New York State Democratic Committee


The New York State Democratic Committee is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the state of New York. Its headquarters are in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, and it has an office in Albany.

Recent history

In the early 20th century when New York State was without a Democratic governor, county leaders often had near-fiefdoms in which they controlled nominations and campaign finances. President John F. Kennedy got involved in the early 1960s, funneling federal patronage through New York City mayor Robert Wagner to the detriment of state chair Michael H. Prendergast. Robert F. Kennedy was elected to the U.S. Senate from New York in 1964 and, through both personality and considerable financial support, exerted a unifying influence. Following his assassination in 1968, the state Democratic Party was more divided than ever. When New York City mayor John Lindsay switched from Republican to Democrat in 1971, he brought a charisma to the Democratic Party that it was sorely lacking.
In 1974, the Democrats benefited from Republican problems stemming from the Watergate scandal, winning control of the New York State Assembly and electing a governor, Hugh Carey. The Democrats have controlled the Assembly ever since. Republicans maintained control of the State Senate for many years, with control switching between the parties several times in the early Twenty-First Century.
The State Committee is chaired by Jay S. Jacobs. The Executive Committee is chaired by former New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn. The Executive Director is Geoff Berman.
Three Democratic Presidents from New York include Franklin D. Roosevelt who was the Governor of New York from 1929-1932; Grover Cleveland who was the Governor of New York from 1883-1885; and Martin Van Buren who was a U.S. Senator and Governor of New York from 1821-1829. Van Buren is also the only Democratic Vice-President from New York.

Current elected officials

The following is a list of elected statewide and federal Democratic officeholders:

Members of Congress

Democrats comprise 23 of New York's 29-member Congressional delegation - including both US Senators and 21 member of the House of Representatives.

U.S. Senate

Democrats have controlled both of New York's seats in the U.S. Senate since 1998:
Out of the 27 seats New York is apportioned in the U.S. House of Representatives, 21 are held by Democrats:
Democrats control all four of the elected statewide offices:
Some of the state's major cities have Democratic mayors. As of 2019, Democrats control the mayor's offices in nine of New York's ten largest cities:
ChairTenureHometown while serving
Augustus Schell1853-1856Manhattan
Samuel Fowler1856-1857Port Jervis
Dean Richmond1857 – August 1866Batavia
Samuel J. TildenAugust 1866 – September 1874Manhattan
Allen C. BeachSeptember 1874 – September 1875Watertown
Daniel MagoneSeptember 1875 – 1877Ogdensburg
William Purcell1877–1878Rochester
Lester B. Faulkner1878–1881Dansville
Daniel Manning1881 – August 1885Albany
John O'BrienSeptember 1885 – 1887Rhinebeck
Charles C. B. WalkerOctober 1887 – 1888Corning
Edward Murphy Jr.May 1888 – 1894Troy
James W. HinckleySeptember 1894 – 1896Poughkeepsie
Elliott DanforthSeptember 1896 – September 1898Manhattan
Frank CampbellSeptember 1898 – April 1904Bath
Cord MeyerApril 1904 – 1906Queens
William. J. ConnersOctober 1906 – June 1910Buffalo
John Alden DixJune 1910 – October 1910Thomson
Winfield A. HuppuchOctober 1910 – October 1911Hudson Falls
Norman E. MackOctober 1911 – February 1912Buffalo
George M. PalmerFebruary 1912 – March 1914Cobleskill
William Church OsbornMarch 1914 – 1916Garrison
Edwin S. HarrisApril 1916 – September 1918Schuylerville
Joseph A. KelloggOctober 1918 – December 1918Glens Falls
William W. FarleyJanuary 1919 – June 1921Binghamton
Herbert C. PellJuly 1921 – January 1926Tuxedo Park
Edwin CorningJanuary 1926 – August 1928Albany
M. William BrayAugust 1928 – 1930Utica
James A. FarleyOctober 1930 – June 1944Manhattan
Paul E. FitzpatrickJuly 1944 – December 1, 1952Buffalo
Walter A. Lynch1952 Bronx
Richard H. BalchDecember 1952 – June 1955Utica
Michael H. PrendergastJuly 1955 – February 28, 1962Haverstraw
William H. McKeonMarch 1, 1962 - July 1965Auburn
John J. BurnsJuly 1965 – December 1971Binghamton
Joseph F. CrangleDecember 1971 – December 1974Buffalo
Patrick J. CunninghamDecember 1974 – January 31, 1977Bronx
Dominic J. BaranelloFebruary 1, 1977 – December 1982Blue Point
William C. HennessyDecember 1982 – December 1984Albany
Laurence J. KirwanDecember 1984 – May 1989Rochester
John A. MarinoMay 1989 – May 1993Manhattan
Alfred GordonMay 1993 – March 1995Queens
Judith H. Hope and John T. SullivanMarch 1995 – April 1998East Hampton and Oswego
Judith HopeApril 1998 – December 2001East Hampton
Herman D. Farrell Jr.December 2001 – December 31, 2006Manhattan
June O'Neill and Dave PollakDecember 2006 – 2009Watertown and New York
Jay S. JacobsSeptember 2009 – June 2012Laurel Hollow
Keith L. T. Wright and Stephanie MinerJune 2012 – April 2014Manhattan and Syracuse
Keith L. T. WrightApril 2014 – May 2014Manhattan
David PatersonMay 2014 – November 2015Harlem
Sheila ComarNovember 2015 – June 2016Washington
Byron BrownJune 2016 – January 2019Buffalo
Jay S. JacobsJanuary 2019 – presentLaurel Hollow

Executive Committee Chair, Christine Quinn

Christine Callaghan Quinn is an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party, she formerly served as the Speaker of the New York City Council. The third person to hold this office, she is the first female and first openly gay speaker.Christine Quinn#cite note-3|Christine Quinn#cite note-CNNWire-4| As City Council speaker, Quinn was New York City's third most powerful public servant, behind the mayor and public advocate. She ran to succeed Michael Bloomberg as the city's mayor in the 2013 mayoral election, but she came in third in the Democratic primary.