Andrea Alice Stewart-Cousins (née Stewart; born September 2, 1950) is an American politician and educator from Yonkers, New York. A member of the Democratic Party, Stewart-Cousins represents District 35 in the New York State Senate and serves as Senate Majority Leader and Temporary President of the Senate.
Stewart-Cousins served as a Westchester County legislator from 1996 to 2006. She was first elected to the New York State Senate in 2006. In 2012, she was chosen by her colleagues to lead the Senate Democratic Conference. After the Democratic Party won a Senate majority in the 2018 elections, Stewart-Cousins became Senate majority leader in January 2019. Under Governor Kathy Hochul, she served as acting lieutenant governor of New York for 16 days in 2021 and from April 12, 2022 to May 5, 2022. Stewart-Cousins is the first woman in New York State history to lead a conference in the New York State Legislature and the first Black woman to serve as New York's lieutenant governor.
Andrea Alice Stewart was born on September 2, 1950, in New York City. She is the daughter of Bob Stewart, a decorated World War II veteran and repairman, and Beryl Stewart, a stenographer and community activist. The Stewart family resided in public housing in Manhattan and the Bronx, and Andrea suffered from chronic asthma.
Stewart became a single parent at the age of 19. She married Thomas Cousins in 1979.
Stewart-Cousins earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Pace University in 1986 and earned her teaching credentials in business education from Lehman College. She received her Master of Public Administration degree from Pace University in May 2008 and is a member of Pi Alpha Alpha, the public administration honor society.
Stewart-Cousins has three children and four grandchildren. Her husband, Thomas Cousins, died on November 26, 2007.
Stewart-Cousins spent twenty years working in the private sector, including thirteen years in sales and marketing with New York Telephone. After New York Telephone was acquired through a merger with Bell Atlantic, she received a buyout and pursued a college degree while working for Gannett. She pursued careers in teaching and journalism before entering public service.
Stewart-Cousins's public service career began in 1992 when she was appointed Director of Community Affairs for the City of Yonkers during Terence Zaleski's term as mayor. In that role, she created an internship program for the hearing-impaired and for children in working families. She also advocated for and contributed to the revitalization of the City of Yonkers and was a founder of the original "Art on Main Street". Stewart-Cousins was a co-creator of "River Fest", a widely attended multi-cultural citywide celebration on the Hudson River in Yonkers.
Prior to her election to the New York State Senate in 2006, Stewart-Cousins served as a Westchester County Legislator representing Yonkers. First elected in 1995, she served from 1996 to 2006. During her tenure, she was elected Majority Whip and vice-chair. Stewart-Cousins authored living wage laws, smoke-free workplace laws, tougher gun laws, laws that prosecute predatory lenders, tax cuts for seniors and veterans, and Westchester County's first human rights laws.
Stewart-Cousins first ran for New York State Senate in 2004. The Working Families Party did not endorse her during this election cycle. Incumbent Republican State Senator Nicholas Spano defeated her by a margin of 18 votes. In 2006, she challenged Spano again and defeated him. As of 2019, Senate District 35 includes all of the Towns of Greenburgh and Mt. Pleasant, and portions of Yonkers.
Stewart-Cousins voted in favor of same-sex marriage legislation on December 2, 2009, but the bill was defeated. A same-sex marriage law was eventually passed in 2011. Stewart-Cousins is a vocal supporter of abortion rights, and has pushed for legislation to expand abortion access in the State of New York.
On April 17, 2010, it was reported that Stewart-Cousins was under consideration by then-gubernatorial candidate Andrew Cuomo to be his running mate. Cuomo ultimately chose Rochester mayor Bob Duffy instead.
On December 17, 2012, Stewart-Cousins was elected Senate Democratic Leader. Stewart-Cousins is the first woman in history to lead a conference in the New York State Legislature.
The Democratic Party won a Senate majority in the 2018 elections. On January 9, 2019, Stewart-Cousins was elected Senate Majority Leader. She serves as the body's Majority Leader and Temporary President, and is the first female Senate Majority Leader in New York history. In 2019, Stewart-Cousins sponsored the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019, which overhauled the rules affecting rent-controlled apartments in New York City. During Stewart-Cousins's first year as Senate Majority Leader, New York passed a variety of progressive laws on issues like climate change, voting rights, abortion rights, criminal justice reform, gender equality, gun control, marijuana decriminalization, LGBT rights, and immigration. According to City & State New York, Stewart-Cousins employs a "consensus-driven approach" to leading the Senate Democratic Conference that sets her "apart from her predecessors".
In 2019, Stewart-Cousins was named to the Crain's New York Business list of the "Most Powerful Women in New York".
Following the resignation of Gov. Andrew Cuomo due to multiple allegations of sexual harassment, Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul succeeded him as governor. Per state law, as state Senate Majority Leader, Stewart-Cousins became the state's Acting Lieutenant Governor until Hochul appointed a full-time replacement. She was the first Black woman to serve in this role. This was also the first time New York was governed by both a female governor and lieutenant governor. Hochul selected Brian Benjamin as lieutenant governor, and he took office on September 9, 2021. Benjamin resigned on April 12, 2022 after being arrested in a corruption scandal. Stewart-Cousins once again assumed the role of acting lieutenant governor at that time. Rep. Antonio Delgado was sworn in as the new lieutenant governor of New York on May 25, 2022.
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