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Jeffrey Klein
Jeffrey Klein is a former Democratic member of the New York State Senate, representing District 34. He was defeated in his bid for re-election as an Independence Party candidate in the general election on November 6, 2018, after losing the Democratic primary on September 13, 2018. He was first elected to the chamber in 2004.
Klein served as Independent Democratic Conference (IDC) leader from 2011 until April 2018 when the IDC dissolved.[1] Klein served as the Independent Democratic Caucus leader in the majority coalition along with Republican leaders Dean Skelos and John Flanagan. Klein sometimes served as the temporary president of the Senate.
Klein and five other former IDC members lost to progressive challengers in the September 13 Democratic primaries. Click here to learn more about the primaries.
Klein was a member of the New York State Committee from 1988 to 1990. He then served in the New York State Assembly from 1994 to 2004. He was Senate deputy minority leader from 2007 to 2008. He has also served as Democratic district leader and deputy majority leader for legislative operations.
Biography
Klein earned his B.A. from Queens College in 1983, his MPA from the School of International and Public Affairs from Columbia University in 1985, and his J.D. from the City University of New York Law School in 1993.
His professional experience includes working in lead paint litigation for Trolman & Glaser Firm, serving as chief of staff/executive assistant for Congressman James Scheuer from 1985 to 1988, and working as district administrator from 1988 to 1992. He has been a Partner at Klein, Calderoni & Santucci, Limited Liability Partnership.[2]
Committee assignments
2015 legislative session
Note: In the 2015 legislative session, Klein was not assigned to any standing committees.
2013-2014
In the 2013-2014 legislative session, Klein did not serve on a committee.
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Klein served on these committees:
| New York committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, Chair |
| • Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation |
| • Local Government |
| • Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities |
| • Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs |
2009-2010
In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Klein served on these committees:
| New York committee assignments, 2009 |
|---|
| • Banks |
| • Codes |
| • Finance |
| • Health |
| • Investigations and Government Operations |
| • Judiciary |
| • Labor |
| • Rules |
Campaign themes
2014
Klein's campaign website highlighted the following issues:[3]
Leading the Way on Affordable Housing for Working Families and the Middle Class
- Excerpt: "To address New York City’s critical affordable housing shortage, Jeff proposed a bold and historic plan to increase housing and encourage middle class families to stay in New York City. The plan reinvests in one of New York’s most effective housing programs of the 20th century. The first step in his Mitchell Llama 2020 plan, which was adopted in the 2014-2015 state budget, will develop and renovate thousands of units of affordable housing for the middle class and working families."
Keeping Communities Safe
- Excerpt: "Last year, Jeff led the fight in the Senate to pass landmark gun control laws known as the NY SAFE act. The legislation established some of the toughest gun laws in the nation including: a full ban on assault weapons; taking high capacity magazines off the shelves; closing loopholes in gun laws; and getting guns out of the hands of the mentally ill. In recent years he has also secured funding for the proven local anti-gun violence SNUG program. These reforms will make our families and communities safer in the Bronx, Westchester and all across the state of New York."
Providing Opportunities for our Children
- Excerpt: "At the start of 2014, Jeff made a promise to fully fund universal pre-k for the tens of thousands of New York City toddlers receiving inadequate or no preschool education. This year’s state budget fulfilled that promise. Starting in September 2014, more than 54,000 students will have access to new, safe and high-quality preschool programs. Jeff also fought to ensure that funding for public schools remains at its highest levels and that parent choice is protected by promoting charter school growth. Students in public and religious schools will also see a $2 billion dollar technology investment in the year ahead."
Improving Quality of Life
- Excerpt: "As a lifelong resident of the Bronx, Jeff works to ensure that quality of life for his constituents is protected and improved. Jeff believes in holding landlords’ feet to the fire to ensure they provide adequate services and he continues to organize graffiti cleanups throughout the district each year. To force developers to listen to community concerns, Jeff fought to create a new community approval process for major health facilities like Montefiore that seek to develop in residential areas. Jeff also led the way in opposing the LG tower in the New Jersey Palisades that would ruin the historic, untouched vista on the other side of the Hudson River. Finally, Jeff’s plan to freeze rents for thousands of NYC seniors and lower their prescription drug costs was adopted in the 2014-2015 state budget."
