Sen. Sean Ryan
Sean Ryan, a Democrat representing the D+21 61st Senate District first elected in 2021, has built his legislative identity around economic development transparency, local government efficiency, and worker and public safety, sponsoring 60 bills in the 2025 session with a focus on General Municipal, Education, Real Property Tax, and Tax law areas, of which 4 have been signed into law. Hearing records identify him as particularly active on broadband infrastructure, workforce development program effectiveness, and economic development return on investment, and a 2024 Finance Committee hearing transcript explicitly references him as chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Economic Development and Small Business. Ryan maintains a 99.8% party loyalty rate across 1,376 votes cast, though he broke with his caucus on 3 recorded cross-party votes in June 2025 on issues including gas stove labeling and real property rights. He has grown his electoral margin from 13.4 points in 2022 to 23.6 points in 2024 and is rated Safe D across all modeled 2026 scenarios; his $1.42M campaign finance haul is drawn predominantly from individuals at 68.6%, with a noted alignment between his Real Estate/Construction donor category — anchored by Wheatfield Development LLC at $13,500 — and his Real Property Tax bill sponsorship activity.AI
Topic Focus AI
Topics extracted by AI from floor speeches, committee hearing transcripts, and sponsored legislation. Bill and hearing citations link to source records for verification. Tag size reflects number of supporting citations.
Key Issues AI
From committee hearings, and bill sponsorship.
Legislative Activity (2025–2026)
Floor votes and party alignment from complete Senate roll call records. Hearing engagements and floor debate appearances from official transcript processing.
Bill Outcomes 2025 Session
Covers Senate-sponsored bills only. Status from Open Legislation API.
Electoral History SD-61
General Elections
| Year | Winner | Runner-up | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Sean M. Ryan 61.8% (88,420) | Christine M. Czarnik 38.2% (54,666) | 23.6pts |
| 2022 | Sean M. Ryan 56.7% (63,901) | Edward A. Rath, III 43.3% (48,805) | 13.4pts |
| 2020 | Edward A. Rath, III 53.8% (79,457) | Jacqualine G. Berger 46.2% (68,230) | ⚡ 7.6pts |
| 2018 | Michael H. Ranzenhofer 54.1% (60,780) | Joan Elizabeth Seamans 45.9% (51,471) | ⚡ 8.3pts |
| 2016 | Michael H. Ranzenhofer 57.6% (75,255) | Thomas A. Loughran 40.9% (53,363) | 16.8pts |
| 2014 | Michael H. Ranzenhofer 65.8% (51,711) | Elaine B. Altman 34.2% (26,836) | 31.7pts |
| 2012 | Michael H. Ranzenhofer 59.0% (73,103) | Justin M. Rooney 41.0% (50,889) | 17.9pts |
| 2010 | Michael H. Ranzenhofer 62.9% (63,467) | Marc A. Coppola 37.1% (37,464) | 25.8pts |
| 2008 | Michael H. Ranzenhofer 52.7% (74,750) | Joe Mesi 47.3% (67,207) | ⚡ 5.3pts |
| 2006 | Mary Lou Rath 68.1% (67,216) | Richard L. Woll 31.9% (31,423) | 36.3pts |
| 2004 | Mary Lou Rath 66.2% (90,594) | Frank J. Longo 33.8% (46,267) | 32.4pts |
| 2002 | Mary Lou Rath 77.0% (71,799) | Marla Greenberg 23.0% (21,469) | 54.0pts |
| 2000 | George D. Maziarz 100.0% (81,052) | Uncontested | — |
| 1998 | George D. Maziarz 74.3% (63,464) | Kevin R. Burns 25.7% (21,984) | 48.5pts |
| 1996 | George D. Maziarz 68.8% (73,808) | Steve Ireland 31.2% (33,494) | 37.6pts |
Primary Elections
| Year | Winner | Runner-up | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 (Democratic) | Jacqualine G. Berger 38.8% (9,386) | Kim Smith 38.2% (9,232) | ⚡ 0.6pts |
| 2020 (Independence) | Edward A. Rath, III 71.6% (1,003) | Andrew J. Gruszka 28.4% (397) | 43.3pts |
| 2016 (Working Families) | Thomas A. Loughran 78.0% (46) | Andre N. Liszka 22.0% (13) | 55.9pts |
| 2016 (Reform) | Michael H. Ranzenhofer 100.0% (14) | Opportunity To Ballot 0.0% (0) | — |
| 2010 (Independence) | Michael H. Ranzenhofer 66.4% (519) | Andrew J. Gruszka 33.6% (263) | 32.7pts |
| 2008 (Democratic) | Joe Mesi 52.9% (8,611) | Michele M. Iannello 34.6% (5,632) | 18.3pts |
| 2008 (Independence) | Michael H. Ranzenhofer 73.0% (413) | William J. Walters 27.0% (153) | 45.9pts |
| 2006 (Independence) | Mary Lou Rath 66.0% (349) | Richard L. Woll 34.0% (180) | 31.9pts |
| 2000 (Right to Life) | George Maziarz 100.0% (9) | Uncontested | — |
| 1998 (Right to Life) | George Maziarz 100.0% (58) | Uncontested | — |
| 1996 (Right to Life) | George D. Maziarz 97.0% (96) | John LaFalce 2.0% (2) | 94.9pts |
Special Elections
| Year | Winner | Runner-up | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | George D. Maziarz 39.8% (14,069) | John W. Cole 34.5% (12,187) | ⚡ 5.3pts |
Source: NYS Board of Elections certified results. ⚡ = margin under 10 pts.
