Politics of New York (state)

Politics of New York have evolved over time. The Democratic Party dominates politics in the state, with the Democrats representing a plurality of voters in New York State, constituting over twice as many registered voters as any other political party affiliation or lack thereof.^[2] It is considered one of the "Big Three" Democratic strongholds along with California and Illinois. Historically, New York was a swing state, as from its inaugural election in 1792 until the 1984 election, the state voted for the winning candidate all but seven times (1812, 1856, 1868, 1876, 1916, 1948, and 1968). It voted for the winning candidate 86% of the time; however, since 1988, the state has voted Democratic by large margins and frequently provides them over 60% of the vote.^[3] Democrats have also controlled the Assembly since 1971 and the Senate since 2019. New York currently has two Democratic United States senators. New York's Class I Senate seat has been Democratic since 1959 and New York's Class III Senate seat has been Democratic since 1999. In addition, New York's House congressional delegation has had a Democratic majority since 1965.