State Senator - District 17
Steve Chan
Republican state senator who has represented District 17 since Jan. 1, 2025, after defeating incumbent Iwen Chu in November 2024 with 54.7% of the vote.
Where they stand
Where homeless shelters go
Wants state law to bar homeless shelters within 500 feet of any transit facility in New York City, saying the aim is the safety of transit commuters and nearby communities. Joined a March 28, 2026 rally against a proposed Bensonhurst shelter, raising concerns about transparency, construction safety and whether proper procedures were followed.
Crime and public safety
Wants stronger penalties for offenses committed while using public transportation, including a new felony of reckless endangerment on public transit, saying tougher penalties answer serious safety risks. Also sponsors bills to require registration and licensing of any vehicle able to go over 25 mph and to bar battery storage systems holding more than 20 kilowatt hours within 500 feet of schools and homes in cities of one million or more people.
Transit and commuting
Wants a reduced Verrazano-Narrows Bridge toll for Kings County residents driving their own vehicles, set at 70 percent of the regular crossing fare.
Issues Steve is raising
Taxes and the state budget
Opposes wasteful spending of tax dollars and pledges to vote to lower taxes on families who live and work in the community. Voted no on S9009, a bill enacting major components of the 2026-27 state fiscal plan.
Schools
Wants schoolchildren to get a quality education without bias and bureaucracy. Sponsors bills to delay class-size reduction plans and add exemptions to class-size targets, and to create substance-use and fentanyl prevention materials for schools. Voted against changing the limits on retail adult-use dispensaries near schools and houses of worship.
Housing and building rules
Sponsored a bill requiring landlords of non-owner-occupied one- to six-family homes in New York City to provide fire extinguishers in every rented apartment. Voted against a 2025 law on landlords' use of algorithmic pricing to set rents and against a 2026 law on gas service to new customers.
Health care laws
Voted against the Medical Aid in Dying Act and against the 2025 law protecting people who provide or receive reproductive and gender-affirming care from criminal or civil liability or professional sanctions imposed by other jurisdictions. Both became law.
Background
Based in Bensonhurst
Born in Hong Kong, he immigrated at age 11, served six years in the U.S. Marines and 27 years in the NYPD, retiring as a sergeant in 2020, and owned a florist shop in Sunset Park.
- New York State Senator, District 17, since Jan. 1, 2025
- Ranking member, Senate Cities 1 Committee and Senate New York City Education Committee
- Member, Senate committees on Commerce, Economic Development and Small Business; Education; and Investigations and Government Operations
- Won the 2024 general election with 30,868 votes (54.7%) on the Republican and Conservative lines, defeating incumbent Iwen Chu
- U.S. Marine Corps, 1984–1990
- New York City Police Department, 1993–2020; retired as a sergeant after 27 years
- Owned and ran a small retail florist in Sunset Park for 10 years while serving in the NYPD
- Public-school parent volunteer: School Leadership Team member, Title 1 chairperson, Parent Advisory Council member and PTA president
- Born May 13, 1966, in Hong Kong; immigrated at 11 and settled in Bay Ridge; moved to Bensonhurst in 1992
- Schools listed in his Senate biography: PS 102, JHS 259 William McKinley, Fort Hamilton High School and SUNY Empire State College
- Father of two daughters
Support
Conservative Party of New York State
Also on your ballot on the Conservative Party line
Stop Mamdani Party
Also on your ballot on the Stop Mamdani Party line
Money
$123K
raised
Top donors: FM Alliance Group LLC, Weng's Group NY Inc, Agnes Wagner
Others running for State Senator - District 17