Steve Chan
RCStop MamdaniINCUMBENTNY State Senator, District 17 (since 2025)
Steve Chan is the Republican, Conservative and "Stop Mamdani Party" candidate for NY State Senate District 17 in southwest Brooklyn, a retired NYPD sergeant and Marine Corps veteran who defeated Democratic incumbent Iwen Chu in the November 2024 general election, flipping the seat from Democratic control. He is seeking a second term against Democrat Larry He.[1][2]
On the record — official actions
- actionServes as ranking member on the Cities 1 and New York City Education committees; also serves on the Commerce, Economic Development and Small Business, Education, and Investigations and Government Operations committees.[2]
- bill2026-06-04 · Sponsored S9441, requiring landlords of one- to six-family rental dwellings in New York City to provide fire extinguishers in rented apartments; passed the Senate 60–0 on June 4, 2026 and remained pending in the Assembly Housing Committee.[4]
- bill2026-05-07 · Sponsored S10236, which would bar local governments from requiring businesses to replace existing storefront security gates or grilles solely for transparency or visual-access standards; remained in the Senate Consumer Protection Committee as of May 7, 2026.[5]
- bill2026-05-14 · Sponsored S10353, which would direct the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority to discount Verrazano-Narrows Bridge tolls to 70% of the regular fare for Kings County residents using personal vehicles; remained in the Senate Transportation Committee as of May 14, 2026.[6]
- bill2026-04-16 · Sponsored S9938, which would impose mandatory prison sentences for certain offenses committed on public transportation and create a new felony offense of reckless endangerment on public transportation; remained in the Senate Codes Committee as of April 16, 2026.[9]
Positions on the issues
- OpposesFaster transition away from fossil fuels
Voted no on the GREAT Act (S9500-A), a statewide virtual power plant program intended to reduce reliance on fossil-fuel peaker plants, and no on S7898-A, which requires certain construction contracts to site renewable-energy and energy-storage systems.[7][8]
In their words — priorities
- Describes himself as accessible rather than a career politician, saying he is fighting to stop what he calls decline in the city and state.[3]
- Lists public safety, cashless bail, wasteful government spending, e-bike enforcement, illegal immigration, education, cost of living, health care, taxes, congestion pricing, and services for seniors and veterans as the issues he is focused on.[3]
- Says the first bill he would introduce is to provide qualified immunity for police officers.[3]
Background
- Born in Hong Kong; immigrated to the United States at age 11 and settled in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, where he has lived for 47 years, including 32 years in Bensonhurst.[2]
- Attended PS 102 in Bay Ridge, JHS 259 William McKinley, and Fort Hamilton High School, then SUNY Empire State College.[2]
- Served six years in the United States Marine Corps (1984–1990).[1][2]
- Served 27 years in the NYPD (1993–2020), retiring as a sergeant; operated a small florist shop in Sunset Park for 10 years while on the force and volunteered as a notary for neighbors.[2]
- Married with two daughters; volunteered 10 years in two public schools, including as PTA president and Title I chair.[2][3]