Jeremy Cooney

Jeremy Cooney
Member of the New York State Senate
from the 56th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 1, 2021
Preceded byJoseph Robach
Personal details
Born (1981-08-01) August 1, 1981 (age 43)
Kolkata, India
Political partyDemocratic
ResidenceRochester, New York
EducationHobart College (BA)
Albany Law School (JD)
WebsiteCampaign website
Official website

Jeremy Cooney (born August 1, 1981) is an American politician from the state of New York. A Democrat, Cooney represents the 56th district of the New York State Senate, covering parts of the City of Rochester, the Town of Brighton, and the western suburbs of Monroe County. His term of office began on January 1, 2021.

Early life and education

Cooney was adopted from an orphanage in Kolkata, India, by a single mother in upstate New York.[1] He was raised in Rochester and attended schools in the Rochester City School District, graduating from School of the Arts.[2] Cooney earned his B.A. from Hobart College[3] and his J.D. from Albany Law School,[4] where he served as executive editor of the Albany Law Review.

Political career

Prior to running for elected office, Cooney served as an aide to U.S. Congresswoman Louise Slaughter,[5] a law clerk to New York Governor David Paterson,[6] worked for Empire State Development under Andrew Cuomo, and was the first chief of staff to Mayor Lovely A. Warren of the City of Rochester.[7]

New York State Senate

Elections

Cooney ran for the 56th Senate District in 2018 and lost to 20-year incumbent Joseph Robach.[8]

He ran again in 2020 and won a 3-way primary election before winning the 2020 general election by a margin of 12.6%.[9] He is the first Asian to be elected to state office from upstate New York.[10]

In November 2022, he defeated Republican Jim VanBrederode and was re-elected to a second term.[11]

Tenure

Cooney serves as Chairman of the Senate Committees on Transportation and Procurement and Contracts. He is a member of the Commerce, Economic Development and Small Business Committee, Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks And Recreation Committee, Ethics And Internal Governance Committee, Finance Committee, Insurance Committee, and Transportation Committee.[12] He also serves as Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Cannabis.[13]

In 2022, Cooney sponsored the Green CHIPS Act, legislation that provides state tax incentives to attract semiconductor and high-tech chip manufacturers to New York. The bill was signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul in August 2022.[14]

Personal life

Cooney lives in the City of Rochester with his wife, Diane Lu,[15] a urological surgeon at the University of Rochester Medical Center.

Election Results

2018

2018 New York State Senate election, District 56[16]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Joseph Robach (incumbent) 53,091 55.5
Democratic Jeremy Cooney 42,497 44.4
Total votes 95,615 100.0
Republican hold

2020

2020 New York State Senate election, District 56[17][16][18]
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Jeremy Cooney 11,134 53.9
Democratic Hilda Rosario Escher 4,887 23.7
Democratic Sherita Traywick 4,634 22.4
Total votes 20,655 100.0
General election
Democratic Jeremy Cooney 69,951 55.8
Republican Michael Barry Jr. 55,355 44.2
Total votes 125,306 100.0
Democratic gain from Republican

2022

2022 New York State Senate election, District 56[19]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Jeremy Cooney 51,704 52.9
Republican Jim VanBrederode 43,686 44.7
Total votes 97,712 100.0

References

  1. ^ Sharp, Brian. "Cooney looks to unseat Robach in NY's 56th Senate District". Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  2. ^ Craig, Gary. "Three Democrats squaring off in primary for state Senate seat being vacated by Joe Robach". Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  3. ^ Craig, Gary. "Three Democrats squaring off in primary for state Senate seat being vacated by Joe Robach". Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  4. ^ Craig, Gary. "Three Democrats squaring off in primary for state Senate seat being vacated by Joe Robach". Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  5. ^ "Mayor Warren's former chief of staff challenging Robach for State Senate". spectrumlocalnews.com. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  6. ^ "Mayor Warren's former chief of staff challenging Robach for State Senate". spectrumlocalnews.com. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  7. ^ Reporter, India-West Staff. "Indian American Attorney Jeremy Cooney to Run for State Senate in New York". India West. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  8. ^ "New York State Senate District 56". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  9. ^ Moule, Jeremy. "Brouk, Cooney prevail after absentee counts". CITY News. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  10. ^ Varma, Alpana (2020-11-25). "From an Orphanage in Calcutta to New York State Senate, Jeremy Cooney's Audacious Journey". American Kahani. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  11. ^ "2022 Election Results". New York State Board of Elections. November 8, 2022. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  12. ^ "About Jeremy A. Cooney". NY State Senate. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
  13. ^ "Sen. Cooney to lead new subcommittee on cannabis". www.ny1.com. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
  14. ^ "Hochul approves law to spur 'green' semiconductor manufacturing". spectrumlocalnews.com. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
  15. ^ Jacob, Smriti (2020-10-27). "Cooney, Barry compete for Robach's Senate seat". Rochester Beacon. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  16. ^ a b "New York State Senate District 56". Ballotpedia. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  17. ^ "Certified Results from the June 23, 2020 Primary Election" (PDF). New York State Board of Elections. August 6, 2020. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 16, 2020. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  18. ^ "State Senator 56th Senate District - General Election - November 3, 2020". New York State Board of Elections. December 3, 2020. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  19. ^ "Certified Results from the November 8, 2022 General Election". New York State Board of Elections. November 8, 2022. Retrieved May 2, 2023.