Democrats maintain majority in State Legislature, GOP flips one seat

ALBANY — Democrats maintained their majorities in the New York State Senate and Assembly, but lost the supermajority in the Senate and with it the ability to easily override gubernatorial vetoes, according to unofficial election results. 

Democrats won 40 of 63 State Senate seats, and, as of Friday, were slightly ahead in Central New York 50th District, with Democrat Chris Ryan having 48.67% of the total vote compared to his Republican challenger Nick Paro, who had 48.32%, according to unofficial state election results.

The race was still too close to call as of Friday, and votes are being recounted because the margin is so slim. Local election officials have said the recount could last through Thanksgiving and into December, according to local media reports. If the Democrats prevail, they would hold 41 seats in the Senate.

Senate Republicans were able to end the Democratic supermajority by flipping at least one seat, the highly contested 17th Senate District in Brooklyn where Steve Chan ousted incumbent Democrat Iwen Chu.

Assembly Democrats maintained their supermajority after winning 103 of the 150 seats, including in the 96th District in Rockland County, and the 85th District representing the Bronx, both of which were vacant.

Several Assembly races were tightly contested, including the vacant 11th District seat in Suffolk County, where Democratic candidate Kwani B. O’Pharrow edged out Republican Joseph R. Cardinale.

While the presidential and congressional contests have largely overshadowed races down the ticket, presidential elections historically have boosted voter turnout, particularly for Democrats, said Larry Levy, executive dean of the National Center for Suburban Studies at Hofstra University.

The state has nearly 6 million active, registered Democrats, 2.8 million Republicans and about 3 million unaffiliated voters as of November, according to state Board of Elections data. 

In 2022, Democrats in the State Legislature won a supermajority — which requires at least 42 seats in the Senate and 100 in the Assembly — by a slim margin. They held two-thirds of the seats in each chamber, with 42 of the 63 Senate seats and 102 of the 150 Assembly seats. Senate and Assembly members are elected to two-year terms.

A supermajority gives the legislature as a whole more leverage over the governor because it can override gubernatorial vetoes.

Though, the legislature hasn’t used its veto power against Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, the threat of using it can have an impact, said Blair Horner, executive director of the New York Public Interest Research Group.

The supermajority is a sort of bellwether, “a numerical indicator of the strength of the party,” Horner said.

Without the supermajority in both houses, Hochul will now have more leverage in bargaining. 

Election factors

Political experts and pollsters had said several factors this election cycle could help or hinder candidates.

A majority of voters cast their votes along party lines, and the highly contested presidential and congressional races may have increased voter turnout, a boon particularly for Democrats in New York, experts said.

The challenge was that voters attracted to the polls by the presidential election may not have voted for candidates down the ballot, leaving the rest blank, Levy said.

Federal races also can make it difficult for local candidates by taking up both airwaves and campaign dollars, he said.

Most of the state contests weren’t competitive this year due in part to redistricting lines drawn by the parties in power that often protect their coalition.

Incumbents historically have an advantage in legislative elections because they can do mailings each year, have campaign funds and are typically in the local press more often, experts said.

But the number of unaffiliated voters — those who aren’t aligned with a particular party — is rising, which can make a difference, especially when they side with Republicans in the suburbs, Horner said.