The Politics of New York State tend to be more left-leaning than in most of the rest of the United States, with in recent decades a solid majority of Democratic voters, concentrated in New York City and its suburbs, and in the cities of Buffalo, Rochester and Albany. Republican voters, in the minority, are concentrated in more rural Upstate New York, particularly in the Adirondack Mountains, the Finger Lakes area and in parts of the Hudson Valley. Despite the imbalance in registration, New York voters have shown a willingness to elect relatively centrist Republicans to local offices, though rarely in recent years to the Presidency. The Politics series Politics Portal This box:      Politics is the process by which groups of people make decisions. ... State nickname: Empire State Other U.S. States Capital Albany Largest city New York Governor George Pataki Official languages None Area 141,205 km² (27th)  - Land 122,409 km²  - Water 18,795 km² (13. ... “Leftism” redirects here. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  Politics Portal      Further information: Politics of the United States#Organization of American political parties The Democratic... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... The New York metropolitan area is the most populous in the United States and the fourth most populous in the world (after Tokyo, Seoul, and Mexico City). ... Nickname: Location of Buffalo in New York State County Erie County Government  - Mayor Byron Brown Area  - City 52. ... Nickname: Motto: Rochester: Made for Living Location of Rochester in New York State Country United States State New York County Monroe Government  - Mayor Robert Duffy Area  - City  37. ... Location in Albany County and the State of New York Coordinates: , Country United States State New York County Albany Founded 1614 Incorporated 1686 Government  - Mayor Gerald D. Jennings (D) Area  - City  21. ... The Republican Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States of America, along with the Democratic Party. ... The areas highlighted in YELLOW and GREEN are those which are considered to be a bona fide part of Upstate New York from the perspective of New York City. ... The Adirondack mountain range is located in the northeastern part of New York that runs through Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer, Lewis, St. ... The Finger Lakes, a major tourist destination in the west-central section of Upstate New York, are actually eleven in number, but only seven of the largest are commonly identified as such. ... It has been suggested that Mid-Hudson Region be merged into this article or section. ... In politics, centrism usually refers to the political ideal of promoting moderate policies which land in the middle ground between different political extremes. ...

State political offices and electoral trends

Party trends and geography

The balance of the parties was formerly less decided, with a large Democratic majority in populous New York City, Rochester and Buffalo, but Republican dominance in the upstate and Long Island. Historically, the only Democratic outpost in upstate New York was Albany. In recent years, with the political transformation of former Republican strongholds of Long Island, the Hudson Valley and the Syracuse area, New York has grown more reliably Democratic. In particular, Nassau County and Westchester County currently have Democrat county executives for only the second time in a few decades. This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... It has been suggested that Mid-Hudson Region be merged into this article or section. ... Nickname: The Salt City Location of Syracuse within the state of New York Coordinates: City Government  - Mayor Matthew Driscoll Area  - City 66. ... Nassau County is a suburban county in the New York Metropolitan Area east of New York City in the U.S. state of New York. ... Westchester County is a suburban county with about 940,000 residents located in the U.S. state of New York. ...

Party balance in state legislatures

Democrats dominate the State Assembly, whose current speaker is Sheldon Silver of lower Manhattan. They have held a majority for all but five years since 1959. Republicans hold a narrow edge in the State Senate, where they have held a majority since the 1930s, except for a brief period in 1965. The Senate Majority Leader is Joseph Bruno of the Albany suburbs. The Minority Leader is Malcolm Smith of Queens who replaced David Paterson of Manhattan upon his ascension to office as Lieutenant Governor. Sheldon Silver (born February 13, 1944) is a politician and member of the United States Democratic Party, currently serving as Speaker of New York State Assembly. ... 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... Joseph L. Bruno (born April 8, 1929) is an American businessman and politician. ... Malcolm Smith is an American offroad racing legend. ... Queens is geographically the largest of the five boroughs of New York City in the United States, and the most ethnically diverse county in the U.S. It is coterminous with Queens County in the State of New York and is located on western Long Island. ... David A. Paterson (born May 20, 1954) is an American politician and the current Lieutenant Governor of New York. ... A Lieutenant Governor is a government official who is the subordinate or deputy of a Governor or Governor-General. ...

