions (e.g., New York State Department of Health, NYS Secretary of State, NYS Department of Corrections, New York State Office of People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, NYS Office of General Services, NYS Department of Education) and the Governor's Office.
File:Kathy Hochul, November 2017.jpeg, Governor
A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
File:Antonio Delgado, official portrait, 116th Congress (cropped).jpg, Lieutenant Governor
A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...
File:Letitia James Interview Feb 2020.png, Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...
File:TPD's Headshot (cropped).jpg , Comptroller
A comptroller (pronounced either the same as ''controller'' or as ) is a management-level position responsible for supervising the quality of accountancy, accounting and financial reporting of an organization. A financial comptroller is a senior- ...
State legislative leaders
* Temporary President/Majority Leader of the Senate: Andrea Stewart-Cousins
Andrea Alice Stewart-Cousins (née Stewart; born September 2, 1950) is an American politician and educator from Yonkers, New York. A member of the Democratic Party, Stewart-Cousins has represented District 35 in the New York State Senate since ...
*Deputy Senate Majority Leader: Michael Gianaris
*Vice Senate President Pro Tempore: Neil Breslin
*Senior Senate Assistant Majority Leader: Antonio Delegado
*Chair of Majority Program Development Committee: Tim Kennedy
*Chair of the Majority Conference: Jose Serrano
*Senate Assistant Majority Leader on Conference Operations: Brad Hoylman
*Senate Assistant Majority Leader on House Operations: Gustavo Rivera
*Senate Majority Whip: Kevin Parker
*Senate Majority Conference Vice-Chair: Toby Ann Stavisky
*Senate Majority Conference Secretary: Velmanette Montgomery
*Senate Majority Deputy Whip: Joseph Addabbo Jr.
*Senate Majority Assistant Whip: John Liu
John Chun Yah Liu (traditional Chinese: 劉醇逸; born January 8, 1967) is an American politician in New York City. A member of the Democratic Party, he is a member of the New York State Senate for the 16th district in northeast Queens. He pr ...
*Chair of the Senate Majority Steering Committee: Roxanne Persaud
*Senate Liaison to the Executive Branch: Todd Kaminsky
*Deputy Senate Majority Leader for State/Federal Relations: Leroy Comrie
Leroy George Comrie Jr. (born August 10, 1958) is an American politician from New York City. He represents district 14 in the New York State Senate, which comprises St. Albans, Cambria Heights, Jamaica, Hollis, Rosedale, Laurelton, Kew Gard ...
*Deputy Senate Majority Leader for Senate/Assembly Relations: Shelley Mayer
*Assistant Senate Majority Leader on Intergovernmental Affairs: Monica Martinez
Monica R. Martinez (born August 13, 1977) is a Salvadoran-American, civil servant, educator and politician from the state of New York. A Democratic Party (United States), Democrat, she is a member of the New York State Senate representing the Ne ...
* Speaker of the Assembly
Speaker most commonly refers to:
* Speaker, a person who produces speech
* Loudspeaker, a device that produces sound
** Computer speakers
Speaker, Speakers, or The Speaker may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* "Speaker" (song), by David ...
: Carl Heastie
Carl Edward Heastie (; born September 25, 1967) is an American politician from New York. Heastie has served in the New York State Assembly since January 2001, and was elected Speaker of the New York State Assembly on February 3, 2015.
Early l ...
*Speaker Pro Tempore of the Assembly: Pamela Hunter
*House Majority Leader: Crystal Peoples-Stokes
Crystal Davis Peoples-Stokes (born December 22, 1951) is an American politician representing Assembly District 141, which includes the city of Buffalo within Erie County, New York. She is currently the Majority Leader of the New York State Assemb ...
Mayoral offices
As of 2019, Democrats control the mayor's offices in nine of New York's ten largest cities:
*New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
(1): Eric Adams
Eric Leroy Adams (born September 1, 1960) is an American politician and former police officer who has served as the 110th mayor of New York City since 2022. Adams was an officer in the New York City Transit Police and then the New York City P ...
* Buffalo (2): Christopher Scanlon
* Rochester (3): Malik Evans
Malik D. Evans is an American politician and banker who is the 71st and current List of mayors of Rochester, New York, Mayor of Rochester, New York. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Evans previously served on ...
*Yonkers
Yonkers () is the List of municipalities in New York, third-most populous city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and the most-populous City (New York), city in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County. A centrally locate ...
(4): Mike Spano
Michael Joseph Spano (born April 22, 1964) is an American politician who is the 42nd mayor of Yonkers, New York. He is a member of the Democratic Party. A former Republican, he served as a member of the New York State Assembly.
Biography
Bor ...
* Albany (6): Kathy Sheehan
Katherine M. Sheehan (born December 5, 1963) is an American politician and attorney serving as the 75th Mayor of Albany, New York. Prior to being elected Mayor, Sheehan served as City Treasurer from 2010 to 2013. On September 10, 2013, she defeat ...
*New Rochelle
New Rochelle ( ; in ) is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is a suburb of New York City, located approximately from Midtown Manhattan. In 2020, the city had a population of 79,726, making it the 7th-largest city and 2 ...
(7): Yadira Ramos-Herbert
*Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon is the former residence and plantation of George Washington, a Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States, and his wife, Martha. An American landmar ...
(8): Shawyn Patterson Howard
*Schenectady
Schenectady ( ) is a City (New York), city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the United States Census 2020, 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-most populo ...
(9): Gary McCarthy
List of chairpersons
Executive Committee Chair,
Christine Quinn
Christine Callaghan Quinn (born July 25, 1966) is an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party, she formerly served as the Speaker of the New York City Council. The third person to hold this office, she was the first female and fi ...
Christine Callaghan Quinn (born July 25, 1966) is an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party, she formerly served as the Speaker of the New York City Council
The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of New York City in the United States. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five boroughs.
The council serves as a check against the mayor in a mayor-council government mod ...
. The third person to hold this office, she is the first female and first openly gay
''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'.
While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late ...
speaker. "> ">/sup> As City Council speaker, Quinn was New York City's third most powerful public servant, behind the mayor and public advocate. She ran to succeed Michael Bloomberg
Michael Rubens Bloomberg (born February 14, 1942) is an American businessman and politician. He is the majority owner and co-founder of Bloomberg L.P., and was its CEO from 1981 to 2001 and again from 2014 to 2023. He served as the 108th mayo ...
as the city's mayor in the 2013 mayoral election, but she came in third in the Democratic primary.
See also
* Independent Democratic Conference
The Independent Democratic Conference (IDC) was a caucus consisting of several New York State Democratic Committee, Democratic members of the New York State Senate that existed from 2011 to 2018. The IDC is notable for having formed a power-shar ...
* New York Republican State Committee
The New York Republican State Committee, established in 1855, is the New York (state), New York State affiliate of the Republican Party (United States), United States Republican Party (GOP). The party has headquarters in Albany, New York, Albany ...
References
Further reading
* Paterson, David ''" Black, Blind, & In Charge: A Story of Visionary Leadership and Overcoming Adversity."''Skyhorse Publishing. New York, New York, 2020
External links
New York State Democratic Committee
New York High School Democrats
New York State College Democrats
{{NewYorkPoliticalParties
Democratic Party (United States) by state
Political parties in New York (state)