James “Jim” Tedisco has represented parts of the Capital Region in the New York State Legislature for more than four decades. He moved from the State Assembly, where he once led the Republican conference, to the State Senate, where he now represents Saratoga County, Niskayuna and the City of Schenectady.
In 2026, at age 76, he is fighting to hold his seat against a Democratic challenger backed by his party’s national campaign arm. The race is widely seen as a test of how much longer the Capital Region’s most durable Republican brand can hold.
So, who is Jim Tedisco, what has he built over more than 40 years in Albany, and what’s at stake in his toughest reelection fight in years?
Quick Facts
- Party
- Republican, Conservative
- Hometown
- Ballston Lake / Glenville, N.Y.
- Born
- July 15, 1950, in Schenectady
- Current Position
- New York State Senator, 44th District
- Background
- Special education teacher, guidance counselor and basketball coach; Schenectady City Councilman
- In Office Since
- 1983 (State Assembly); 2017 (State Senate)
- Up For Reelection
- November 2026, facing Democrat Sarah Rogerson
EARLY LIFE
Tedisco was born July 15, 1950, in Schenectady. He graduated from Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons High School in 1968.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Union College in 1972 and a master’s degree in special education from the College of Saint Rose in 1977.
A standout basketball player at Union, Tedisco was later inducted into the Capital Region Basketball Hall of Fame and was one of the first members of Union College’s Athletic Hall of Fame.
TEACHING CAREER AND ENTRY INTO POLITICS
Before entering politics, Tedisco spent about a decade in education. He worked as a guidance counselor, basketball coach and athletic director at Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons High School in Schenectady.
He later became a special education teacher and varsity basketball coach at Bethlehem Central High School in Delmar.
While teaching, Tedisco got a call from the local Republican Party chairman encouraging him to run for Schenectady City Council. He won that race in 1977.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY (1983-2017)
Tedisco was first elected to the State Assembly in 1982 and took office in 1983. He represented districts that shifted over the decades, the 107th, 103rd, 110th and 112th, but stayed centered on Schenectady and Saratoga counties.
He served 34 years in the chamber, becoming known as an aggressive, quotable critic of Albany’s “backroom deals” and government secrecy.
In 1999, he was the driving force behind Buster’s Law, which made animal cruelty a felony in New York on the theory that abusing animals is often a precursor to violence against people.
He also authored “Charlotte’s Law,” which sought to permanently revoke the licenses of drunk and dangerous repeat drivers. While the bill itself didn’t pass, the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles later adopted similar regulations.
In 2014, he sponsored a constitutional amendment allowing digital rather than printed copies of legislation to satisfy the state’s three-day bill-review requirement. It was approved by 77% of voters statewide.
ASSEMBLY MINORITY LEADER AND THE 2009 SPECIAL ELECTION
Tedisco was elected Assembly Minority Leader in November 2005, a post he held until April 2009.
As leader, he was a fixture of Albany’s partisan battles. He once compared Democrats’ backroom deal-making over Senate leadership to “a bad episode of ‘Let’s Make a Deal,'” and criticized then-Speaker Sheldon Silver’s record on reform.
During the 2008 Eliot Spitzer scandal, Tedisco publicly called on the governor to resign, calling the episode a body blow to New Yorkers.
In early 2009, Tedisco became the Republican nominee in the special election for New York’s 20th Congressional District. He was seeking to fill the seat vacated when Kirsten Gillibrand was appointed to the U.S. Senate.
The race against Democrat Scott Murphy was exceptionally close. At one point during the recanvass, the two were tied at exactly 77,225 votes each, before Murphy pulled ahead and was declared the winner.
Senator Jim Tedisco takes the oath of office for his fifth term in the New York State Senate Chamber, January 2025. (NYS Senate)
Tedisco resigned as Minority Leader on April 5, 2009, in anticipation of the move to Congress. He was succeeded by Brian Kolb the next day.
After the loss, he returned to the Assembly rank-and-file. He won reelection to his Assembly seat with 64% of the vote in 2010.
MOVE TO THE STATE SENATE
Tedisco was elected to the State Senate in November 2016, succeeding the retiring Hugh Farley. He was sworn in to represent the 49th Senate District in 2017.
That district then covered parts of Saratoga, Schenectady and Herkimer counties and all of Fulton and Hamilton counties.
Following redistricting, he has represented the 44th Senate District, covering all of Saratoga County plus Niskayuna and the city of Schenectady, since 2023.
He was sworn in for his fifth Senate term in January 2025.
In the chamber’s Republican minority, Tedisco serves as ranking member of the Education Committee, the Racing, Gaming and Wagering Committee, and the Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation Committee. He also holds seats on the Libraries, New York City Education and Rules committees.
LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES
As a member of the Senate’s Republican minority, Tedisco has focused heavily on government transparency measures and public safety.
In 2026, he co-sponsored the “NYS Budget Transparency Act,” a constitutional amendment aimed at stopping the use of “messages of necessity” that let major budget bills skip the state’s three-day public review requirement.
“A total eclipse is coming to Albany. If you thought we had government operating in darkness, wait until the nine budget bills come out,” Tedisco said in the measure’s announcement.
Senator Tedisco and Assemblywoman Mary Beth Walsh welcome Galway High School seniors to the State Capitol, December 2024. (NYS Senate)
He has also sponsored Joycelynn’s Law, to increase penalties for aggravated endangerment of a child, and has continued pushing “Jacobe’s Law” on school bullying and parental notification.
When the Legislature passed new congressional redistricting lines in June 2026, Tedisco condemned the move. “Elected officials and partisan political hacks shouldn’t rig the game by drawing district lines so they can choose our representatives. Only voters should choose their representatives,” he said.
2026 REELECTION FIGHT
Tedisco is seeking a sixth full Senate term in 2026 against Democrat Sarah Rogerson.
Rogerson, an Albany Law School professor and immigration attorney, defeated Stillwater Village Trustee Patrick Nelson in a June 2026 Democratic primary, capturing roughly two-thirds of the vote.
She has since been named a target-race candidate by the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, the national party arm chaired by State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, which is directing financial resources toward flipping the seat.
As of mid-July 2026, Tedisco held a cash advantage, reporting about $120,168 on hand to Rogerson’s roughly $57,848.
2026 SENATE 44 CAMPAIGN CASH ON HAND
Campaign finance totals as of mid-July 2026, the most recent filing period at publication. Source: New York State Board of Elections campaign finance filings.
Tedisco has pointed to New York’s outmigration trends to argue against a Democratic supermajority.
He has also emphasized his winning margin in 2024, when he defeated Saratoga County Board of Supervisors member Minita Sanghvi with 57% of the vote.
“I’m proud to say there’s no greater endorsement I could have then from the voters and taxpayers in this representative democracy who have elected me over and over again,” Tedisco said.
LOOKING AHEAD
At 76, Tedisco is running for what would be his sixth full term in the State Senate, and his 22nd overall election victory in the Capital Region.
Democrats are targeting his seat with national money and a well-funded challenger, making 2026 his toughest test in years.
PagPol will continue following the 44th Senate District race through Election Day. For updates on this and other Saratoga County races, sign up for PagPol’s Saratoga County newsletter.
