Tagged: New York state Senate

The leadership fight in the New York state Senate has been resolved, with a break-away Democratic faction joining with Republicans to form a new governing coalition that involves sharing the title of Temporary President of the Senate. 

New York’s Lieutenant Governor weighed in on the leadership fight going on in the state Senate, saying the senators should put aside partisanship and try to work together.  

While the balance of the New York State senate remains unclear, as votes continue to be counted in a pair of close Senate races, activists are calling on a breakaway political coalition to stick with the Democrats. A coalition of union and community groups believe some important issues depend on it.

Governor Andrew Cuomo says he is staying out of the on-going battle for control of the New York state Senate, maintaining that he will work with whoever ultimately wins the struggle.

A leading Democratic Senator says wayward Democrats should get in line with the others in their party, and form a majority to run the Senate when the new session starts in January. 

Senate Republicans have gained one more member in the fight for control of the chamber. Newly elected Brooklyn Democrat Simcha Felder says he’ll sit with the GOP.

The vast majority of incumbent state legislators were re-elected Tuesday night, upholding a decades-long Albany tradition.

Incumbent Republican state Senator Patty Ritchie easily won reelection in the 48th district, covering Jefferson, Oswego and St. Lawrence counties. She beat Democrat Amy Tresidder by a more than two-to-one margin. Now, Ritchie looks ahead to tackling the economic issues facing the state.  

The race for state Senate in the 48th district – which includes Jefferson, Oswego and St. Lawrence counties – pits incumbent Republican Patty Ritchie against underdog Democrat Amy Tresidder. Both women stress the need for state mandate relief for local municipalities and measures to boost the upstate economy, although the strategies they'd take for doing that differ.

November's election will determine whether Democrats or Republicans control the New York state Senate in the next term, and it could come down to just a few hundred votes in a small number of key Senate contests. Both sides are hopeful that they will be victorious.