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Andrea Stewart-Cousins

Andrea Stewart-Cousins (born September 2, 1950, New York City) is an American politician and educator from Yonkers, New York[1] She is a Democrat. Stewart-Cousins worked for District 35 with the New York State Senate starting in 2007. She became the Majority Leader and Temporary President with the New York Senate in 2019.[2] She became the acting Lieutenant Governor of New York with Kathy Hochul, the first female governor of the state.[3]

Andrea Stewart-Cousins
Andrea Stewart-Cousins 2013.jpg
Acting Lieutenant Governor of New York
In office
August 24, 2021 – September 9, 2021
GovernorKathy Hochul
Preceded byKathy Hochul
Succeeded byBrian Benjamin
Temporary President and Majority Leader of the New York State Senate
Assumed office
January 9, 2019
DeputyMichael Gianaris
Preceded byJohn J. Flanagan
Minority Leader of the New York State Senate
In office
December 17, 2012 – January 9, 2019
DeputyMichael Gianaris
Jeffrey D. Klein
Preceded byJohn L. Sampson
Succeeded byJohn J. Flanagan
Member of the New York State Senate
from the 35th district
Assumed office
January 1, 2007
Preceded byNicholas Spano
Member of the Westchester County Board of Legislators
from the 16th district
In office
1996–2007
Preceded byHerman Keith
Succeeded byKenneth Jenkins
Personal details
Born
Andrea Alice Stewart

(1950-09-02) September 2, 1950 (age 74)
New York City, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationPace University (BA, MPA)
Lehman College
WebsiteOfficial website

Stewart-Cousins was the first female in the history of New York State to lead a conference with the New York State Legislature.[4] She was also the first female Senate Majority Leader in the history of the state.

New York State Senate

Stewart-Cousins first ran for New York State Senate in 2004. Incumbent Republican Sen. Nicholas Spano, however, defeated her by a margin of 18 votes.[5] In 2006, she challenged Spano again and defeated him.[6][7] As of 2019, Senate District 35 includes all of Greenburgh and Scarsdale and portions of Yonkers, White Plains and New Rochelle.[8]

Stewart-Cousins voted in favor of same-sex marriage legislation on December 2, 2009. The bill was later defeated.[9] A same-sex marriage law was eventually passed in 2011. Stewart-Cousins supports abortion rights. She has pushed for legislation to expand abortion access across the State of New York.[10]

Senate Democratic Leader

On December 17, 2012, Stewart-Cousins was elected Senate Democratic Leader.[11][12]

Senate Majority Leader

The Democratic Party won a Senate majority in the 2018 elections. On January 9, 2019, Stewart-Cousins was elected Senate Majority Leader. She operates as the body's Majority Leader and Temporary President.[13] In 2019, Stewart-Cousins sponsored the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019. This act overhauled the rules that had affected rent-controlled apartments in New York City.[14][15] During Stewart-Cousins' first year as the Senate Majority Leader, New York passed a variety of progressive laws on issues. Those included climate change, voting rights, abortion rights, criminal justice reform, gender equality, gun control, marijuana decriminalization, LGBT rights and immigration.[16] According to City & State New York, Stewart-Cousins employs a "consensus-driven approach" to leading the Senate Democratic Conference. This is what sets her "apart from her predecessors".[17]

References

  1. ↑ "The Background of Andrea Stewart-Cousins". The New York State Senate. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  2. ↑ "New York State Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins". New York State Senate. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  3. ↑ "Kathy Hochul is Sworn as New York's First Female Governor". Axios. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  4. ↑ "Turning the Page on Andrew Cuomo's Scandalous Chapter". Politico. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  5. ↑ Foderaro, Lisa W. (February 9, 2005). "In State Senate Marathon, Incumbent Wins". The New York Times.
  6. ↑ Wilson, David McKay (April 4, 2018). "Five things to know about state Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins". LoHud.com. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Our Campaigns - NY State Senate 35 Race - Nov 07, 2006". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  8. ↑ "About Andrea Stewart-Cousins". NY State Senate.
  9. ↑ "How the Votes Were Cast". The New York Times. December 2, 2009.
  10. ↑ Vielkind, Jimmy (May 5, 2015). "On abortion, Stewart-Cousins accuses Senate of 'slumbering'". Politico PRO.
  11. ↑ Paybarah, Azi (December 17, 2012). "Moving on from Sampson, State Senate Democrats elect Andrea Stewart-Cousins". Politico PRO.
  12. ↑ Campbell, Colin (December 17, 2012). "Democratic Senators Embrace Andrea Stewart-Cousins as Their New Leader". Observer.com.
  13. ↑ Precious, Tom (January 9, 2018). "After 242 years, a woman is in charge of the State Senate". Buffalo News. https://buffalonews.com/2019/01/09/in-the-state-senate-a-woman-takes-charge/. Retrieved January 10, 2018. 
  14. ↑ Bredderman, Will (December 13, 2019). "Newsmaker 2019: Stewart-Cousins makes history and upsets Albany's status quo". Crain's New York Business. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  15. ↑ "Senate Bill S6458". New York State Senate. Archived from the original on July 20, 2019.
  16. ↑ Campbell, Jon; Spector, Joseph (June 21, 2019). "20 major laws passed at the New York State Capitol this year". Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  17. ↑ Williams, Zach (August 11, 2019). "New room, new rules". City & State New York. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
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