Michael Ranzenhofer
Michael Ranzenhofer (Republican Party) was a member of the New York State Senate, representing District 61. He assumed office in 2009. He left office on January 1, 2021.
Ranzenhofer (Republican Party) ran for re-election to the New York State Senate to represent District 61. He won in the general election on November 6, 2018.
Ranzenhofer announced on December 6, 2019, that he would not seek re-election in 2020.[1]
Ranzenhofer served in the Erie County Legislature from 1989 to 2008. During this time, he served as both Majority and Minority Leader.
Biography
Ranzenhofer earned his B.A. from the State University of New York-Albany in 1976 and his J.D. from the State University of New York-Buffalo Law School in 1979. His professional experience includes being an attorney/partner for Friedman & Ranzenhofer, P.C.
Committee assignments
2019-2020
Ranzenhofer was assigned to the following committees:
- Senate Corporations, Authorities and Commissions Committee
- Finance Committee
- Senate Insurance Committee, Vice chair
- Senate Judiciary Committee
- Senate Transportation Committee
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| New York committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Agriculture |
| • Corporations, Authorities and Commissions, Chair |
| • Education |
| • Finance |
| • Judiciary |
| • Racing, Gaming and Wagering |
| • Rules |
| • Transportation |
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Ranzenhofer served on the following committees:
| New York committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Agriculture |
| • Corporations, Authorities and Commissions, Chair |
| • Education |
| • Finance |
| • Judiciary |
| • Racing, Gaming and Wagering |
| • Transportation |
2013-2014
In the 2013-2014 legislative session, Ranzenhofer served on the following committees:
| New York committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Corporations, Authorities and Commissions, Chair |
| • Agriculture |
| • Banks |
| • Education |
| • Finance |
| • Judiciary |
| • Racing, Gaming and Wagering |
| • Transportation |
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Ranzenhofer served on these committees:
| New York committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Agriculture |
| • Banks |
| • Corporations, Authorities and Commissions, Chair |
| • Crime Victims, Crime and Correction |
| • Education |
| • Elections |
| • Judiciary |
| • Racing, Gaming and Wagering |
| • Transportation |
2009-2010
In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Ranzenhofer served on these committees:
| New York committee assignments, 2009 |
|---|
| • Aging |
| • Agriculture |
| • Banks |
| • Corporations, Authorities and Commissions |
| • Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation |
| • Judiciary |
Campaign themes
2014
Ranzenhofer's campaign website highlighted the following issues:[2]
A Strong Voice for Our Community Taxes and Economic Development
- Excerpt: "As a small business owner, Mike understands the negative impact excessive government spending and high taxes can have on families and small businesses. That is why he is an outspoken leader and advocate for the communities he represents – moving our state in the right direction by working to cut spending, cut taxes and create jobs."
Fighting for Our Children Education
- Excerpt: "In addition to addressing the fiscal issues our schools face, Mike has been an outspoken critic of the State implementation of Common Core Standards and has introduced several pieces of legislation to reduce testing and protect students’ personal information. Most recently, Mike stood up for students and opposed Democratic efforts to reappoint the Regents who are responsible for Common Core in New York State."
Protecting Our Seniors
- Excerpt: "While holding the line on spending, Mike was still able to reprioritize limited State resources and protect our seniors by adding over $30 million to EPIC, preventing drastic increases in prescription drug costs by working with his colleagues in the Republican Senate Majority. Most recently, the state budget increased the income threshold for EPIC, making sure thousands of seniors have access to the care prescriptions they need."
Investing in Our Future
- Excerpt: "Mike worked to pass critical legislation that enacted the first phase of UB2020 and created new Centers of Excellence at the University of Buffalo and University of Rochester. He also sponsored legislation that was signed into law to expand faculty practices and better prepare our students for future job opportunities."
Supporting Agriculture
- Excerpt: "The agriculture industry remains a primary economic and employment engine in New York State. During his first term in Albany, Mike led the fight to defeat over $200 million in new mandates on family farms. Most recently, the state budget included legislation Mike sponsored to support young farmers and enacted reforms so that family farms remain viable for generations to come. Most notable Mike was strong advocate of raising the estate tax threshold, making it easier for farmers to preserve their family farms."