While the Assembly's apportionment strongly favors New York City, Buffalo, Rochester and the Capital District, the Senate has traditionally been dominated by the more conservative upstate region. However, the Republicans have lost many Senate seats in recent years because of the aforementioned political realignments of the New York City suburbs and Syracuse. In fact, it was considered possible that Democrats could have won a majority in the State Senate in 2006, and may yet, in 2008, an inconceivable feat in 2000.

2006 elections

The current Governor of New York is a Democrat, Eliot Spitzer. He was elected by a large margin in 2006. Both U.S. Senators are Democrats, Chuck Schumer and Hillary Rodham Clinton. However, it wasn't too long ago when New York had Republicans in high political offices. The previous Governor was a Republican, George Pataki, who defeated incumbent Democrat Mario Cuomo in 1994 and was reelected twice by wide margins. Republican Senator Alfonse D'Amato served until he was defeated in 1998 and before him longtime Senator Jacob Javits also served and was also a Republican, although he ran as a Liberal in 1980. Republican Congressmen William E. Miller and Jack Kemp were both from New York and were running mates for Barry Goldwater in 1964 and Bob Dole in 1996 respectively. Despite the strong Democratic presence in New York City, Republican Rudolph Giuliani served two terms as mayor, and Michael Bloomberg was elected as a Republican twice, the first time being in 2001 and then again in 2005. He has since become an independent. This is a list of the Governors of New York. ... Eliot Laurence Spitzer (born June 10, 1959) is an American lawyer, politician and the current Governor of New York. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... The United States Senate is the upper house of the U.S. Congress, smaller than the United States House of Representatives. ... Charles Ellis Chuck Schumer (born November 23, 1950) is currently the senior U.S. Senator from the state of New York, serving since 1999. ... Hillary Rodham Clinton (born Hillary Diane Rodham on October 26, 1947) is the Biggest loser/retard these united states have seen from New York. ... George Elmer Pataki (born June 24, 1945) is the current Governor of New York State, USA serving since January 1995, and as of late 2006 is the longest-serving of all current U.S. governors. ... Mario Matthew Cuomo (born June 15, 1932) served as the Governor of New York from 1983 to 1995. ... Alfonse Martello DAmato (born August 1, 1937) is a former New York politician. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... Jacob Koppel Javits (May 18, 1904–March 7, 1986) was an American politician. ... The Liberal Party of New York is a minor political party active only in New York State. ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... William Edward Miller (March 22, 1914 – June 24, 1983), was an American politician. ... Jack French Kemp Jr. ... Barry Morris Goldwater (January 1, 1909 – May 29, 1998) was a five-term United States Senator from Arizona (1953–1965, 1969–87) and the Republican Partys nominee for president in the 1964 election. ... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ... § Robert Joseph Dole (born July 22, 1923) was a United States Senator from Kansas from 1969-1996, serving part of that time as United States Senate Majority Leader. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... Rudolph William Louis Rudy Giuliani III, KBE (born May 28, 1944) served as the Mayor of New York City from January 1, 1994 through December 31, 2001. ... Michael Rubens Bloomberg (born 14 February 1942) is an American businessman, philanthropist, and the founder of Bloomberg L.P., currently serving as the Mayor of New York City. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In 2006, Democrats made gains across the state (as they also did nationwide), building on their already existing majority. While Democrats had already been a strong force in the New York City area, most of the Democratic gains in 2006 occurred upstate. Democrat Eliot Spitzer won a landslide victory to replace George Pataki as Governor, defeating John Faso 69%-29%--the second-largest victory for a statewide candidate in New York history. Democrats Hillary Rodham Clinton, Andrew Cuomo and Alan Hevesi won the US Senate, Attorney General and State Comptroller races by wide margins respectively. For the first time in over 60 years, all major statewide elected offices will be held by Democrats. New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... Eliot Laurence Spitzer (born June 10, 1959) is an American lawyer, politician and the current Governor of New York. ... Hillary Rodham Clinton (born Hillary Diane Rodham on October 26, 1947) is the Biggest loser/retard these united states have seen from New York. ... Andrew Mark Cuomo (born December 6, 1957, in New York City) is the New York State Attorney General, having been elected to that office on November 7, 2006. ... Alan G. Hevesi (born 1940 in Queens, New York) is the Democratic Comptroller of the State of New York. ...

