A special election to fill Sean Ryan’s seat in the New York state Senate will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 3, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office announced Friday.
Ryan vacated the seat officially this week after being sworn in as the new mayor of Buffalo on Thursday.
Ryan represented the 61st state Senate District since 2021 after serving 10 years in the state Assembly.
The district includes parts of the city of Buffalo, the city of Tonawanda, the towns of Amherst, Grand Island, and Tonawanda, as well as the villages of Kenmore and Williamsville.
Democratic state Assemblyman Jonathan Rivera and Erie County Democratic Chairman Jeremy Zellner have already announced their intention to run for the seat. Businessman Dan Gagliardo, who lost his race for Amherst town supervisor in November, is running for the seat on the Republican side.
In special elections for the state Legislature in New York, local party committees designate their nominees. The winner of February’s contest can then be challenged in June in the regularly scheduled primaries.
Special elections for New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s state Assembly seat and Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal’s state Senate seat will also take place on Feb. 3.
“These State Legislators represented their communities with distinction in Albany, and we wish them well in their next chapters,” Hochul said in a statement Friday. “To ensure constituents of these districts are represented in the State Legislature, there will be a special election on February 3, 2026 to fill the vacancies. I look forward to working with their successors and working on the issues that matter to New Yorkers.”