General Election
Incumbent's lawmaking record meets a platform on policing, schools and the R train
Andrew Gounardes won the seat's last two general elections with 79.1% in 2022 and 78.5% in 2024. Both parties' June 2026 primaries were canceled, so he and Republican Tom Stanten, a retired NYPD detective investigator, go to November without primary contests.
State senator for District 26, representing neighborhoods from Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights to Downtown Brooklyn and Vinegar Hill
Immigration — Supports protecting immigrant families; his campaign says he introduced the New York For All Act to protect immigrant families from deportation.
New York Working Families Party
Retired NYPD Detective Investigator (retired 2013): began at the 75th Precinct in East New York, served in the Brooklyn South Organized Crime Control Bureau focusing on narcotics enforcement, conducted dignitary protection with the Intelligence Division, and served in Narcotics Borough Manhattan South
Public safety — Supports fully funding law enforcement.
New York Young Republican Club +1
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Transit and street safety
State law decides how many New York City intersections may have red-light cameras, a number a 2024 law raised to 600, and whether city subway trains must run with a conductor on board, a requirement the Senate passed in June 2026.
Wants to fix the R train by upgrading sensors across Brooklyn's MTA stations and cutting the time riders wait between trains.
Tom Stanten for State SenatePublic safety and policing
The Legislature passes the state budget each year and writes the state's criminal-justice rules; a 2026 law, for example, requires sexual offense evidence to be logged in the statewide tracking system within ten days after the alleged victim permits its release.
Supports fully funding law enforcement.
Tom Stanten for State SenateSchools and public colleges
Education money and policy pass through the Legislature in the state budget bills, such as the 2024-25 bill that carried education provisions alongside labor, housing and family assistance.
Supports protecting gifted and talented programs in the schools.
Tom Stanten for State SenateCycle-to-date · NYS Board of Elections — figures change as new reports are filed.
GounardesResearched & verified Sep 30, 2026. Compiled from verified public sources; claims that failed verification are excluded.
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