The end of New York’s legislative session was described by the governor as one of the most successful in recent history in large part due to Democratic Party control in both the state Senate and Assembly.
New York’s state government for the first time in a decade is controlled by all Democrats. And as long-sought liberal goals become law, it puts lawmakers in line with legislatures around an increasingly polarized country.
It may all be due to President Donald Trump’s election in 2016 landslide victories for Democrats two years later and a liberal base hungry for policy victories.
“People now demand protection and a response due to the direction of the federal government and the state government is here to protect people when the federal government won’t,” said Governor Cuomo.
But New York is not unique when it comes to one-party rule. All but one state in the country has a Legislature either controlled fully by Democrats or Republicans.
In GOP-led states, lawmakers have enacted restrictions on abortion. In New York and other blue states, a litany of bills has been approved in the last six months Democrats have sought for years.
This to the chagrin of Republicans like Senator George Amedore.
“It’s dangerous. It’s radical. It’s definitely radical what’s going on here and there’s no balance,” said Amedore.
Over the last six months, lawmakers approved and Governor Cuomo has signed into law a range of groundbreaking bills. A partial list includes:
- The Reproductive Health Act
- Gun control
- Early voting
- Ending cash bail
- Expanding rent control
- Marijuana decriminalization
- Driver's licenses for undocumented immigrants
- Fighting climate change
SUNY Albany political science professor Bruce Gyory says that under bipartisan governments, there’s more room to compromise.
“When you have split control between the parties, that forces people toward the middle and towards compromises and that leads toward people to a balance,” said Gyory. “Boxers need to maintain their balance. So, politically, it maintains their balance.”
There’s a danger for Republicans and Democrats alike that policies to the far to the right or left could alienate voters in 2020.
“I think that’s dangerous,” said Gyory. “I think there’s clearly a vital center in the electorate and the elected officials who forget that do so at their peril.”
All 213 members of the Legislature are up for re-election next year.