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Portrait of Sam SuttonPhoto: cdn.cityandstateny.com

NY · Officeholder

Sam Sutton

DState Senator · District 22

On the ballot Nov 3, 2026: NY State Senate · District 22

Biography

Sam Sutton is the Democratic incumbent state senator for District 22, a South Brooklyn seat with a large Sephardic Jewish community. A longtime Sephardic communal leader who ran a family business for more than three decades and served on the CUNY Board of Trustees, he won a May 2025 special election after Simcha Felder left the seat. He faces Republican/Conservative nominee Nachman Caller in the November 2026 general election.[1][2][3]

Sam Sutton was born in New York City in 1949.[3] He graduated from Yeshiva of Flatbush in 1967 and Yeshiva University in 1971, and he later led his family business for more than three decades before selling it to an international conglomerate.[2]

Sutton served more than 30 years on the board of Sephardic Bikur Holim, a Brooklyn social-services organization, including five years as its president.[2][5] His Senate biography also lists him as a co-founder of the Sephardic Community Federation, a supporter of the launch of the New York Cancer Center, and a founding board member of the SAFE Foundation; a 2025 VINnews report likewise says he worked with the Sephardic Community Federation, the Safe Foundation and NYU Langone Medical Center.[2][5] He is also co-founder and board chair of Teach NYS, an organization that advocates for government funding for nonpublic schools such as yeshivas and Jewish day schools.[2][3] Governor George Pataki nominated Sutton to the CUNY Board of Trustees, where he served from 2006 to 2012.[2]

In 2025 Sutton was chosen as the Democratic nominee in the special election to replace Simcha Felder, who left the Senate seat after winning a New York City Council race; he won the May 20, 2025 election over Republican/Conservative candidate Nachman Caller and was sworn in on May 27, 2025.[1][3] The district covers Midwood, Flatbush, Borough Park, Marine Park, Gerritsen Beach and Sheepshead Bay.[4][5] He chairs the Administrative Regulations Review Commission and sits on the Senate's Aging, Disabilities, Education, Health, New York City Education, and Social Services committees.[2] According to his Senate biography, he and his wife, Nancy, opened their home to 14 foster children.[2]

  1. 1.Sam Sutton · Ballotpedia Reference
  2. 2.About Sam Sutton · NYSenate.gov Official record
  3. 3.Sam Sutton (politician) · Wikipedia · 2026-10-21 Reference
  4. 4.Brooklyn's Sam Sutton Sworn In as New State Senator · BK Reader · 2025-05-28 News report
  5. 5.Sam Sutton Sworn In as State Senator for Brooklyn's 22nd District · VINnews · 2025-05-28 News report

Researched from the cited sources on 2026-10-21.

On the ballot

Full candidate research ›NY State Senate · District 22 ›

Also on the ballot for this seat

Nachman CallerCandidateRCNew York NY State Senate District 22New York

Votes by issue

Their recorded votes on bills that divided the chamber (unanimous votes left out), grouped by topic. A bill can sit under more than one topic. "With" and "against" compare each vote with how most Democrats voted. How topics are assigned

Where they stood out

Voted against most of their party on 14 of 273 party-divided votes on file.

Most often on: Health & care (10), Housing & rent (2), Rights & public safety (1)

  • Relates to enacting technical changes to the good cause eviction law

    What it does: Relates to enacting technical changes to the good cause eviction law.

    Voted no · most Democrats voted yes · Democrats 34–4, Republicans 5–17

    Jun 2, 2026Official record ↗

  • Prevents a judge from prohibiting a parent from undergoing a gender reassignment when making a determination in a child custody case

    What it does: Provides that the judge shall not prohibit a parent from undergoing gender reassignment.

    Voted no · most Democrats voted yes · Democrats 37–1, Republicans 5–15

    May 19, 2026Official record ↗

  • Relates to requirements for the provision of medication for medical aid in dying

    What it does: Relates to requirements for medical professionals and health care facilities that provide medication to patients for medical aid in dying; extends the initial effectiveness of certain provisions relating thereto.

    Voted no · most Democrats voted yes · Democrats 33–6, Republicans 0–22

    Feb 4, 2026Official record ↗

  • Relates to the medical aid in dying act

    What it does: Relates to the medical aid in dying act; relates to a terminally ill patient's request for and use of medication for medical aid in dying.

    Voted no · most Democrats voted yes · Democrats 34–6, Republicans 0–21

    Jun 9, 2025Official record ↗

  • Establishes certain rights upon the expiration of ground lease residential cooperative apartment buildings

    What it does: Establishes certain rights upon the expiration of ground lease residential cooperative apartment buildings.

