Thirteen New York Incumbents Lose Seats

Environmental Advocates NY's 2026 Scorecard found defeated legislators averaged 49.7 out of 100 on environmental issues.

Updated on Nov. 7, 2026 in Environmental

Live Poll

Should voters in your area consider a legislator's environmental record when deciding who to elect?

Thirteen incumbent New York state legislators lost their seats in the November 2026 election. Twelve of the thirteen were routinely failing at addressing environmental legislation, according to Environmental Advocates NY.

Why it matters

The scorecard links electoral outcomes to environmental voting records, with executive director Vanessa Fajans-Turner tying the results to voters' cost concerns. The findings show how environmental positions may factor into legislative races across the state.

The seven defeated Assembly members averaged 41 on the scorecard, all at least ten points below the chamber average of 59. Five of the six defeated senators scored higher than the five defeated Assembly members, with the Senate average at 75.2.

The players

Environmental Advocates NY

An advocacy organization that tracks legislative environmental voting records and publishes annual scorecards for New York lawmakers.

Vanessa Fajans-Turner

Executive director of Environmental Advocates NY who has led the organization's public environmental policy advocacy.

Kathy Hochul

Governor of New York who was re-elected by nearly 20 points and signed a July 2026 executive order creating a statewide data center moratorium.

The details

Environmental Advocates NY calculated the scores from votes, bill sponsorships, and public statements during the last session, releasing the scorecard in August 2026. The lowest-scoring lawmakers voted against a one-year moratorium on hyperscale AI data centers and against statewide limits on PFAS in drinking water.

August 2026: Environmental Advocates NY released the 2026 Scorecard.
July 2026: Gov. Kathy Hochul signed an executive order creating a statewide data center moratorium.
November 3, 2026: Thirteen incumbent legislators lost their seats in the election.

Seasonal Patterns

The defeat of twelve of the thirteen incumbents who scored poorly on the Environmental Advocates NY scorecard follows a pattern of environmental voting records becoming visible in state electoral outcomes. The results come as Gov. Kathy Hochul's executive order on data centers shows how state-level climate and technology policy has entered legislative races.

Voters in New York are seeing environmental voting records factor into elections, which may influence how candidates approach issues like PFAS in drinking water. Residents may also feel the effects of state data center rules as the governor's moratorium takes shape.

The takeaway

Environmental positions in New York's legislature are increasingly visible to voters, and residents can review how their representatives voted on climate and water issues. Checking scorecards like the 2026 Environmental Advocates NY release can help inform future choices.