The 2026 NY State Senate election will decide all 63 seats, with Democrats defending a 42-to-21 majority under Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and trying to win back the two-thirds supermajority they lost in 2024.1New York State Senate. Senators and Committees2City & State NY. New York State Senate Election Results 2024 The June 23, 2026 primary already toppled one incumbent, two senior Democrats are retiring, and the conference is heading into a leadership transition that will play out immediately after the November vote.
June 23 Primary Results
The headline result came out of the Buffalo area. Assemblymember Jon Rivera unseated Senator Jeremy Zellner in the Democratic primary for the 61st Senate District, which covers portions of Buffalo, Amherst, Grand Island, Kenmore, Williamsville, and the Tonawandas. With 99 percent of the vote counted, Rivera took roughly 55 percent to Zellner’s 45 percent.3WIVB. Jon Rivera Wins Democratic Primary for 61st District Senate Seat
The seat opened up in November 2025 when Sean Ryan was elected mayor of Buffalo. Zellner, who has chaired the Erie County Democratic Party since 2012, won a special election earlier in 2026 to serve the remainder of Ryan’s term. Rivera has served in the Assembly since 2021 and previously worked in the offices of former Representative Brian Higgins and Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz. He campaigned on affordability and government transparency, telling supporters he represented “something new” and “something more honest.”3WIVB. Jon Rivera Wins Democratic Primary for 61st District Senate Seat The November general election determines who holds the seat for the full term starting in 2027.
In the 12th Senate District in western Queens, Aber Kawas won the Democratic nomination for the seat being vacated by retiring Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris.4Spectrum News. 5 Takeaways From New York 2026 Primary Election Results
Open Seats After Two Senior Democrats Retire
Two retirements by senior Democrats are reshaping the chamber heading into November.
Michael Gianaris, 12th District
Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris, who represents western Queens and has served in the Legislature for more than 25 years, announced on February 9, 2026 that he would not seek reelection.5City & State NY. Gianaris Will Not Run for Reelection He cited family as his primary reason, saying “it is time for me to embrace a new role as the best father I can be.” He has a two-year-old daughter and an eleven-year-old stepchild. He also acknowledged the strain of balancing district work, floor duties, and leading the conference’s campaign arm, calling public service in the current climate “a tremendous and often thankless sacrifice.”6Queens Eagle. Gianaris Will Not Seek Reelection His departure leaves one of the chamber’s most powerful positions open.
Brian Kavanagh, 27th District
Senator Brian Kavanagh, chair of the housing committee, announced on February 3, 2026 that he would not seek reelection and would serve out his term through the end of the year. The open seat quickly drew candidates: former Assembly Member Yuh-Line Niou formally announced her candidacy, and Assembly Member Grace Lee said she was exploring a run.7City & State NY. Brian Kavanagh Won’t Seek Reelection to State Senate
A Leadership Succession Waiting on November
The election is tangled up with the question of who will lead the Senate Democratic conference next. Stewart-Cousins has led the conference since 2019 and intends to seek reelection in November.8City & State NY. State Senate Won’t Change Leaders or Rules Until End of 2026 The chamber’s current rules cap any lawmaker’s time as leader at eight years, which means her tenure in the role is set to end in 2027 unless the rules are amended. She has not publicly said whether she will push for a change.
With Gianaris leaving and the deputy’s post opening too, the conference is heading into a generational transition. Senators Jamaal Bailey and Shelley Mayer are reportedly considered top contenders to eventually succeed Stewart-Cousins. The leader has made clear that any conversation about leadership and rules will wait until after November, with a vote at the start of the 2027 legislative session.8City & State NY. State Senate Won’t Change Leaders or Rules Until End of 2026
Competitive General Election Races
Democrats lost their supermajority in 2024, falling below the two-thirds threshold needed to override gubernatorial vetoes while still holding majority control.2City & State NY. New York State Senate Election Results 2024 Several districts decided by single-digit margins that year are expected to be competitive again, and the November maps are the same ones used in 2024.9Spectrum News. New York’s Proposed Redistricting Amendment
A representative example is the 40th District in the lower Hudson Valley. Democratic incumbent Pete Harckham, now in his fourth two-year term, ran unopposed in his primary and will face Republican Sergio Esposito, a Yorktown councilman and deputy supervisor, in November.10Multistate. NY Senate District 40 Esposito ran unopposed in his primary and has secured the Republican and Conservative lines across all three counties in the district. He is campaigning on affordability, public safety, and government transparency.11Halston Media. Sergio Esposito Makes Run for New York State Senate
What Voters and Candidates Need to Know
New York runs a closed primary system, so only voters enrolled in a party can vote in that party’s primary. For the June 23, 2026 primary, voter registration applications had to be received by June 13. The deadline for changing party enrollment was much earlier: under state election law, applications to change enrollment had to be received by February 14, 2026. Any change filed after that date did not take effect until June 30, a week after the primary.12NY State Board of Elections. Registration and Voting Deadlines
Candidates operate under New York’s election-specific contribution limit system. For 2026, individual non-family donors may contribute up to $5,000 per election, with the primary and general counted separately. Aggregate family contributions are calculated based on the number of voters in a district, with a floor of $20,000 and a ceiling of $100,000. Corporations, LLCs, and PLLCs may contribute up to $5,000 total per calendar year and must disclose their ownership structure to the Board of Elections.13NY State Board of Elections. Contribution Limits
New York also expanded its public campaign finance program ahead of this cycle. Contributions between $250 and $1,050 are now eligible for public matching, with the first $250 matched, and participating candidates may retain up to $50,000 in leftover public funds. Candidates for governor, attorney general, and comptroller became eligible for the program for the first time in 2026, alongside the 213 legislative seats already covered.