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2018
- See also: New York State Senate elections, 2018
General election
General election for New York State Senate District 34
Alessandra Biaggi defeated Richard Ribustello, incumbent Jeffrey Klein, and Antonio Vitiello in the general election for New York State Senate District 34 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Alessandra Biaggi (D)  | 76.0 | 60,582 |
| Richard Ribustello (R) | 14.9 | 11,875 | ||
 | Jeffrey Klein (Independence Party) | 7.2 | 5,736 | |
| Antonio Vitiello (Conservative Party) | 1.8 | 1,430 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 42 | ||
| Total votes: 79,665 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for New York State Senate District 34
Alessandra Biaggi defeated incumbent Jeffrey Klein in the Democratic primary for New York State Senate District 34 on September 13, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Alessandra Biaggi | 54.3 | 19,318 |
| Jeffrey Klein | 45.7 | 16,290 | |
| Total votes: 35,608 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Richard Ribustello advanced from the Republican primary for New York State Senate District 34.
Conservative Party primary election
The Conservative Party primary election was canceled. Antonio Vitiello advanced from the Conservative Party primary for New York State Senate District 34.
Independence Party primary election
The Independence Party primary election was canceled. Incumbent Jeffrey Klein advanced from the Independence Party primary for New York State Senate District 34.
2016
- See also: New York State Senate elections, 2016
Elections for the New York State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election took place on September 13, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The filing deadline for major party candidates was July 14, 2016. The filing deadline for independent candidates was August 23, 2016.
Incumbent Jeffrey Klein defeated Alex Mici and Carl Lundgren in the New York State Senate District 34 general election.[4][5]
| New York State Senate, District 34 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Jeffrey Klein Incumbent |
90.23% | 80,998 | |
| Conservative | Alex Mici | 6.77% | 6,080 | |
| Green Party | Carl Lundgren | 2.99% | 2,686 | |
| Total Votes | 89,764 | |||
| Source: New York Board of Elections | ||||
Incumbent Jeffrey Klein ran unopposed in the New York State Senate District 34 Democratic primary.[6][7]
| New York State Senate, District 34 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | Jeffrey Klein Incumbent (unopposed) | |
Klein also ran on the Independence and Women's Equality Party tickets.
Alex Mici ran unopposed in the New York State Senate District 34 Conservative primary.[6][7]
| New York State Senate, District 34 Conservative Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Conservative | Alex Mici (unopposed) | |
Carl Lundgren ran unopposed in the New York State Senate District 34 Green primary.[6][7]
| New York State Senate, District 34 Green Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Green Party | Carl Lundgren (unopposed) | |
2014
- See also: New York State Senate elections, 2014
Elections for the New York State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on September 9, 2014. The general election took place November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was July 10, 2014. Incumbent Jeffrey Klein defeated G. Oliver Koppell in the Democratic primary, while Aleksander Mici was unopposed in the Republican primary. Frank Dellavalle ran on the Conservative Party ticket and Carl Lundgren ran as a Green Party candidate. Klein also ran on the Independence Party of New York State and Women's Equality Party tickets. Klein defeated Mici, Dellavalle and Lundgren in the general election.[8][9][10]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jeffrey Klein Incumbent |
72.5% | 31,295 | |
| Republican | Alex Mici | 14.1% | 6,103 | |
| None | Blank | 4.8% | 2,080 | |
| Conservative | Frank Dellavalle | 4.5% | 1,957 | |
| Green | Carl Lundgren | 3.8% | 1,638 | |
| None | Scattering | 0.2% | 70 | |
| Total Votes | 43,143 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Jeffrey Klein Incumbent |
64.8% | 9,211 |
| G. Oliver Koppell | 35.2% | 5,008 |
| Total Votes | 14,219 | |
2012
- See also: New York State Senate elections, 2012
Klein ran in the 2012 election for New York State Senate District 34. He ran unopposed in the Democratic and Republican primaries on September 13, 2012, as well as on the Working Families Party and Independence Party of New York State tickets. Klein defeated Elizabeth Perri (C) and Carl Lundgren (G) in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[11][12][13]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jeffrey Klein Incumbent |
93.8% | 80,421 | |
| Conservative | Elizabeth Perri | 4.6% | 3,940 | |
| Green | Carl Lundgren | 1.6% | 1,348 | |
| Total Votes | 85,709 | |||
2010
- See also: New York State Senate elections, 2010
Klein ran in the 2010 election for New York State Senate District 34. He was unopposed in the Democratic primary. He defeated Frank Vernuccio (R) in the general election.[14][15] He ran as a member of the Democratic, Independence and Working Families party.
