Age in the 2025 New York State Legislature
The state of New York held its elections for a new House of Representatives and State Senate on November 4th, 2024. In January 2025, the active legislative session of the New York State Legislature began. Among the members elected, 20 were aged 35 or younger on election day in 2024. Below is a map of these representatives within both chambers of the New York State Legislature.
New York Demographic Background in the 2024 Election
Preliminary estimates from CIRCLE at Tufts University indicate that 42% of young people aged 18–29 voted in the 2024 election, with turnout surpassing 50% in key battleground states. Nearly 50 million young citizens were eligible to vote nationwide, including over 8 million who turned 18 since the 2022 midterms.
According to the Pew Research Center, Millennials surpassed Baby Boomers in 2020 to become the largest generation in the U.S., making up 31% of the population, followed closely by Boomers at 30.9%. Generation X accounts for 28%, while the Silent Generation makes up just 9.9%. In New York, young voters played an outsized role in shaping both state and national outcomes.
In the Presidential election, New York was the state that had the biggest Republican swing out of any state in the nation in the 2024 election, with Trump greatly improving his performance by winning 43.31% of the state’s vote, compared to 36.75% in the 2016 election and 37.74% in 2020.
The New York State Assembly 2025 Legislative Session
Below is an overview of age dynamics in the newly elected New York House of Representatives.
- The average age of New York State Assembly members is 53.41 years old
- The youngest representative, Samuel T. Berger, was born in 1997
- The oldest representative, Vivian E. Cook, was born in 1937
- 17 Representatives are Young Elected Leaders aged 35 or younger as of Election Day 2024
Generational Breakdown
Within the New York State Assembly, most representatives come from the Millennial, Generation X, or the Baby Boomer generation. Importantly, several members of the current New York State Assembly belong to Generation Z. Scroll below to see the generations in the New York State Assembly visualized.
Partisanship in the New York State Assembly
The chart below further breaks down the current partisan makeup of the 2025 New York State Assembly. Each dot represents a single member, colored by both party affiliation and whether the legislator qualifies as a Young Elected Leader (YEL)—defined as age 35 or younger at the time of the election. This format provides a visual snapshot of generational and partisan distribution within the chamber, highlighting how younger legislators are positioned across party lines.
Partisan differences in the New York State Assembly extend beyond ideology to include notable generational contrasts. As shown in the visual below, Republican legislators have a slightly higher average age than their Democratic counterparts—53.98 years compared to 53.15 years—a gap of 0.83 years. These disparities may reflect broader patterns in political recruitment, generational turnover, and the types of candidates emerging in recent election cycles.
Young Elected Representatives – New York State Assembly
Following the 2024 State Legislative Elections in New York, 17 members aged 35 or under were elected to the New York State Assembly. Below are all 17 of these members, ordered from youngest to oldest, along with information about their local districts and party affiliation.
Young Elected Representatives — New York State Assembly (Age ≤ 35)
| Name | District | Birth Year (Age) | First Elected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Samuel Tzvi Berger (D) | District 27 —
Kew Gardens, NY |
1998 (Age 26) | 2024 |
 |
Khaleel M. Anderson (D) | District 31 —
Crown Heights, NY |
1996 (Age 28) | 2020 |
 |
Jake Ryan Blumencranz (R) | District 15 —
Oyster Bay, NY |
1996 (Age 28) | 2022 |
 |
Anil Beephan Jr. (R) | District 105 —
East Fishkill, NY |
1994 (Age 30) | 2024 |
 |
Jordan J. G. Wright (D) | District 70 —
Harlem, NY |
1994 (Age 30) | 2024 |
 |
Gabriella A. Romero (D) | District 109 —
Albany, NY |
1992 (Age 32) | 2022 |
 |
Alex Bores (D) | District 73 —
New York City, NY |
1991 (Age 33) | 2022 |
 |
Amanda N. Septimo (D) | District 84 —
South Bronx, NY |
1991 (Age 33) | 2020 |
 |
Douglas M. Smith (R) | District 5 —
Yorktown, NY |
1990 (Age 34) | 2018 |
 |
Zorhan Kwame Mamdani (D) | District 36 —
Astoria, NY |
1991 (Age 33) | 2020 |
 |
Jarett C. Gandolfo (R) | District 7 —
Sayville, NY |
1990 (Age 34) | 2020 |
 |
Charles Dialor Fall (D) | District 61 —
Mariners Harbor, NY |
1989 (Age 35) | 2018 |
 |
John K. Mikulin (R) | District 17 —
Rochester, NY |
1989 (Age 35) | 2018 |
 |
Phara Souffrant Forrest (D) | District 57 —
Fort Greene, NY |
1989 (Age 35) | 2020 |
 |
Claire Valdez (D) | District 37 —
Ridgewood, NY |
1989 (Age 35) | 2024 |
 |
John Zaccaro Jr. (D) | District 80 —
The Bronx, NY |
1989 (Age 35) | 2022 |
 |
Rebecca A. Kassay (D) | District 4 —
Port Jefferson, NY |
1989 (Age 35) | 2024 |
Photos courtesy of the New York Assembly Member Roster.
Gender in the New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly reflects a range of age and gender dynamics that help shape the composition of the state’s legislative body. In New York, men make up a larger share of the chamber than women. Across all members, 66% are men, while men make up 34%. For female representatives, there was an average age of 53.41 years at the time of the election, and men had the same average age of 53.41 years. Of the 17 Young Elected Leaders, 5 are female, and 12 are male.
When examining both gender and party affiliation, additional differences in age emerge within the New York State Assembly. Democratic women have an average age of 53.24 years, while Democratic men have an average age of 53.08 years. For Republicans in the New York State Assembly, women averaged an age of 56.01 years, and Republican men featured an average age of 53.84 years. These patterns show that age representation in the New York State Assembly varies by both gender and partisan alignment, highlighting differing pathways to political office across demographic groups.