Republicans kept control of the State Senate, but lost the seat of Republican Nicholas Spano in Westchester County and lost a Long Island seat in a 2007 special election. Democrats gained three seats to build on their already large majority in the State Assembly. The New York State Senate is one of two houses in the New York State Legislature and has members each elected to two-year terms. ... Nicholas Spano represents District 35 in the New York State Senate. ... The chamber of the New York State Assembly. ...

Democrats also won three Republican held congressional seats, all in Upstate New York. Democrat Michael Arcuri won the open seat of retiring Republican Sherwood Boehlert in the 24th Congressional District, which stretches across Central New York from Utica to Oneonta to the Finger Lakes. Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand defeated Republican incumbent John Sweeney in the 20th Congressional District, which includes Saratoga Springs and Glens Falls and takes in most of the upper Hudson Valley except for Albany and Democrat John Hall defeated Republican incumbent Sue Kelly in the 19th Congressional district in the Lower Hudson Valley outside New York City. Of the nine Republican incumbents up for reelection in 2006, only one, John McHugh in the 23rd district managed to win reelection with over 60% of the vote. Republicans James Walsh of Syracuse, Thomas Reynolds of Clarence and Randy Kuhl of Bath all won reelection by narrow margins. The House of Representatives is the larger of two houses that make up the U.S. Congress, the other being the United States Senate. ... The areas highlighted in YELLOW and GREEN are those which are considered to be a bona fide part of Upstate New York from the perspective of New York City. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Rep. ... Kirsten Rutnik Gillibrand (born December 9, 1966) is a Democratic politician, elected on November 7, 2006, to represent New Yorks 20th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives. ... John Sweeney is the name of: The AFL-CIO President A New York Congressman a politician in Ontario, Canada A London policeman This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... It has been suggested that Mid-Hudson Region be merged into this article or section. ... For other people named John Hall, see John Hall. ... Sue W. Kelly (b. ... It has been suggested that Mid-Hudson Region be merged into this article or section. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... John Michael McHugh (b. ... James Thomas Jim Walsh (born June 19, 1947) is an American politician from New York State, currently representing the states 25th Congressional District (map) in the United States House of Representatives as a Republican. ... Nickname: The Salt City Location of Syracuse within the state of New York Coordinates: City Government  - Mayor Matthew Driscoll Area  - City 66. ... Thomas Reynolds (c. ... Position within Erie County. ... John R. Randy Kuhl, Jr. ... Bath, New York is the name of a village and a town in USA. References to Bath usually mean the village. ...

• Election results, New York governor
• Election results, New York Attorney General

The governor of the U.S. state of New York is elected for a four-year term on a joint ticket with the lieutenant governor. ... The New York Attorney General election is held every four years. ...

Current issues

Same-sex marriage is not recognized in the state. Since 2004 the public pension systems of both the state and New York City allocate benefits in recognition of same-sex marriages performed outside New York. Governor Eliot Spitzer has stated he will introduce legislation to legalize same-sex marriage. On April 27, 2007 Governor Spitzer unveiled such bill. [1] Same-sex marriage is not recognized in New York state. ... Eliot Laurence Spitzer (born June 10, 1959) is an American lawyer, politician and the current Governor of New York. ...

