Stewart-Cousins Elected Senate Majority Leader

December 3rd, 2018

Last Monday, the incoming Senate Democratic Majority met in Albany and elected Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D-Yonkers) as Senate Majority Leader for the 2019-20 legislative session.  She will be the first woman to lead a majority conference in Albany as Democrats take control of the State Senate for the first time since 2010.

The Senate Democrats needed a net gain of just one seat in the November 6 elections to take control of the State Senate in 2019.  They won three open seats and defeated five incumbent Republicans, giving them at least a 39-24 majority. [Senator Simcha Felder (D-Brooklyn), who has conferenced with the Senate Republican majority since he was first elected in 2012, has not yet indicated whether he will seek to conference with the Democrats.]

She was elected at the Senate Democrats’ organizational meeting.  She will officially become Senate Majority Leader when the State Senate convenes on January 9, 2019. In addition, she announced the appointments of Senator Michael Gianaris of Queens as Deputy Majority Leader and Senator José Serrano of the Bronx as Majority Conference Chair.

Unshackle Upstate congratulates Senator Stewart-Cousins and wish her the best in her new role as Senate Majority Leader.  As we move toward the 2019 legislative session, we look forward to working with her and the new Senate Democratic Majority to help them understand and take steps to address the significant challenges facing the Upstate New York economy.