State Senator - District 21
Kevin S. Parker
State senator for District 21 since 2003 and chair of the Senate Energy and Telecommunications Committee.
Where they stand
Energy and climate
Sponsors a bill requiring a study of options to phase out and redevelop New York's oldest, most-polluting fossil-fuel power plants and their sites by 2030, and one providing a tax abatement for electric energy storage equipment placed in service between Jan. 1, 2027, and Jan. 1, 2029; both passed the Senate in 2026. Says the phase-out bill is about "protecting public health, creating good-paying clean energy jobs".
Household costs: utility bills, property taxes and rent
Sponsored a 2025 law requiring the state to automatically identify people in its temporary and disability assistance programs for utilities' water-bill affordability programs, and voted for a 2025 law on landlords' use of algorithmic pricing to set residential rents.
Public safety
Sponsors a bill barring New York City subway trains from running without at least one conductor on board, except where already permitted, which passed both houses in June 2026. Voted for a 2025 omnibus law on state correctional services and a 2026 law changing the rules on how close cannabis dispensaries may be to schools and houses of worship.
Issues Kevin is raising
Medical aid in dying
Voted for the Medical Aid in Dying Act, which governs a terminally ill patient's request for and use of medication for medical aid in dying; it passed the Senate 35-27 in June 2025 and became law in February 2026.
Voting and election rules
Sponsored a 2024 law letting any attorney licensed in New York serve as a poll watcher in any city or county in the state, and voted for a 2024 law authorizing boards of elections to set up absentee ballot drop-off locations.
Background
Based in Flatbush, Brooklyn
A lifelong Brooklyn resident who grew up in New York City Housing Authority housing, he earlier worked as a special assistant to State Comptroller H. Carl McCall and is an adjunct professor at Brooklyn College.
- New York State Senator, District 21, since 2003; re-elected in November 2024 with 98.4% of the vote
- Chair, Senate Energy and Telecommunications Committee; former Senate majority whip
- Won the August 2022 Democratic primary over David Alexis and Kaegan Mays-Williams with 45.7% of the vote
- Advanced to the 2026 general election without appearing on a primary ballot; the June 23, 2026 Democratic primary was canceled
- Ran in the Democratic primary for New York City Comptroller in 2021 and again in 2025, when he was eliminated in the second round of ranked-choice counting
- Ran for New York City Council in 2001 and was not elected
- Special assistant in the Office of the New York State Comptroller, 2000–2002, under Comptroller H. Carl McCall, managing intergovernmental relations in New York City
- Earlier special assistant to Manhattan Borough President Ruth Messinger and Assemblyman Nick Perry, legislative aide to City Council Member Una Clarke, and lead advance for Hillary Clinton's 1999–2000 U.S. Senate campaign
- Project manager at the New York State Urban Development Corporation, financing minority- and women-owned businesses; political action director at Paine Webber, 1998–1999
- Adjunct professor at Brooklyn College's Center for Worker Education; instructor at Brooklyn College, 1993–1997
- B.S. in public service, Penn State (1989); M.S. in urban policy and management, New School for Social Research (1993)
- Created the Intersolar Summit Northeast solar energy conference
- Sponsored S8598, designating Juneteenth an official public holiday in New York State
- Former 2nd vice chair of Community Board 17 and chair of its Education Committee
- Convicted by a jury in December 2010 of two misdemeanor counts of criminal mischief, and not of felony charges, for damaging a New York Post photographer’s car and camera during a 2009 confrontation; sentenced in March 2011 to three years of probation and $1,672 in fines and restitution. Ordered in 2005 to take anger management classes after being charged with punching a traffic agent
- Has lived in Flatbush for more than 31 years
Support
No endorsements beyond the Democratic nomination were found as of Sept. 30, 2026.
Others running for State Senator - District 21
