J. Gustavo Rivera
2011 - Present
2025
13
J. Gustavo Rivera (Democratic Party) is a member of the New York State Senate, representing District 33. He assumed office in 2011. His current term ends on January 1, 2025.
Rivera (Democratic Party, Working Families Party) ran for re-election to the New York State Senate to represent District 33. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Biography
Rivera earned his B.A. in political science from the University of Puerto Rico in 1998, and attended the Graduate Center of the City University of New York to pursue a doctoral degree in political science.
His professional experience includes working as a faculty member in the political science department at Pace University, as a community organizer for campaigns at the local and state level and serving as the Hispanic Vote Director for Florida under Barack Obama's campaign for president.
In August 2012, he was included in a list of 20 Latino political rising stars compiled by the San Francisco Chronicle.[1]
Committee assignments
2021-2022
Rivera was assigned to the following committees:
- Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Committee
- Crime Victims, Crime and Correction Committee
- Finance Committee
- Senate Health Committee, Chair
- Senate Higher Education Committee
- Housing, Construction and Community Development Committee
- Senate Mental Health Committee
2019-2020
Rivera was assigned to the following committees:
- Senate Health Committee, Chair
- Crime Victims, Crime and Correction Committee
- Finance Committee
- Housing, Construction and Community Development Committee
- Senate Mental Health Committee
- Senate Social Services Committee
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| New York committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Crime Victims, Crime and Correction |
| • Ethics |
| • Finance |
| • Health |
| • Higher Education |
| • Insurance |
| • Labor |
| • Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities |
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Rivera served on the following committees:
| New York committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Crime Victims, Crime and Correction |
| • Ethics |
| • Finance |
| • Health |
| • Higher Education |
| • Labor |
| • Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities |
2013-2014
In the 2013-2014 legislative session, Rivera served on the following committees:
| New York committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Crime Victims, Crime and Correction |
| • Ethics |
| • Finance |
| • Health |
| • Higher Education |
| • Labor |
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Rivera served on these committees:
| New York committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Banks |
| • Crime Victims, Crime and Correction |
| • Finance |
| • Health |
| • Higher Education |
| • Labor |
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2024
See also: New York State Senate elections, 2024
General election
General election for New York State Senate District 33
Incumbent J. Gustavo Rivera defeated Dion Powell in the general election for New York State Senate District 33 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | J. Gustavo Rivera (D / Working Families Party) | 74.7 | 47,808 | |
| Dion Powell (R / Conservative Party) | 25.0 | 16,020 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.3 | 185 | ||
| Total votes: 64,013 | ||||
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Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent J. Gustavo Rivera advanced from the Democratic primary for New York State Senate District 33.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Dion Powell advanced from the Republican primary for New York State Senate District 33.
Conservative Party primary election
The Conservative Party primary election was canceled. Dion Powell advanced from the Conservative Party primary for New York State Senate District 33.
Working Families Party primary election
The Working Families Party primary election was canceled. Incumbent J. Gustavo Rivera advanced from the Working Families Party primary for New York State Senate District 33.
Campaign finance
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Rivera in this election.
2022
See also: New York State Senate elections, 2022
General election
General election for New York State Senate District 33
Incumbent J. Gustavo Rivera won election in the general election for New York State Senate District 33 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | J. Gustavo Rivera (D / Working Families Party) | 99.5 | 33,020 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.5 | 163 | ||
| Total votes: 33,183 | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for New York State Senate District 33
Incumbent J. Gustavo Rivera defeated Miguelina Camilo in the Democratic primary for New York State Senate District 33 on August 23, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | J. Gustavo Rivera | 51.9 | 6,095 | |
| Miguelina Camilo | 47.6 | 5,589 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.5 | 63 | ||
| Total votes: 11,747 | ||||
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Working Families Party primary election
The Working Families Party primary election was canceled. Incumbent J. Gustavo Rivera advanced from the Working Families Party primary for New York State Senate District 33.
2020
See also: New York State Senate elections, 2020
General election
General election for New York State Senate District 33
Incumbent J. Gustavo Rivera defeated Dustin Martinez and Steven Stern in the general election for New York State Senate District 33 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | J. Gustavo Rivera (D / Working Families Party) | 87.9 | 67,268 | |
 | Dustin Martinez (R) | 10.8 | 8,288 | |
| Steven Stern (Conservative Party) | 1.2 | 890 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 62 | ||
| Total votes: 76,508 | ||||
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Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent J. Gustavo Rivera advanced from the Democratic primary for New York State Senate District 33.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Dustin Martinez advanced from the Republican primary for New York State Senate District 33.
Conservative Party primary election
The Conservative Party primary election was canceled. Steven Stern advanced from the Conservative Party primary for New York State Senate District 33.
Working Families Party primary election
The Working Families Party primary election was canceled. Incumbent J. Gustavo Rivera advanced from the Working Families Party primary for New York State Senate District 33.