| New York State Senate, General Election Results, District 34 (2010) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Jeffrey Klein (D)
|
35,880 | |||
| Frank Vernuccio (R) | 17,721 | |||
2008
- See also: New York State Senate elections, 2008
On November 4, 2008, Jeffrey Klein won the election for New York State Senate, District 34 with 61,862 votes.[16][17]
Klein raised $1,810,712 for his campaign.[18]
| New York State Senate, District 34 (2008) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Jeffrey Klein (D)
|
61,862 | |||
| Daniel Fasolino (R) | 22,622 | |||
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of New York scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2020
In 2020, the New York State Legislature was in session from January 8 to December 31.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on environmental issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
2019
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show]. |
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In 2019, the New York State Legislature was in session from January 9 through January 8, 2020.
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2018
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show]. |
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In 2018, the 202nd New York State Legislature, second annual session, was in session from January 3 through June 20.
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2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
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In 2017, the 202nd New York State Legislature, first annual session, was in session from January 4 through December 31. A recess began June 21, and there was a special session June 28-29.
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2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
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In 2016, the 201st New York State Legislature, second annual session, was in session from January 6 through June 18.
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2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
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In 2015, the 201st New York State Legislature, first annual session, was in session from January 7 through June 25.
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2014
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show]. |
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In 2014, the 200th New York State Legislature, second annual session, was in session from January 8 to June 19, 2014.
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2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
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In 2013, the 200th New York State Legislature, first annual session, was in session from January 9 to December 31.
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2012
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2012, click [show]. |
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In 2012, the 199th New York State Legislature, second annual session, was in session from January 4 to June 22, 2012.
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2011
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2011, click [show]. |
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In 2011, the 199th New York State Legislature, first annual session, was in session from January 5 to June 20, 2011.
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Endorsements
2014
In 2014, Klein's endorsements included the following:[19]
|
|
2012
In 2012, Klein’s endorsements included the following:[20]
- 32BJ/SEIU
Noteworthy events
Klein files for dismissal of sexual harassment investigation (December 2020)
On January 10, 2018, the Huffington Post published an allegation from former Klein staffer Erica Vladimer that Klein had forcibly kissed her outside a bar in March 2015. State Sen. Diane Savino (D), another IDC member who was dating Klein at the time, was also present. Klein and Savino held a conference call on January 10 where they denied that the incident happened. Klein's lawyer, Michael Zweig, said the following: "...it simply defies credibility and reason to suggest that Sen. Klein would have, in full view of both his longtime girlfriend, numerous staff members, and in the middle of a very visible and public street, assault Ms. Vladimir, as her allegation inaccurately suggest."[21]
Klein invited the Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE) to investigate the case in January 2018.[22] In December 2019, JCOPE announced it was opening an investigation into the allegations against Klein.[23]
On June 8, 2020, JCOPE hearing officer Richard Rifkin filed his report on the allegations of Klein's misconduct. Rifkin concluded that the allegations against Klein were outside the commission's authority since they didn't involve government decision-making. The commission voted in August to overrule Rifkin's decision and order him to conduct a hearing into whether the allegations were true.