New York and national politics

Congressional delegation

New York's delegation to the House of Representatives leans strongly Democratic. In fact, Republicans have not held a majority of New York House seats since the 1950s. This is due almost entirely to the Democrats' near-total domination of local politics in New York City; all but one of the city's 13 congressional districts is represented by a Democrat. With the defeats of Republican incumbents Sue Kelly and John Sweeney and a Democratic victory in the open seat of Sherwood Boehlert in 2006, New York will send 23 Democrats and six Republicans to the 110th Congress. The number of Republicans is less than half the number New York sent to the House of Representatives only a decade ago. Democrats hold all but one seat on Long Island, and hold every House seat in the Hudson Valley. New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... Sue W. Kelly (b. ... John Sweeney is the name of: The AFL-CIO President A New York Congressman a politician in Ontario, Canada A London policeman This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Rep. ... The 110th United States Congress will be in session from noon on January 3, 2007 until noon on January 3, 2009. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ...

This recent Democratic dominance may be explained by the increasing conservatism of the national Republican Party. With few exceptions, upstate New York has historically been dominated by a moderate brand of Republicanism, similar to that of neighboring New England. Republicans also had at least a fighting chance in three of New York City's districts, but aside from Staten Island, Republicans have not been competitive in the city's districts since the early 1990s. This article is about the region in the United States of America. ... Staten Island (IPA: ) is one of the five boroughs of New York City. ...

Since the early 1990s, many voters in traditional Republican strongholds such as Long Island, Syracuse and the Hudson Valley have been willing to support Democratic candidates at the national level. The Democrats already have a nearly unbreakable hold on New York City, Rochester, the Capital District and Buffalo, neither of which have supported a Republican for president in decades. New York City, for instance, has not been carried by a Republican presidential candidate since 1924. The other three areas only support Republican presidential candidates during landslides. 1924 (MCMXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar). ...

U.S. Senators

Currently, New York is represented in the U.S. Senate by Chuck Schumer of Brooklyn and Hillary Clinton of Westchester County, both Democrats. Charles Ellis Chuck Schumer (born November 23, 1950) is currently the senior U.S. Senator from the state of New York, serving since 1999. ... Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton (born October 26, 1947), was First Lady of the United States from 1993 to 2001, as the wife of President Bill Clinton. ... Westchester County is a suburban county with about 940,000 residents located in the U.S. state of New York. ...

Over the last century, New York elected Democratic Senators Robert Wagner and Robert F. Kennedy as well as Conservative Senator James Buckley. Democrats Al Smith, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and W. Averell Harriman served as governor, as did Republicans Thomas Dewey and Nelson Rockefeller, who was elected four times. Although a staunch progressive, Republican Teddy Roosevelt was Governor of New York before being elected Vice President in 1900. (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999... For other persons named Robert Wagner, see Robert Wagner (disambiguation). ... Robert Francis Bobby Kennedy (November 20, 1925 – June 6, 1968), also called RFK, was one of two younger brothers of U.S. President John F. Kennedy and served as United States Attorney General from 1961 to 1964. ... The Conservative Party of New York is a minor political party active only in New York State. ... James Lane Buckley (born March 9, 1923 in New York City) was a United States Senator from the Conservative Party of New York State from January 3, 1971 to January 3, 1977. ... Alfred Emanuel Al Smith (December 30, 1873 – October 4, 1944) was Governor of New York, and Democratic U.S. presidential candidate in 1928. ... Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882–April 12, 1945), 32nd President of the United States, the longest-serving holder of the office and the only man to be elected President more than twice, was one of the central figures of 20th century history. ... William Averell Harriman William Averell Harriman (November 15, 1891 – July 26, 1986) was an American Democratic Party politician, businessman and diplomat. ... Thomas Edmund Dewey (b. ... Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller (July 8, 1908 – January 26, 1979) was an American Vice President, governor of New York State, philanthropist and businessman. ...

New York politics have recently been dominated by downstate areas such as Westchester County, New York City and Long Island, where a majority of the state's population resides. No US Senator has come from upstate since Charles Goodell, who served from 1968-1970 (Goodell was from Jamestown), however, Goodell was appointed and never elected meaning no US Senator has been elected from upstate since Kenneth Keating in 1958. Keating was from the Rochester area. New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Charles Ellsworth Goodell (March 16, 1926 – January 21, 1987) was a U.S. Representative and a Senator from New York, notable for coming into both offices under special circumstances following the deaths of his predecessors. ... Jamestown is a city in Chautauqua County, New York in the United States. ... Kenneth Barnard Keating (May 18, 1900 – May 5, 1975), was a United States Representative and a Senator from New York. ...