2018
- See also: New York State Senate elections, 2018
Rivera also ran in the 2018 election as a Working Families Party candidate.
General election
General election for New York State Senate District 33
Incumbent J. Gustavo Rivera defeated Nicole Torres and Steven Stern in the general election for New York State Senate District 33 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | J. Gustavo Rivera (D) | 95.0 | 46,533 | |
| Nicole Torres (R) | 4.3 | 2,099 | |
| Steven Stern (Conservative Party) | 0.6 | 302 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.0 | 23 | ||
| Total votes: 48,957 (100.00% precincts reporting) | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for New York State Senate District 33
Incumbent J. Gustavo Rivera advanced from the Democratic primary for New York State Senate District 33 on September 13, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | J. Gustavo Rivera | |
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for New York State Senate District 33
Nicole Torres advanced from the Republican primary for New York State Senate District 33 on September 13, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Nicole Torres |
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Conservative Party primary election
Conservative Party primary for New York State Senate District 33
Steven Stern advanced from the Conservative Party primary for New York State Senate District 33 on September 13, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Steven Stern |
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2016
- See also: New York State Senate elections, 2016
Elections for the New York State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election took place on September 13, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The filing deadline for major party candidates was July 14, 2016. The filing deadline for independent candidates was August 23, 2016.
Incumbent J. Gustavo Rivera defeated Steven Stern in the New York State Senate District 33 general election.[2][3]
| New York State Senate, District 33 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  J. Gustavo Rivera Incumbent |
97.88% | 61,953 | |
| Conservative | Steven Stern | 2.12% | 1,340 | |
| Total Votes | 63,293 | |||
| Source: New York Board of Elections | ||||
Incumbent J. Gustavo Rivera defeated Fernando Cabrera in the New York State Senate District 33 Democratic primary.[4][5]
| New York State Senate, District 33 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | J. Gustavo Rivera Incumbent |
62.97% | 6,036 | |
| Democratic | Fernando Cabrera | 37.03% | 3,549 | |
| Total Votes | 9,585 | |||
Rivera also ran on the Working Families Party ticket.
Steven Stern ran unopposed in the New York State Senate District 33 Conservative primary.[4][5]
| New York State Senate, District 33 Conservative Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Conservative | Steven Stern (unopposed) | |
2014
- See also: New York State Senate elections, 2014
Elections for the New York State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on September 9, 2014. The general election took place November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was July 10, 2014. Incumbent J. Gustavo Rivera defeated Fernando Cabrera in the Democratic primary, while Steven Stern was unopposed in the Republican primary. Jose Padilla ran on the Independence Party of New York State ticket. Rivera ran on the Working Families Party ticket and Stern ran on the Conservative Party ticket. Rivera defeated Stern and Padilla in the general election.[6][7][8]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | J. Gustavo Rivera Incumbent |
86.5% | 19,809 | |
| None | Blank | 7% | 1,602 | |
| Republican | Steven Stern | 4.9% | 1,126 | |
| Independence | Jose A. Padilla, Jr. | 1.5% | 342 | |
| None | Scattering | 0.1% | 24 | |
| Total Votes | 22,903 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
J. Gustavo Rivera Incumbent |
59.3% | 5,516 |
| Fernando Cabrera | 40.7% | 3,785 |
| Total Votes | 9,301 | |
2012
- See also: New York State Senate elections, 2012
Rivera ran in the 2012 election for New York State Senate District 33. Rivera defeated Manuel R. Tavarez in the Democratic primary on September 13, 2012. He also ran on the Working Families Party ticket. Rivera defeated Michael E. Walters (R) in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[9][10][11]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | J. Gustavo Rivera Incumbent |
96.1% | 57,167 | |
| Republican | Michael E. Walters | 3.9% | 2,296 | |
| Total Votes | 59,463 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Gustavo Rivera Incumbent |
69.5% | 4,988 |
| Manuel Tavarez | 30.5% | 2,193 |
| Total Votes | 7,181 | |
2010
- See also: New York State Senate elections, 2010
Rivera defeated incumbent Pedro Espada in the September 14 Democratic primary by a margin of 6,870-3,607.[12] Rivera defeated John McCarthy (R) in the general election on November 2.[13][14]
Across the country in 2010, state senate elections were held in 43 states. 1,167 state senate seats were at stake. In all 1,167 state senate districts with an election in 2010, only 19 challengers (12 Democrats and 7 Republicans) defeated an incumbent state senator. Rivera was one of the 12 Democratic challengers who defeated an incumbent Democratic state senator.
| New York State Senate, General Election Results, District 33 (2010) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| J. Gustavo Rivera (D)
|
27,417 | |||
| John Reynolds (G) | 833 | |||
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
J. Gustavo Rivera did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
2022
J. Gustavo Rivera did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
2020
J. Gustavo Rivera did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
2014
Rivera's campaign website highlighted the following issues:[15]
Education
- Excerpt: "Gustavo Rivera believes that New York State needs to deliver on our promise to provide a quality education to our children. That is why he has fought to ensure that education funding be awarded to the schools that are most in need and not based on what schools are able to apply for and win grants."
