Brian Kavanagh won’t seek reelection to state Senate

State Sen. Brian Kavanagh, chair of the influential housing committee, will not seek reelection after two decades representing Lower Manhattan in the legislature.

The senator posted a lengthy statement to his Senate website announcing he will relinquish the seat after his term concludes at the end of the year. He called the decision a difficult one and touted accomplishments from his years overseeing housing for his chamber, including the 2019 rent laws and establishing “good cause” eviction protections.

"In my very first campaign, I sought to persuade voters that it was time for 'a new generation of leadership' and I believe that all of us in elected office owe it to our constituents to recognize when we have reached a point when we have given it our all and they would be well-served by electing someone new,” he said. “After 20 years in the legislature – and in a window when this decision can allow for an open contest for my seat – for me, that point is now." 

Kavanagh, 59, was first elected to the Assembly in 2006 and moved up to the state Senate in a 2017 special election following Sen. Dan Squadron’s retirement. Kavanagh drove negotiations that led to the All-Electric Building Act, expanding "good cause" eviction protections and the Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement, or SAFE Act, in 2013.

Assembly Member Grace Lee, who represents an overlapping district, applauded Kavanagh’s years of service in state government and thanked for working in partnership. She added that she is "exploring a campaign” for the newly open seat. “I’ll be engaging with constituents from the neighborhoods in the 27th Senate District to hear how I can be most helpful to our communities,” Lee said in a statement posted to X.

Former Assembly Member Yuh-Line Niou went a step further and officially announced that she is running for state Senate hours after Kavanagh said he would retire. "Democrats can't keep compromising in the face of government-sponsored violence and creeping totalitarianism," she said in a statement. “Not anymore. This is our time to fight.”

Niou is expected to have a formal campaign launch later this week with a number of day-one progressive endorsers, which will include Churches United for Fair Housing Action, according to a source close to the group.

Niou previously planned to challenge Kavanagh in 2022, before shifting to a campaign for the 10th Congressional District. She ultimately finished a close second in the crowded primary to now-Rep. Dan Goldman.

Lee unsuccessfully challenged Niou for her Assembly seat in 2020 before winning the seat in an open race in 2022, meaning this year could shape up to be a rematch. 

Kavanagh told City & State that he’s not yet ready to endorse a successor, saying he wants to see “how the field shapes up.”

Prospective candidates must submit nominating petitions by April 6.

With reporting by Peter Sterne. This story has been updated with comment from Niou and details on her campaign.