Who is Going to Grab the NYS Senate Seat when Hoylman-Sigal Moves to Boro Pres Jan. 1?

With only days to go until west side NYS Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal gets sworn in as the new Manhattan borough president, there are two incumbent assembly members on the west side who are toying with the idea of running, although neither has officially formed a committee given an official green light to run.

Assembly member Tony Simone from Chelsea said he is interested but would defer to his more senior counterpart on the upper west side, Assembly member Linda Rosenthal, if she opted to run.

A spokesperson for Rosenthal told Straus News recently that she is considering it but had not finalized her plans.

Simone said in an email to Chelsea News that he is “honored to be in consideration and excited about the possibility. I look forward to the process beginning and am dedicated to ensuring the west side has strong representation in the state Senate.”

But it is seen as Rosenthal’s for the taking if she wants it

Manhattan Democratic Committee Chairman Kyle Ishmael noted: “It’s either Linda or Tony, all dependent on what Linda decides to do. She doesn’t have to decide just yet—not until the seat is officially vacated and the Manhattan Democratic Party announces the meeting to select a nominee—so she is running out her decision-clock.”

There is not going to be a Democratic primary before the special election to fill the seat that is expected to be set for the first week in February.

Much like the east side Assembly seat which recently dubbed Keith Powers as the official democratic nominee, it will be delegates from local Democratic Clubs who meet to pick the official party candidate, in something of a throwback to the political machine days of Tammany Hall.

The Eastsiders drew a spirited field of four before Powell won out and became the sole party choice. Several other potential East Side candidates had already decided that they were going to sit on the sideline until there is a full blown primary in June when voters, rather than club members, can vote for their choice. Powers, who had lost in the Democratic primary contest for borough president against Hoyman-Sigal in June, is now the official designee of the Democratic party whenever the special election is slated to be held.

But on the west side it looks like nobody is rushing to take up the mantle right before Jan. 1 when Hoylman-Sigal will officially resign. “It’s a very diverse and vibrant neighborhood,” said Hoylman-Sigal, who frequently boast that the 74th Senate district runs from “gay bars to Zabar’s.” He’s made no endorsement and is friends with both candidates. He has worked closely with Rosenthal on legislation for the Adult Survivors Act, which established a a one-year “lookback period” whereby adult victims of sex abuse could bring civil lawsuits that were previously barred due to the statute of limitations. He also worked closely wi.th Rosenthal on several housing reforms.

Weighing against a Rosenthal run is that during her 20 years in the Assembly, she has worked her way up to become chairperson of the powerful Housing Committee. She’d have less clout as a first term NYS Senator.

Simone was first elected in 2022 before standing for reelection in 2024.

The clubs whose delegates would pick the Democratic nominee include the Chelsea Democrats, the Hell’s Kitchen Democrats and the West Side Dems. The election would only be to fill the unepired term of Hoylman-Sigal through the end of 2026. And whoever wins could face a new challenge in a democratic primary set for June 2026 before the November general election.