Who we're endorsing: For Assembly Districts 6-11
State lawmakers are discussing details of a potential budget deal that could be voted on early this week. Credit: AP/Hans Pennink
The New York State Assembly has had such a lopsided Democratic majority for so long that there is no suspense over which party wins the majority, just over which coalition will dominate the agenda.
In 2022, the split between the major parties in Albany’s lower chamber was 107 to 43. Republicans as part of the red wave of discontent that November picked up five seats, making the partisan totals 102 to 48. But this still left Speaker Carl Heastie (D-Bronx) in command of a veto-proof two-thirds majority.
There are policy tensions among leftists, progressives and moderates and, relevantly for Long Island, between urban and suburban districts. Nassau and Suffolk counties remain an important base for the Republican caucus headed by Will Barclay from the upstate village of Pulaski. That requires local legislators to be nimble in making alliances with Democrats who are the only route to getting their bills to the floor for a vote.
On Long Island now, 14 of 22 Assembly seats belong to Republicans. Democrats in a blue state like New York are always confident that a presidential election brings majority turnout and lifts their chances in races down-ballot. Deputy Majority Leader Michaelle Solages, an Elmont Democrat, notes several regional seats the party is looking to flip or retain to boost suburban muscle.
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Endorsements are determined solely by the Newsday editorial board, a team of opinion journalists focused on issues of public policy and governance. Newsday’s news division has no role in this process.