Race and Ethnicity in the New York State Assembly
The racial and ethnic composition of the New York State Assembly varies across generations. In 2024, younger cohorts show more diversity, though the chamber overall remains majority White. The table below shows each generation’s distribution.
Generations by Race/Ethnicity in the New York State Assembly
| Ethnicity | Generation Z 1997– |
Millennial Generation 1981–1996 |
Generation X 1965–1980 |
Boomer Generation 1946–1964 |
Silent Generation 1928–1945 |
Full Chamber |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White / Caucasian | 1 (100%) | 23 (50%) | 29 (59.18%) | 42 (82.35%) | 1 (50%) | 96 (64.43%) |
| Black / African American | 0 (0%) | 8 (17.39%) | 10 (20.41%) | 3 (5.88%) | 1 (50%) | 22 (14.77%) |
| Hispanic / Latino | 0 (0%) | 6 (13.04%) | 4 (8.16%) | 4 (7.84%) | 0 (0%) | 14 (9.40%) |
| Other | 0 (0%) | 2 (4.35%) | 3 (6.12%) | 1 (1.96%) | 0 (0%) | 6 (4.03%) |
| Two or More Ethnicities | 0 (0%) | 2 (4.35%) | 1 (2.04%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 3 (2.01%) |
| Asian / Pacific American | 0 (0%) | 5 (10.87%) | 2 (4.08%) | 1 (1.96%) | 0 (0%) | 8 (5.37%) |
| Total (Percent of Chamber) | 1 (0.67%) | 46 (30.87%) | 49 (32.89%) | 51 (34.23%) | 2 (1.34%) | *149 (100%) |
The full New York State Assembly is comprised of 150 seats. *Age is missing for 1 member.
The New York Senate
Below is an overview of age dynamics in the newly elected New York Senate.
- The average age of New York State Senate members is 55.24 years old
- The youngest senator, Kristen Gonzalez, was born in 1995
- The oldest senator, Toby Ann Stavisky, was born in 1939
- 3 members of the New York State Senate are Young Elected Leaders, aged 35 or younger as of Election Day 2024
Young Elected Senators in the New York State Senate
Following the 2024 State Legislative Elections in New York, three members aged 35 or under were elected to (and currently serve in) the New York State Senate.
Young Elected Representatives — New York Senate (Age ≤ 35)
| Name | District | Birth Year (Age) | First Elected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Kristen Gonzalez (D) | District 59 —
Long Island City, NY |
1995 (Age 29) | 2022 |
 |
Julia Salazar (D) | District 18 —
Bushwick, NY |
1990 (Age 33) | 2018 |
 |
Jessica Scarcella-Spanton (D) | District 23 —
North Shore, NY |
1989 (Age 35) | 2022 |
Photos courtesy of the New York Senate Member Roster.
Partisanship in the New York State Senate
In the New York State Senate, 41 senators belong to the Democratic Party, and 22 senators are Republicans. The mean age of Democratic state senators after the 2024 election was 53.57 years, while the mean age of Republican state senators was 58.35 years. Each generation had a different partisan makeup. Below is the breakdown of party composition for each generation within the New York State Senate.
Gender in the New York Senate
The generational makeup of the New York Senate reveals notable gender dynamics. Overall, women outnumber men among Millennial senators, and men have a larger presence in older generations. These patterns indicate that gender representation varies across generations, with women being represented in every generational cohort.
Race and Ethnicity in the New York Senate
The racial and ethnic composition of the New York Senate shows generational variation. The table below presents the distribution by generation.
Generations by Race/Ethnicity in the New York Senate
| Ethnicity | Millennial Generation 1981–1996 |
Generation X 1965–1980 |
Boomer Generation 1946–1964 |
Silent Generation 1928–1945 |
Full Chamber |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White / Caucasian | 6 (35.29%) | 12 (54.55%) | 18 (78.26%) | 1 (100%) | 37 (58.73%) |
| Black / African American | 6 (35.29%) | 4 (18.18%) | 4 (17.39%) | 0 (0%) | 14 (22.22%) |
| Hispanic / Latino | 3 (17.65%) | 3 (13.64%) | 1 (4.35%) | 0 (0%) | 7 (11.11%) |
| Asian / Pacific American | 0 (0%) | 2 (9.09%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 2 (3.17%) |
| Indian / Native American | 1 (5.88%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (1.59%) |
| Other | 0 (0%) | 1 (4.55%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (1.59%) |
| Two or More Ethnicities | 1 (5.88%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (1.59%) |
| Total (Percent of Chamber) | 17 (26.98%) | 22 (34.92%) | 23 (36.51%) | 1 (1.59%) | 63 (100%) |
The full New York State Senate is comprised of 63 seats.
Notes
The Young Elected Leaders Project applies the generational categorization of the Pew Research Center:
- Silent Generation: 1928 – 1945
- Baby Boomer Generation: 1946 – 1964
- Generation X: 1965 – 1980
- Millennial Generation: 1981 – 1996
- Generation Z: 1997 – 2012
This analysis is based on data from the most recent state legislative election in New York which took place on November 5th 2024.
Citation Guideline
In referencing the Young Elected Leaders Project in publication please use the following language: “The Young Elected Leaders Project is housed at the Center for Youth Political Participation at The Eagleton Institute of Politics, Rutgers University – New Brunswick.”
Bibliographic Citation For this document
Author: Young Elected Leaders Project
Corresponding Authors: George D. Quinn
Year: 2024
Title: Age in the 2025 New York State Legislature