Hudson Valley Politician Set to Make U.S. Political History

A politician from the Hudson Valley is expected to make U.S. political history in the coming days.

It was a landmark night for New York Democrats who took control of the New York State Senate for just the third time in 50 years, the New York Times reports.

Democrats in New York picked up eight seats while knocking off five incumbents and now control the state Senate 40 to 23. The night surpassed the Democrats’ most optimistic projections, according to the New York Post.

“Thank you for sending us our biggest majority ever,” Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins, the leader of the Senate Democrats, said Tuesday night.

Stewart-Cousins, 68, was re-elected Tuesday in the 35th Senate District, which represents Westchester County.

The big night for Democrats across the state means Senate Democratic Leader Stewart-Cousins is on track to become the first black woman in the nation to lead a majority legislative chamber.

The New York Times reports Stewart-Cousins will likely become the Senate majority leader, making her the first woman to lead either legislative branch and the first black woman to lead the Senate.

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