NEW YORK
New York Daily News
By KENNETH LOVETT
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
APR 24, 2018
ALBANY — A Brooklyn state senator who could have helped flip the Senate to the Democrats has decided to stay with the Republicans, sources with knowledge of his decision said.
Sen. Simcha Felder, a Democrat who has caucused with the GOP, has told both sides he is not going back at least until after the November elections, the sources said.
Democrats were hoping that if the party wins Tuesday’s special election in Westchester County between Dem Shelley Mayer and Republican Julie Killian, Felder would agree to return to the fold, giving them the needed 32 votes to form a majority.
But win or lose, Felder is not going anywhere for the rest of the legislative session that is set to end in June, sources said.
Until last week, Felder was one of nine breakaway Democrats aligned with the GOP. The other eight, who did not caucus with the Republicans but were in a leadership coalition with them, returned to the fold.
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