Vulnerability Index SD-61
Base lean: D+21
- District redrawn after 2020 Census — limited same-boundary history
Scenario model: ±5pt national environment shift applied to district base lean (D+21). Base lean blends voter registration (40%) with recent contested general election margins (60%), using up to the last 4 general elections with margins under 40 points. Ratings: Safe D/R = 20+ pts, Likely = 10–19 pts, Lean = 4–9 pts, Toss-up = within 3 pts. Generic ballot from Silver Bulletin (Nate Silver), as of 7/22/2026 — see current figure on the district map. Not a prediction — reflects structural competitiveness under different cycle environments.
Top Co-Sponsors
District 61 Profile
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (2024). Voter registration: NYS Board of Elections (latest available enrollment file).
Voter Registration
Campaign Finance (2022–2026)
Top Donors
Donor Industries top donors
Source: NYS Board of Elections via data.ny.gov. Itemized monetary contributions only. ↔ Bills = donor industry aligns with bill sponsorship focus area.
Data through 2026-03-28.
Lobbying Activity 2025
Counts reflect bi-monthly disclosure records filed with the Ethics Commission — not individual meetings.
Top Lobbying Issues
Top Organizations Lobbying This Senator
Source: NY Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government via data.ny.gov. ★ Chair = lobbying issue overlaps with a committee this senator chairs. ↔ Overlap = matches committee membership or bill sponsorship focus.
Demographics
Commute Mode
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (2024). Race and ethnicity figures may not sum to 100% — Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity category that overlaps with racial groups.
Voting Record
3 additional dissenting votes across other topics
From 1,376 recorded floor votes via OpenLeg API. Dissenting votes grouped by law section to reveal policy patterns.
Votes through 2025-06-13.
Committee Hearing Engagement (4) AI
| Date | Committee | Engagement | Stance | Focus Areas | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-02-26 | New York State Senate Finance Committee and Assembly Ways and Means Committee | high | supportive | cannabis licensing improvements OCM staffing and communication ESD programs and return on investment | Chair Ryan praised OCM's improvements in licensing and staffing, noting reduced negative phone calls. He also commended ESD's responsiveness to Albany's economic development needs and expressed support for continued dialogue on program effectiveness. |
| 2025-02-26 | FINANCE | high | supportive | Cannabis licensing improvements OCM staffing and customer service ESD program return on investment Downtown revitalization in Albany | Sen. Ryan praised OCM's improvements, noting he has received fewer negative phone calls about illegal dispensaries and long waits. He commended Commissioner Knight's responsiveness to Albany's downtown revitalization proposals and expressed interest in continuing dialogue on ESD program effectiveness. |
| 2024-01-30 | FINANCE | high | skeptical | Database of Deals transparency IDA subsidy disclosure Program effectiveness measurement SUNY Albany investment Artificial Intelligence Consortium Independent audit of economic development programs | Sen. Ryan, chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Economic Development and Small Business, asked pointed questions about transparency in the Database of Deals regarding IDA subsidies, noting incompleteness in disclosure. He emphasized the importance of measuring success of state investments and referenced an independent audit of all programs being released the following day. |
| 2023-02-09 | FINANCE | high | skeptical | Transparency in economic development programs Database of Economic Incentives usability Economic impact analysis and return on investment NYSTAR program and science/technology funding Workforce development programs and outcomes | Sen. Ryan asked pointed questions about the usability and completeness of the Database of Economic Incentives, noting it was 'clunky' with 3,200 incentives and missing data. He pressed Commissioner Knight on the timeline for the economic impact study, the status of NYSTAR funding, and the effectiveness of the $350 million workforce development investment, signaling concern about accountability and measurable outcomes. |