Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins
Andrea Stewart-Cousins, first elected in 2006 and now in her 19th year in the chamber, serves as Chair of the Rules Committee and sponsored 72 bills in the 2025 session, with sponsorship concentrated heavily in Senate resolutions (31 bills) alongside smaller clusters in Tax, Criminal Procedure, Local Finance, and Vehicle and Traffic law; 5 of her sponsored bills were signed into law, representing a 26.3% enactment rate. She maintains a 100.0% party loyalty rate across 1,443 votes cast in 2025, with no recorded hearing engagements or NAY votes. Her D+35 district — rated Safe D across all modeled 2026 electoral environments — has returned her by comfortable margins in every contested race, including a 32.3-point victory in 2024 and a 29.6-point margin in 2022, both against the same opponent. Her campaign raised $429,416 in the 2022–2026 cycle, drawing 79.1% from individuals, with top donors including Daniel Choi at $16,000 and Geico and NY Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists PC each at $10,000; lobbying contact volume directed at her office is highest in Budget/Appropriations (956 contacts) and Health – General (574 contacts), with flagged overlaps in Budget/Appropriations, Criminal Justice, and Education.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 floor debate, and bill sponsorship.
Legislative Activity (2025–2026)
Based on complete Senate roll call records.
Bill Outcomes 2025 Session
Covers Senate-sponsored bills only. Status from Open Legislation API.
Committee Assignments
Electoral History SD-35
General Elections
| Year | Winner | Runner-up | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Andrea Stewart-Cousins 66.2% (81,254) | Khristen M. Kerr 33.8% (41,541) | 32.3pts |
| 2022 | Andrea Stewart-Cousins 64.8% (56,220) | Khristen M. Kerr 35.2% (30,549) | 29.6pts |
| 2020 | Andrea Stewart-Cousins 100.0% (103,839) | Uncontested | — |
| 2018 | Andrea Stewart-Cousins 100.0% (80,074) | Uncontested | — |
| 2016 | Andrea Stewart-Cousins 100.0% (94,864) | Uncontested | — |
| 2014 | Andrea Stewart-Cousins 73.5% (43,862) | Robert Lopez Foti 26.5% (15,811) | 47.0pts |
| 2012 | Andrea Stewart-Cousins 100.0% (84,180) | Uncontested | — |
| 2010 | Andrea Stewart-Cousins 55.6% (42,982) | Liam J. McLaughlin 44.4% (34,260) | 11.3pts |
| 2008 | Andrea Stewart-Cousins 61.7% (70,811) | John M. Murtagh 38.3% (43,940) | 23.4pts |
| 2006 | Andrea Stewart-Cousins 51.2% (43,241) | Nick Spano 48.8% (41,162) | ⚡ 2.5pts |
| 2004 | Nick Spano | Nick Spano | — |
| 2002 | Nick Spano 62.0% (43,961) | Oswaldo Ramos 35.2% (24,979) | 26.8pts |
| 2000 | Nick Spano 51.9% (55,104) | Thomas J. Abinanti 45.7% (48,451) | ⚡ 6.3pts |
| 1998 | Nick Spano 59.2% (46,267) | Steve Ploski 38.2% (29,898) | 20.9pts |
| 1996 | Nick Spano 51.9% (51,996) | Thomas J. Abinanti 45.8% (45,875) | ⚡ 6.1pts |
Primary Elections
| Year | Winner | Runner-up | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 (Democratic) | Andrea Stewart-Cousins 80.9% (25,129) | Virginia M. Perez 19.1% (5,925) | 61.8pts |
| 2014 (Conservative) | Irregular 50.0% (7) | Robert Lopez Foti 14.3% (2) | 35.7pts |
Source: NYS Board of Elections certified results. ⚡ = margin under 10 pts.
Vulnerability Index SD-35
Base lean: D+36
- District redrawn after 2020 Census — limited same-boundary history
Scenario model: ±5pt national environment shift applied to district base lean (D+36). 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 5/20/2026 — see current figure on the district map. Not a prediction — reflects structural competitiveness under different cycle environments.
Top Co-Sponsors
District 35 Profile
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (2024). Voter registration: NYS Board of Elections (Nov. 2025).
Voter Registration
Campaign Finance (2022–2026)
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
Top Lobbying Issues
Top Organizations Lobbying This Senator
Source: NY Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government via data.ny.gov. Counts reflect bi-monthly disclosure records filed with the Ethics Commission — not individual meetings. ★ 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
From 1,443 recorded floor votes via OpenLeg API. Dissenting votes grouped by law section to reveal policy patterns.
Votes through 2026-02-10.
Floor Speeches: In Support (3) AI
Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins emphasized that with 37,000 lives lost, over 90,000 wounded, and 8,000 missing, the Korean War cannot be forgotten, and committed that the Senate's actions in honoring veterans back up its words, noting that this is the second year of the celebration and that it will continue annually.
The bill modernizes village incorporation law based on research from Pace University's Land Use Law Center, which found that a neutral state entity should oversee incorporation, decisions should rely on proper studies, and minimum population requirements should be raised to match national standards like Wisconsin (2,500) and Florida (1,500). This ensures villages are viable and have adequate resources to operate.
Delivered comprehensive defense of the budget as a 'people's budget' that funds education from pre-K to college, universal free school meals, expanded childcare, healthcare infrastructure, reproductive care access, mental health services, MTA operations, minimum wage increases tied to inflation, gun violence prevention, climate initiatives including cap-and-invest program, and support for family farms. Emphasized the budget creates affordability and opportunity for working and middle-class New Yorkers.