New York's 17th State Senate district

New York's 17th State Senate district is one of 63 districts in the New York State Senate. It has been represented by Republican Steve Chan since 2025, defeating Iwen Chu.

New York's 17th State Senate district
Senator	Steve Chan R–Bensonhurst
Registration	57.6% Democratic 16.7% Republican 23.0% No party preference
Demographics	32% White 2% Black 19% Hispanic 44% Asian 1% Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 3% Other
Population (2022)	293,218[1]
Registered voters	155,905[2]

Geography

District 17 is located in Southwestern Brooklyn, including some or all of the neighborhoods of Bath Beach, Bay Ridge, Sunset Park, Kensington, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst, and Gravesend.^[1][3]

The district overlaps with New York's 7th, 9th, 10th, and 11th congressional districts, and with the 41st, 42nd, 44th, 45th, 47th, 48th, 49th, and 51st districts of the New York State Assembly.^[4]

Recent election results

2024

2024 New York State Senate election, District 17^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Steve Chan	27,938
	Conservative	Steve Chan	2,930
	Total	Steve Chan	30,868	54.7
	Democratic	Iwen Chu	22,679
	Working Families	Iwen Chu	2,685
	Total	Iwen Chu (incumbent)	25,364	44.9
	Write-in		240	0.4
Total votes			56,472	100.0
	Republican gain from Democratic

2022

2022 New York State Senate election, District 17^[6][7]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Iwen Chu	16,167
	Working Families	Iwen Chu	2,195
	Total	Iwen Chu	18,362	50.7
	Republican	Vito LaBella	16,659
	Conservative	Vito LaBella	1,169
	Total	Vito LaBella	17,828	49.2
	Write-in		57	0.1
Total votes			36,243	100.0
	Democratic win (new boundaries)

2020

2020 New York State Senate election, District 17^[6][8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Simcha Felder	42,332
	Democratic	Simcha Felder	31,476
	Conservative	Simcha Felder	4,842
	Total	Simcha Felder (incumbent)	78,650	97.8
	Write-in		1,730	2.2
Total votes			80,380	100.0
	Democratic hold

As he had done in the past, Felder ran in 2020 on both the Democratic and Republican party lines.

2018

2018 New York State Senate election, District 17^[6]

Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Simcha Felder (incumbent)	15,589	65.4
	Democratic	Blake Morris	8,200	34.4
	Write-in		39	0.2
Total votes			23,828	100.0
General election
	Democratic	Simcha Felder	20,585
	Republican	Simcha Felder	18,152
	Conservative	Simcha Felder	2,283
	Independence	Simcha Felder	733
	Total	Simcha Felder (incumbent)	41,544	84.3
	Working Families	Jumaane Williams	6,611	13.4
	Reform	Luis Rivera	733	1.5
	Write-in		395	0.8
Total votes			49,283	100.0
	Democratic hold

Jumaane Williams, then a New York City Councilmember, did not actively campaign, and was listed on the ballot to allow the Working Families Party to remove him from consideration for the 2018 lieutenant gubernatorial election,^[9] in accordance with complex New York election laws.^[10]

2016

2016 New York State Senate election, District 17^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Simcha Felder	35,432
	Republican	Simcha Felder	23,560
	Conservative	Simcha Felder	4,010
	Total	Simcha Felder (incumbent)	63,002	99.1
	Write-in		555	0.9
Total votes			63,557	100.0
	Democratic hold

In 2016, Felder ran on both the Democratic and Republican party lines.

2014

2014 New York State Senate election, District 17^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Simcha Felder	21,384
	Conservative	Simcha Felder	8,105
	Total	Simcha Felder (incumbent)	29,489	98.8
	Write-in		355	1.2
Total votes			29,844	100.0
	Democratic hold

2012

2012 New York State Senate election, District 17^[6]

Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Simcha Felder	6,643	81.5
	Democratic	Abraham Tischler	1,427	17.5
	Write-in		82	1.0
Total votes			8,152	100.0
	Conservative	Simcha Felder (write-in)	113	53.6
	Conservative	David Storobin (incumbent)	98	46.4
	Write-in		0	0.0
Total votes			211	100.0
General election
	Democratic	Simcha Felder	32,759
	Conservative	Simcha Felder	6,135
	Tax Cuts Now	Simcha Felder	372
	Total	Simcha Felder	39,266	66.2
	Republican	David Storobin (incumbent)	19,338	32.6
	School Choice	Abraham Tischler	528	0.9
	Write-in		155	0.3
Total votes			59,287	100.0
	Democratic gain from Republican

Federal results in District 17

Year	Office	Results[11]
2020	President	Trump 61 – 38%
2016	President	Trump 52.8 – 44.7%
2012	President	Romney 58.3 – 40.8%
	Senate	Gillibrand 61.2 – 37.5%