Current Composition
The Senate was dominated by the Republican party for much of the 20th Century. After World War II, Democrats only controlled the house twice. In 1965, the Democrats gained the majority only to lose in special elections that year. They again came to power following the 2008 elections. Despite an attempted power coup by the entire Republican caucus and two dissident Democrats, the Democrats maintained their majority throughout most of the 2009-2010 session. Following state elections in 2010, Republicans were able to gain the two seats necessary to again reclaim the majority.
The Senate's apportionment traditionally favors the Upstate, where the Republicans dominated politics for most of the time before the 1990s. Even when the Democrats won the majority in 2008, they only held five seats in the Upstate and two on Long Island. Presently, the Democrats hold all but three seats in New York City, but only four north of the city and none of the nine Long Island seats. Two of the four upstate Democrats are in the Democratic Conference; the other two caucus with the Independent Democrats.
| Affiliation | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Republican | Vacant | |||
| End of previous legislature | 32 | 28 | 60 | 2 | |
| Begin 2011 session | 30 | 32 | 62 | 0 | |
| December 20, 2011 | 29 | 61 | 1 | ||
| June 5, 2012 | 33 | 62 | 0 | ||
| Latest voting share | 46.8% | 53.2% | |||
- Notes
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