Sam Sutton
D · New York State Senate, District 22 · Tier 1
Tier 1, “Firmly pro-Israel”
First Sephardic Jew elected to the NY State Senate (sworn in on a special copy of the Keter Aram Soba, the Aleppo Codex); won the May 2025 special 66.85–32 over a Republican to succeed Simcha Felder in a heavily Orthodox district. Lead State Senate author of the houses-of-worship "buffer zone" law (with Assemblymember Lasher), responding to Palestine-solidarity protests outside synagogues hosting Israeli real-estate events. He co-founded the Sephardic Community Federation and has made tackling antisemitism a headline priority, and he is the sole sponsor of S10065 (April 2026), the Senate version of an academic anti-boycott bill that would bar colleges from using state aid for membership in academic bodies that boycott a country or its universities; he has taken no public position on U.S. arms or aid, but in an October 2026 City & State op-ed he wrote that “Israel appropriately responded by going to war against Hamas,” said the International Court of Justice’s view that Israel’s conduct “may constitute genocide” is “a political statement rather than one based in fact,” and wrote that “Palestinian suffering is real and heartbreaking” while holding Hamas responsible for it. On October 7, 2026 he organized a Brooklyn rally for a privately funded memorial to those killed or abducted in the attacks, where, per Jewish Insider, he said, “There are those that check off a box by saying the line that Oct. 7 was a tragedy, and then they go on and on,” and told DSA members, “you guys celebrated on Oct. 8.”
A 1 on legislation he leads. He is the sole sponsor of S10065 (April 2026), the Senate version of an academic anti-boycott bill that would bar colleges from using state aid for membership in academic bodies that boycott a country or its universities. He also led the buffer-zone legislation written after Palestine-solidarity protests outside synagogues hosting Israeli real-estate events: “After the horrific incident outside Park East Synagogue, I became the first legislator to introduce this proposal.” His 2025 bill (S8599, with Assemblymember Micah Lasher) would have barred groups from demonstrating within 25 feet of houses of worship, and the May 2026 state budget included a 50-foot zone with misdemeanor penalties. He also cosponsors S7034-A, which would have state agencies weigh the IHRA definition of antisemitism in discrimination reviews. He has taken no public position on U.S. arms or aid, but his October 2026 op-ed defends Israel’s war in Gaza as an appropriate response to October 7, rejects the genocide and apartheid charges and attacks the “Not On Our Dime” bill, while saying that “credible allegations of unlawful conduct must be investigated.” Counter-case: a 1/2, since the buffer zone covers every house of worship (his 2025 bill paired them with reproductive-health clinics) and the boycott bill names no country and has not moved.
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elect26 places 2026 midterm candidates on a six-tier spectrum, from 1 (most pro-Israel) to 6 (most critical of Israel).