    Voted no · most Democrats voted yes · Democrats 33–7, Republicans 0–21

    Jun 9, 2025Official record ↗

How this is counted

Their votes on the most contested roll calls

The votes in their chamber that came out closest and most divided by party, among those they voted on. How we rank

See all their split votes

Substantive votes concern legislation or nominations; procedural votes concern how the chamber considers them. A Yes vote applies to the motion shown, which may not be final passage.

A10030-B · NY SENATE

Requires health insurers to provide coverage for speech therapy for stuttering

Not votingNO VOTE

Requires health insurers to provide coverage for speech therapy for stuttering.

Official summary — read the bill text ↗
Passed Senate 58–2·Substantive·Jun 4, 2026Roll call ↗
A10158 · NY SENATE

Extends limitations on the shift between classes of taxable property in the town of Clarkstown, county of Rockland

Not votingNO VOTE

Extends limitations on the shift between classes of taxable property in the town of Clarkstown, county of Rockland for an additional year for 2026-2027.

Official summary — read the bill text ↗
Passed Senate 59–1·Substantive·Jun 4, 2026Roll call ↗
A10184 · NY SENATE

Limiting the shift between classes of taxable property in the town of Haverstraw, county of Rockland

Not votingNO VOTE

Relates to limiting the shift between classes of taxable property in the town of Haverstraw, county of Rockland for 2026-2027.

Official summary — read the bill text ↗
Passed Senate 58–2·Substantive·Jun 4, 2026Roll call ↗
A10312-A · NY SENATE

Relates to information that residential health care facilities are required to disclose to residents and their families

Not votingNO VOTE

Relates to information that residential health care facilities are required to separately disclose to residents and their families; requires such information to be posted on the residential health care facility's website.

Official summary — read the bill text ↗
Passed Senate 39–21·Substantive·Jun 4, 2026Roll call ↗
A10390-A · NY SENATE

Establishes a school speed zone camera demonstration program in the city of Poughkeepsie

Not votingNO VOTE

Establishes a school speed zone camera demonstration program in the city of Poughkeepsie; repeals authorization of program December 31, 2030.

Official summary — read the bill text ↗
Passed Senate 59–1·Substantive·Jun 4, 2026Roll call ↗
A10391 · NY SENATE

Relates to adjudications and owner liability for a violation of traffic-control signal indications in the city of Poughkeepsie

Not votingNO VOTE

Relates to adjudications and owner liability for a violation of traffic-control signal indications in the city of Poughkeepsie.

Official summary — read the bill text ↗
Passed Senate 59–1·Substantive·Jun 4, 2026Roll call ↗
A10411-A · NY SENATE

Prohibits motor vehicle manufacturers and dealers from charging a subscription fee for certain functions of a motor vehicle after the vehicle is sold

Not votingNO VOTE

Prohibits motor vehicle manufacturers and dealers from charging a subscription fee for certain functions of a motor vehicle after the vehicle is sold; provides that any manufacturer, dealer, or agent of a manufacturer or dealer that fails to comply with such requirements shall be assessed a civil penalty not to exceed two hundred fifty dollars per point of sale for each violation.

Official summary — read the bill text ↗
Passed Senate 57–3·Substantive·Jun 4, 2026Roll call ↗
A10478 · NY SENATE

Relates to the Trustees of the Freeholders and Commonalty of the town of Southampton

Not votingNO VOTE

Increases the term of office from two years to four years for the Trustees of the Freeholders and Commonalty of the town of Southampton, county of Suffolk, and providing for the staggering of such terms of office.

Official summary — read the bill text ↗
Passed Senate 58–2·Substantive·Jun 4, 2026Roll call ↗
A10922 · NY SENATE

Extends certain provisions relating to the sale, issuance and refund of bonds and notes of New York city

Not votingNO VOTE

Extends certain provisions relating to the sale of bonds and notes of the city of New York, the issuance of bonds or notes with variable rates of interest, interest rate exchange agreements of the city of New York, the refunding of bonds, and the down payment for projects financed by bonds; extends the New York state financial emergency act for the city of New York; makes further amendments relating to the effectiveness thereof.

Official summary — read the bill text ↗
Passed Senate 56–4·Substantive·Jun 4, 2026Roll call ↗
A11030-A · NY SENATE

Requires utility corporations and municipalities to notify property owners prior to beginning any scheduled non-emergency construction or other work

Not votingNO VOTE

Requires a utility corporation or municipality to notify property owners at least five business days prior to beginning any non-emergency construction or other work that will result in a planned interruption of a customer's property; requires notice to include, but not be limited to, a description of the work to be performed, the expected duration of such work, the location of such work, and the contact information for the utility performing such work; exempts cases where a natural or man-made disaster or state of emergency occurs.

Official summary — read the bill text ↗
Passed Senate 59–1·Substantive·Jun 4, 2026Roll call ↗

Showing 10 of 1909 votes in this collection. Coverage may be incomplete; each entry links to the official record.