Schumer's victory over Republican Al D'Amato in 1998 gave the Democrats both of the state's Senate seats for the first time since 1892. In 2004, Schumer won the largest victory ever recorded for a candidate running statewide in New York, carrying all but one of the state's counties. In 2006, Clinton won the third largest victory ever recorded statewide, carrying all but four counties. In both cases, Schumer and Clinton didn't face serious opposition. Alfonse Marcello DAmato (born August 1, 1937) is a former New York politician. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... 1892 (MDCCCXCII) was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

Presidential elections

In the past, New York was a powerful swing state, forcing presidential candidates to invest a large amount of money and time campaigning there. New York State gave small margins of victory to Democrats John F. Kennedy in 1960, Hubert Humphrey in 1968, Jimmy Carter in 1976 and Michael Dukakis in 1988, as well as Republicans Herbert Hoover in 1928, Thomas Dewey in 1948 and Ronald Reagan in 1980. Until the 1970 United States Census, it had the most votes in the U.S. Electoral College. An image displaying current swing states in the United States. ... John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also referred to as John F. Kennedy, Kennedy, John Kennedy, Jack Kennedy, or JFK, was the 35th President of the United States. ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... Hubert Horatio Humphrey, Jr. ... Year 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the 1968 Gregorian calendar. ... James Earl Jimmy Carter, Jr. ... Year 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the 1976 Gregorian calendar. ... Michael Stanley Dukakis (born November 3, 1933) is an American Democratic politician, former Governor of Massachusetts, and the Democratic presidential nominee in 1988. ... Year 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar). ... Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964), the 31st President of the United States (1929–1933), was a world-famous mining engineer and humanitarian administrator. ... Year 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Thomas Edmund Dewey (b. ... 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1948 calendar). ... Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was the fortieth President of the United States (1981 – 1989) and the thirty-third Governor of California (1967 – 1975). ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... The Nineteenth United States Census, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States to be 203,302,031, an increase of 13. ... The United States Electoral College is the electoral college that chooses the President and Vice President of the United States at the conclusion of each Presidential election. ...

Today, although New York is still the third largest prize in the Electoral College with 31 votes, it is usually considered an uncontested "blue state"--meaning that it is presumed safe for the Democrats. The last time a Republican made a serious effort in the state was 1988. Since 1992, the national Republican Party has effectively ceded New York to the Democrats. In addition, despite having a Republican governor for 12 years, New York appears to have trended more Democratic. ... Year 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... This is a list of the Governors of New York. ...

Even in the days when New York was considered a swing state, Republicans usually had to win or do reasonably well in the state's four biggest metropolitan areas to have a realistic chance of carrying the state.

The challenges of New Yorker presidential candidates

New York politicians have historically tended to loom large on the national political scene, reflecting the importance of the state, and more presidential candidates have been governor of New York than anything else. Although local politicians are often prominently featured in the national media, because of New York's current unique political orientation they face some special challenges when seeking national office.

One challenge all potential New York presidential candidates face is the state's relatively late primary, and the strong possibility that a party's nomination could be effectively decided before New York selects its many delegates to the nominating convention. Speeches by important party figures are key features of the convention; here, former President Jimmy Carter addresses the 2004 Democratic National Convention. ...

Prominent Republicans like Pataki and Giuliani tend to be moderate on most social issues. This poses substantial electoral difficulties in more conservative states, especially in the South. Even if a New York Republican could win the New York primary, the possibility of winning a very Democratic home state in the general election would still be a great challenge, but also a tremendous opportunity.

Prominent Democrats, such as Senators Schumer and Clinton, though often among the leaders of the national party, have little to offer in home-state advantage in a general election where the state is already presumed Democratic. Indeed, it would usually be considered a serious tactical and strategic blunder for a Democratic presidential candidate to select a running mate from New York. They would also be presumed as being too liberal for the tastes of other states.

• Presidential Election 2004 results, New York
• Presidential election 2000 results, New York