On December 5, 2024, Andrea Stewart-Cousins, a Democratic New York State Senator, has once again been elected as the Majority Leader of the New York State Council.
She announced her reelection statement on social media on Wednesday, December 4, expressing her gratitude for being unanimously chosen by her Democratic colleagues from across New York to serve as the Majority Leader and Acting Chair once more.
Stewart-Cousins also appointed Senator Mike Gianaris as the Deputy Majority Leader and Senator Jose Serrano as the Senate President. The new leadership team’s term will extend until 2025.
As the first African American woman to hold the position of Majority Leader in the State Senate, Stewart-Cousins wields significant power in determining the legislative agenda and is one of the key negotiators with the Governor of New York and the Speaker of the State Assembly in crafting the state budget annually.
Since 2012, Stewart-Cousins has been serving in a leadership role within the Democratic core group in the State Senate and has been the Majority Leader since 2019.
Representing the 35th Senatorial District, which includes parts of Westchester County, Stewart-Cousins aims to focus on voting reforms, tenant protections, addressing the housing crisis, and advocating for workers’ rights following her reelection as Majority Leader.
The new session of the council will convene in January next year at the Albany location, marking the third-largest Democratic assembly in the history of the New York State Council. However, this assembly is slightly smaller than the previous one due to the Democratic Party no longer holding an absolute majority following this year’s election.