NYS Election Update – Contribute to LeadingAge NY PAC!

(Aug. 1, 2024) NYS primary elections were held on June 25^th, and since then, NYS political activity has only intensified. The federal and state general election is set for Nov. 5^th, and there are several seats in the State Legislature up for grabs.

Every two years, each member of the Legislature has to run for re-election if they wish to remain in office. In addition, some legislators opt to retire or run for another public office, position, or profession. Thus, each election year comes with its own unique political dynamics and important “races to watch.”

An election cycle can lead to a shift in power within a house, or it can reduce the strength of a majority. For the last several years, NY Democrats have maintained a supermajority in both houses of the State Legislature. This year, Democrats are in a strong position to maintain their majority in each house; however, both the Assembly and Senate Democrats will be on the defense to maintain their supermajority status and protect the seats that they fought hard to win over the last several cycles.

Members may learn more about your districts’ upcoming elections and who will be on your ballot via Vote411.org. To find your current legislators’ information and district numbers, click here.

Please find below a simple chart of some state legislative districts to watch in this year's elections. In addition, this article from City & State provides deeper analysis on what to watch in some of these races.

State Legislative District #	Democratic Candidate	Republican Candidate
Assembly – District 1 Open seat – no incumbent	Thomas Schiavoni	Stephen Kiely
Assembly – District 4 Analysis by City & State	Rebecca Kassay	Ed Flood Incumbent
Assembly – District 11 Open seat – no incumbent	Kwani O'Pharrow	Joseph Cardinale
Assembly – District 18 Open seat – no incumbent	Noah Burroughs	Danielle Smikle
Assembly – District 21 Analysis by City & State	Judy Griffin	Brian Curran Incumbent
Assembly – District 23 Analysis by City & State	Stacey Pheffer Amato Incumbent	Tom Sullivan
Assembly – District 35 Open seat – no incumbent	Larinda Hooks
Assembly – District 40 Analysis by City & State	Ron Kim Incumbent	Philip Wang
Assembly – District 41 Open seat – no incumbent	Kalman Yeger (endorsed by both parties)	Kalman Yeger (endorsed by both parties)
Assembly – District 46 Analysis by City & State	Chris McCreight	Alec Brook-Krasny Incumbent
Assembly – District 69 Open seat – no incumbent	Micah Lasher
Assembly – District 70 Open seat – no incumbent	Jordan Wright	Seson Adams
Assembly – District 96 Open seat – no incumbent	Patrick Carroll	Ronald Diz
Assembly – District 99 Analysis by City & State	Chris Eachus Incumbent	Tom Lapolla
Assembly – District 100 Open seat – no incumbent	Paula Kay	Louis Ingrassia Jr.
Assembly – District 109 Open seat – no incumbent	Gabriella Romero	Alicia Purdy
Assembly – District 133 Open seat – no incumbent	Colleen Walsh-Williams	Andrea K. Bailey
Assembly – District 148 Open seat – no incumbent	Daniel Brown	Joe Sempolinski
Assembly – District 150 Open seat – no incumbent	Michael Bobseine	Andrew Molitor
Senate – District 7 Analysis by City & State	Kim Keiserman	Jack Martins Incumbent
Senate – District 17 Analysis by City & State	Iwen Chu Incumbent	Stephen Chan
Senate – District 38 Analysis by City & State	Elijah Reichlin-Melnick (D) Barbara Francis (WFP)	Bill Weber Incumbent
Senate – District 39 Analysis by City & State	Yvette Valdés Smith	Rob Rolison Incumbent
Senate – District 42 Analysis by City & State	James Skoufis Incumbent	Dorey Houle (R) Tim Mitts (CON)
Senate – District 46 Open seat – no incumbent	Patricia Fahy Assembly Member	Theodore Danz, Jr.
Senate – District 50 Open seat – no incumbent	Christopher Ryan	Nicholas Paro
Senate – District 52 Analysis by City & State	Lea Webb Incumbent	Mike Sigler
Senate – District 63 Open seat – no incumbent	April McCants-Baskin	John P. Moretti Jr.

In addition, below are some 2024 NYS congressional races to watch. Visit this City & State article for additional analysis and insights.

State Congressional District #	Democratic Candidate	Republican Candidate	Independent Candidates
1	John Avlon	Nicholas J. LaLota Incumbent	Patrick Denman Ryan Kalata Jarrett Matthews Adorno
3	Tom Suozzi Incumbent	Michael LiPetri Jr.	Matthew Nappo Jacob Soto
4	Laura Gillen	Anthony D'Esposito Incumbent
17	Mondaire Jones	Michael Lawler Incumbent
18	Pat Ryan Incumbent	Alison Esposito
19	Josh Riley	Marcus Molinaro Incumbent
22	John Mannion State Senator	Brandon Williams Incumbent	Christopher Gowett

Regardless of whether your districts are reflected above, all state legislators are running for re-election RIGHT NOW. Members should consider participating in the state and/or federal election cycle by contacting the candidates in your districts to express your organization's mission, services, and challenges. Further, members can invite incumbent legislators or political candidates (from all parties) to your organization to visit with residents and staff members. LeadingAge NY is happy to assist members in organizing local events or facility visits with legislators and candidates!

In addition, LeadingAge National is helping members ensure older adults and people living with disabilities can register to vote and have access to their polling place. Use this one-pager to easily access various resources to prepare for this year’s election.

Again, members may learn more about your upcoming 2024 elections and who will be on your ballot via Vote411.org. To find your current legislators’ information and district numbers, click here.

Consider Contributing to the LeadingAge NY PAC!

Election season is a critical time to ensure that your organization and advocates are connecting with candidates running for a seat in the NYS Legislature. An easy way to ensure that long-term care providers and the needs of older adults are being considered by candidates is to contribute to LeadingAge NY's Political Action Committee (PAC)!

By contributing to the LeadingAge NY PAC, you play a direct role in shaping policies that impact the quality of care and services available to older adults and individuals with disabilities. The PAC provides an opportunity for leaders, staff, board members, and volunteers to support our advocacy and the development of critical legislative relationships. To help bolster our Albany advocacy efforts, we invite you to make personal donations to our PAC!

Donations can be made via this link. Please review the above-linked flyer for additional information and/or share the flyer with your organization’s board members to help us supercharge our PAC! Your donations will enable us to continue our advocacy work and make a meaningful difference in the lives of older adults across NYS. Please note: Federal law strictly prohibits not-for-profit entities from involvement in political campaigns. Donations must be made from individuals’ personal accounts.

To learn more about what LeadingAge NY and the LeadingAge NY PAC do for our members, check out our 2023 Accomplishments! In addition, LeadingAge NY recently issued our 2024 Legislative Bill Summary, marking the end of this year's state legislative activity and recounting several advocacy victories.

Thank you for your unwavering support, care, and commitment to the well-being of older adults in your communities. Your contributions ensure that the voices of aging New Yorkers and long-term care providers are heard by legislators loud and clear!

Contact: Sarah Daly, sdaly@leadingageny.org