When state legislators were sworn into office in January 2017, 60 out of the 213 seats (28.2%) in the legislature were held by candidates who faced no competition in both their party’s primary election and in the General Election. Astoundingly, there was even one first-time candidate (Michael Norris, Assembly District 144) who faced no primary or General Election competition.
In the state Senate:
- Primary Election: 50 out of 57 incumbents seeking reelection faced no competition in their party’s primary election.
- Districts where incumbents faced primary competition: 10, 16, 18, 19, 25, 32, and 33
- Districts where incumbents did not seek reelection: 7, 31, 36, 49, 54, and 60
- General Election: 15 out of 57 incumbents who made it onto the General Election ballot faced no General Election competition
- Districts where incumbents faced no General Election competition: 17, 18, 19, 22, 23, 24, 26, 35, 47, 48, 50, 53, 55, 62, and 63.
- 13 out of 57 incumbents who sought reelection were uncontested in both the primary and General elections.
- Districts 18 and 19 both had primary elections.
- 5 incumbents faced challengers in both the primary and the General elections.
- Districts in which incumbents faced primary and General Election challenges: 10, 16, 25, 32, and 33.
- In January 2017, 20.6% of New York State Senators (all incumbent) was inaugurated, having faced no competition in any election the previous year.
In the Assembly:
- Primary Election: 112 out of 137 incumbents seeking reelection faced no competition in their party’s primary election.
- Districts where incumbents faced primary competition: 6, 11, 18, 29, 30, 32, 42, 46, 55, 62, 65, 66, 67, 69, 72, 78, 84, 85, 86, 87, 97, 98, 118, 133, and 138;
- General Election: 52 out of 134 incumbents who made it onto the General Election ballot faced no General Election competition.
- Districts with no General Election competition for incumbents: 6, 26, 27, 28, 29, 31, 32, 34, 35, 36, 37, 39, 43, 48, 50, 53, 57, 58, 61, 62, 63, 64, 66, 83, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 96, 100, 102, 107, 108, 117, 118, 119, 120, 122, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 134, 136, 137, 139, 142, 147, 148, and 149.
- 46 out of 134 incumbents on the General Election ballot were uncontested in both the primary and General elections.
- 16 incumbents faced challengers in both the primary and the General elections.
- Districts in which incumbents faced both primary and General election competition: 11, 18, 42, 46, 55, 65, 67, 69, 78, 84, 85, 86, 87, 97, 98, and 138.
- 3 non-incumbent candidates faced no General Election competition (Districts 56, 72, and 144), and one of them faced no primary or General election competition (District 144).
- In January 2017, 31.3% of New York State Assembly Members (including one who had not previously served) was inaugurated, having faced no competition in any election the previous year.
188 out of 193 incumbent state legislators (97.4%) were re-elected on the General Election of November 8, 2016.
- Michael Venditto in Senate District 8 was not reelected to office;
- Assembly Members Margaret Markey in (District 30), Alice Cancel (District 65), Guillermo Linares (District 72), and John Ceretto (District 145) were not reelected.
- This tally does not include the candidacy of Assembly Member Bill Nojay (Republican, District 133), who died before the primary, but whose name still appeared on the ballot primary. He won the Republican primary and party leaders selected the candidate to replace him on the General Election ballot. The Republican candidate, Joseph Errigo, won the General Election in District 133.
Published April 2018
Uncontested Legislative Candidates in the 2016 New York State Elections (PDF)