Astoria State Sen. Michael Gianaris has urged the state court system to administer the bar exam remotely. Photo via State Senate

QUEENS — STATE SEN. MICHAEL GIANARIS, the deputy majority leader and one of the most powerful Democrats in Albany, announced Monday he will retire at the end of 2026 and will not run for another term, City & State reports.

Gianaris, who represents state Senate District 12, said after more than 25 years in the legislature, he is stepping aside to focus on family. “It is time for me to embrace a new role as the best father I can be,” he wrote in a statement posted on X. 

He has served as the highest-ranking New York City senator for the past eight years, second only to Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins.

The left-leaning district spans Astoria, Sunnyside, Woodside, Elmhurst and Ridgewood, where Zohran Mamdani carried 65% of the first-round vote in last year’s Democratic mayoral primary. 

Democratic Socialists of America members are expected to compete for the open seat, alongside establishment Democrats weighing bids.

✰✰✰



Ice floes traveled with the tide along the East River, causing NYC Ferry service to be suspended across all routes until future notice. Photo: Mary Frost/Brooklyn Eagle
Brooklyn’s winter of ice and snow

February 3 |
Brooklyn Eagle Staff


Piles of trash sat in the snow along Lafayette Avenue in Brooklyn, Feb. 2, 2026. Credit: Ben Fractenberg/THE CITY
Deep freeze tests city sanitation workers

February 4 |
Brooklyn Eagle Staff


Police direct traffic past a car stuck going across the Brooklyn Bridge as it snows on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026, in New York. Photo: Alyssa Goodman/AP
Council set to probe freeze response as 17th person reported dead

February 4 |
Brooklyn Eagle Staff