State Senate Republicans are leaving in droves. What it means for NY and their constituents

ALBANY – For years, Republicans maintained their grip on the New York Senate, hanging on to their last bastion of power in a blue state that kept getting bluer.

They ceded control to Democrats at the start of this year. Then came the exodus.

As of Wednesday, eight of the 23 current Senate Republicans have declined to run for re-election or are seeking another office in 2020, the next year their seats are on the ballot.

The rash of Republican retirements has made the already difficult task of regaining the Senate majority seem gargantuan, especially since six of the eight soon-to-be-open districts have a Democratic enrollment edge.

And to make things even more difficult, Senate Republicans have struggled to raise money since losing the majority, reporting about $300,000 in their main fundraising account earlier this month, far less than the $1.8 million reported by their Democratic counterparts in July.

The election battle will have significant implications on any number of policy issues in New York.


When Democrats took control of the Senate this year, they successfully passed many bills that had been blocked by Republicans for years, including major reforms to the election and cash-bail systems and a measure allowing undocumented immigrants to apply for driver's licenses.

"It's a struggle," Senate Minority Leader John Flanagan, R-Suffolk County, said last week of the coming election cycle. "It's a battle.



https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/politics/albany/2019/12/19/senate-gopers-leaving-droves-what-means-ny-and-voters/2668262001/