Klein filed a lawsuit in the state Supreme Court on December 21, 2020, calling for the JCOPE investigation's dismissal.[24] On October 13, 2021, Justice Richard J. McNally dismissed Klein's suit, ruling that the court did not have authority over an investigation still in progress. McNally said that Klein would need to wait for the investigation to conclude before filing a legal challenge.[25]
Klein appealed this decision to the state supreme court's appellate division. On March 9, 2023, a four-judge panel upheld McNally's initial ruling.[26]
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Klein is divorced.
Recent news
This section displays the most recent stories in a Google News search for the term "Jeffrey + Klein + New York + Senate"
- All stories may not be relevant to this legislator due to the nature of the search engine.
See also
- New York State Senate
- Senate Committees
- New York State Legislature
- New York state legislative districts
External links
- Official campaign website
- Profile from Open States
- Jeffrey Klein on Facebook
- Jeffrey Klein on Twitter
- Legislative profile from Project Vote Smart
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Campaign contributions via OpenSecrets
Footnotes
- ↑ Poughkeepsie Journal, "VIDEO: State legislature names leaders, sets rules," accessed January 21, 2015
- ↑ Vote Smart, "Jeffery Klein's Biography," accessed November 5, 2023
- ↑ Jeffrey Klein's campaign website, "Issues," accessed October 7, 2014
- ↑ New York State Board of Elections, "2016 General Election Candidate List," accessed October 11, 2016
- ↑ New York State Board of Elections, "Election results, 2016," accessed December 23, 2016
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 New York State Board of Elections, "Filings received for the 2016 State/Local Primary," accessed August 29, 2016
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 New York State Board of Elections, "Election returns September 13, 2016," accessed November 6, 2016
- ↑ New York Board of Elections, "Certification for the September 9, 2014, State Primary Election," accessed December 17, 2014
- ↑ New York Board of Elections, "Primary results for September 9, 2014," accessed October 1, 2014
- ↑ New York Board of Elections, "NYS Board of Elections Senate Election Returns November 4, 2014," accessed December 17, 2014
- ↑ State of New York, State Board of Elections, "Candidate List for the September 13, 2012, State Primary Election," accessed July 31, 2014
- ↑ State of New York, State Board of Elections, "Official September 13, 2012, Primary Results," accessed July 31, 2014
- ↑ State of New York, State Board of Elections, "Official Senate Election Returns Nov. 6, 2012," accessed July 31, 2014
- ↑ New York Times, "NY state legislative election results," accessed February 11, 2014
- ↑ New York State Board of Elections, "Official Primary results from September 14, 2010," accessed July 31, 2014
- ↑ New York State Board of Elections, "Official Primary results from September 9, 2008," accessed July 31, 2014
- ↑ New York State Board of Elections, "Official Senate Election Returns November 4, 2008," accessed July 31, 2014
- ↑ Follow the Money, "Report on Jeffrey's 2008 campaign contributions," accessed July 31, 2014
- ↑ Jeff Klein, "Endorsements," accessed August 19, 2014
- ↑ New York Daily News, "32BJ/SEIU Endorses For State Senate, Assembly," August 1, 2012
- ↑ Huffington Post, "EXCLUSIVE: New York State Sen. Jeff Klein Accused Of Sexual Misconduct," January 10, 2018
- ↑ Newsday, "Cuomo: Investigate sex harassment claim against Sen. Jeff Klein," January 11, 2018
- ↑ New York Daily News, "They can’t cope: JCOPE, the state’s ethics watchdog, keeps stumbling," December 9, 2019
- ↑ Albany Times-Union, "Ex-Sen. Jeff Klein seeks to block ethics hearing on sexual harassment allegations," December 21, 2020
- ↑ Politico, "More detainees moving out of Rikers," October 14, 2021
- ↑ Times Union, "Former state Sen. Jeff Klein loses appeal seeking to end ethics probe," March 10, 2023
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
New York State Senate District 34 2005–2019 |
Succeeded by Alessandra Biaggi (D) |