Affordable Housing
- Excerpt: "Gustavo Rivera believes that New York City needs more affordable housing. He has fought to preserve affordable housing and to help Bronxites find affordable housing options. Gustavo has come up with innovative solutions to help preserve affordable housing and has reached out to seniors who are eligible for specific programs such as SCRIE."
Health
- Excerpt: "Gustavo has also introduced legislation that prohibits hospitals from segregating patients into different systems of health care based on their insurance status. This legislation seeks to address issues of health inequity that largely impact communities of color. Gustavo Rivera believes that all patients deserve to receive the same standard of care."
Restoring Faith in Government
- Excerpt: "His first week in office, Gustavo Rivera introduced legislation to increase government transparency and make it mandatory for public officials to disclose all sources of income they receive apart from their government salary. It was important to Gustavo that New Yorkers know exactly who is paying their public officials. Passing this legislation as part of Governor Cuomo’s ethics package was one important step toward ending the influence of special interests in state government."
Immigrants' Rights
- Excerpt: "As a co-sponsor of the New York DREAM Act and New York DREAM Fund, Gustavo Rivera has been aggressively pushing greater access to higher education for undocumented immigrants in the State Senate. In order to provide undocumented students with the same opportunities as other students, we as a state have to provide them with financial aid and grants to be able to afford college. While Gustavo feels that Washington D.C. needs to pass a federal DREAM Act with a pathway to citizenship for undocumented students, he feels that New York should continue to be a leader on immigrants’ rights issues and will continue to push for a New York DREAM Act."
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of New York scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2023
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In 2023, the New York State Legislature was in session from January 4 to June 21.
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2022
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In 2022, the New York State Legislature was in session from January 5 to June 4.
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2021
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In 2021, the New York State Legislature was in session from January 6 to June 10.
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2020
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show]. |
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In 2020, the New York State Legislature was in session from January 8 to December 31.
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2019
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In 2019, the New York State Legislature was in session from January 9 through January 8, 2020.
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2018
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In 2018, the 202nd New York State Legislature, second annual session, was in session from January 3 through June 20.
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2017
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In 2017, the 202nd New York State Legislature, first annual session, was in session from January 4 through December 31. A recess began June 21, and there was a special session June 28-29.
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2016
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In 2016, the 201st New York State Legislature, second annual session, was in session from January 6 through June 18.
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2015
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In 2015, the 201st New York State Legislature, first annual session, was in session from January 7 through June 25.
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2014
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In 2014, the 200th New York State Legislature, second annual session, was in session from January 8 to June 19, 2014.
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2013
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In 2013, the 200th New York State Legislature, first annual session, was in session from January 9 to December 31.
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2012
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In 2012, the 199th New York State Legislature, second annual session, was in session from January 4 to June 22, 2012.
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2011
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In 2011, the 199th New York State Legislature, first annual session, was in session from January 5 to June 20, 2011.
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Endorsements
2012
In 2012, Rivera’s endorsements included the following:[16]
- 32BJ/SEIU
See also
2024 Elections
External links
|
Candidate New York State Senate District 33 |
Officeholder New York State Senate District 33 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ San Francisco Chronicle, "20 Latino political rising stars of 2012 (with PHOTO GALLERY)," August 25, 2012
- ↑ New York State Board of Elections, "2016 General Election Candidate List," accessed October 11, 2016
- ↑ New York State Board of Elections, "Election results, 2016," accessed December 23, 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 New York State Board of Elections, "Filings received for the 2016 State/Local Primary," accessed August 29, 2016
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 New York State Board of Elections, "Election returns September 13, 2016," accessed November 6, 2016
- ↑ New York Board of Elections, "Certification for the September 9, 2014, State Primary Election," accessed December 17, 2014
- ↑ New York Board of Elections, "Primary results for September 9, 2014," accessed October 1, 2014
- ↑ New York Board of Elections, "NYS Board of Elections Senate Election Returns November 4, 2014," accessed December 17, 2014
- ↑ State of New York, State Board of Elections, "Candidate List for the September 13, 2012, State Primary Election," accessed July 31, 2014
- ↑ State of New York, State Board of Elections, "Official September 13, 2012, Primary Results," accessed July 31, 2014
- ↑ State of New York, State Board of Elections, "Official Senate Election Returns Nov. 6, 2012," accessed July 31, 2014
- ↑ New York Times, "Newcomer ousts Espada," accessed August 1, 2014
- ↑ New York Times, "NY state legislative election results," accessed February 11, 2014
- ↑ New York State Board of Elections, "Official Primary results from September 14, 2010," accessed July 31, 2014
- ↑ Gustavo for State Senate, "Issues," accessed October 7, 2014
- ↑ New York Daily News, "32BJ/SEIU Endorses For State Senate, Assembly," August 1, 2012
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
New York State Senate District 33 2011-Present |
Succeeded by - |
