Shocker: Kavanagh Announces He Won’t Seek Re-election to NYS Senate

A respected and long serving New York State Senator Brian Kavanagh shocked the local political world on Feb. 3 when he said he will not seek re-election and will step down when his current term ends at year end.

He has nearly nearly 20 years under his belt as a state legislator, split between the Assembly representing the East Side from 2007 and since 2017 as a state senator representing downtown Manhattan.

“I am announcing today that I have decided not to seek reelection,” the 59-year-old legislator wrote in a lengthy note explaining his decision.

“This has been a very difficult decision, because I love so many aspects of my job as a legislator and as a representative of so many diverse communities. But in my very first campaign, I sought to persuade voters that it was time for ‘a new generation of leadership’ and I believe that all of us in elected office owe it to our constituents to recognize when we have reached a point when we have given it our all and they would be well served by electing someone new. After 20 years in the legislature—and in a window when this decision can allow for an open contest for my seat—for me, that point is now.”

Two candidates have already put their hands up and said they will run in the Democratic primary set for June 23 to succeed him: Assembly member Grace Lee and former assembly member Yuh-Line Niou.

Kavanagh acknowledged in his farewell note: “Certain aspects of the election cycle have already begun, and indeed I have already received the endorsements of two of my local Democratic clubs, for which I am grateful, but I make this decision today confident that there will be ample time for candidates to come forward, submit their petitions by April 6th, and make their case to the voters of the 27th Senate District in the June 23rd primary and the November 3rd general election.

The 27th Senate district includes most of downtown Manhattan below 14th St. including Tribeca, Soho, Chinatown, Little Italy, the Financial District the East Village and the Lower East Side.

Since 2019, he’s been chairman of the powerful Committee on Housing, Construction and Community Development where he has been an advocate for tenant protection laws. He’s also been a champion of services for the homeless, and an anti-gun advocate.

He was a co-sponsor of the controversial All Electric Building Code, which bans natural gas hook ups in new construction and requires new buildings under seven stories to have all electric heat and appliances.

Gov. Hochul signed that bill into law in 2023 but recently delayed implementation while various trade groups have filed lawsuits seeking to block it.

He was the founder and current chairman of the American State Legislators for Gun Violence Prevention. He is a co-sponsor of the state’s red flag law, which would prevent the purchase or possession of firearms from individuals who may be a threat to themselves or others. He’s also pushed with unions to develop New York’s offshore wind farms, which have come under attack by the Trump Administration.

Kavanagh is a graduate of Regis High School, the elite scholarship school run by the Jesuits and earned a B.A from Princeton and Juris Doctor from New York University School of Law.

He began his political life as a top aide to Ed Koch and then David Dinkins and as chief of staff to Gale Brewer.

Kavanagh could not be reached at press time and there is no word on his future plans.