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
2020
- See also: New York State Senate elections, 2020
Michael Ranzenhofer did not file to run for re-election.
2018
- See also: New York State Senate elections, 2018
Ranzenhofer also ran in the 2018 election as a Conservative Party, Independence Party, and Reform Party candidate.
General election
General election for New York State Senate District 61
Incumbent Michael Ranzenhofer defeated Joan Seamans in the general election for New York State Senate District 61 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Michael Ranzenhofer (R) | 54.1 | 60,780 |
 | Joan Seamans (D) | 45.8 | 51,471 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.0 | 20 | ||
| Total votes: 112,271 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for New York State Senate District 61
Joan Seamans advanced from the Democratic primary for New York State Senate District 61 on September 13, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Joan Seamans |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for New York State Senate District 61
Incumbent Michael Ranzenhofer advanced from the Republican primary for New York State Senate District 61 on September 13, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Michael Ranzenhofer |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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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 Michael Ranzenhofer defeated Thomas A. Loughran and Ruben Cartagena Jr. in the New York State Senate District 61 general election.[3][4]
| New York State Senate, District 61 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Michael Ranzenhofer Incumbent |
57.61% | 75,255 | |
| Democratic | Thomas A. Loughran | 40.85% | 53,363 | |
| Green Party | Ruben Cartagena Jr. | 1.54% | 2,012 | |
| Total Votes | 130,630 | |||
| Source: New York Board of Elections | ||||
Thomas A. Loughran ran unopposed in the New York State Senate District 61 Democratic primary.[5][6]
| New York State Senate, District 61 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | Thomas A. Loughran (unopposed) | |
Loughran also ran on the Working Families and Women's Equality Party tickets. Incumbent Michael Ranzenhofer ran unopposed in the New York State Senate District 61 Republican primary.[5][6]
| New York State Senate, District 61 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | Michael Ranzenhofer Incumbent (unopposed) | |
Ranzenhofer also ran on the Conservative, Independence, and Reform Party tickets. Ruben Cartagena Jr. ran unopposed in the New York State Senate District 61 Green primary.[5][6]
| New York State Senate, District 61 Green Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Green Party | Ruben Cartagena Jr. (unopposed) | |
Thomas A. Loughran defeated Andre N. Liszka in the New York State Senate District 61 Working Families primary.[5][6]
| New York State Senate, District 61 Working Families Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Working Families | Thomas A. Loughran |
77.97% | 46 | |
| Working Families | Andre N. Liszka | 22.03% | 13 | |
| Total Votes | 59 | |||
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. Elaine Altman was unopposed in the Democratic primary, while incumbent Michael Ranzenhofer was unopposed in the Republican primary. Altman ran on the Working Families Party ticket and Ranzenhofer ran on the Conservative Party, SCC-Stop Common Core and Independence Party of New York State tickets. Ranzenhofer defeated Altman in the general election.[7][8][9]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Michael Ranzenhofer Incumbent |
62.6% | 51,711 | |
| Democratic | Elaine Altman | 32.5% | 26,836 | |
| None | Blank | 4.8% | 4,005 | |
| None | Void | 0% | 32 | |
| None | Scattering | 0% | 26 | |
| Total Votes | 82,610 | |||
2012
- See also: New York State Senate elections, 2012
Ranzenhofer ran in the 2012 election for New York State Senate District 61. He ran unopposed in the Republican primary on September 13, 2012. He also ran on the Conservative Party and Independence Party of New York State tickets. Ranzenhofer defeated Justin M. Rooney (D) in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[10][11][12]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Michael Ranzenhofer Incumbent |
59% | 73,103 | |
| Democratic | Justin M. Rooney | 41% | 50,889 | |
| Total Votes | 123,992 | |||
2010
- See also: New York State Senate elections, 2010
Ranzenhofer ran in the 2010 election for New York State Senate District 61. He was unopposed in the September 14 Republican primary. He defeated Marc Coppola (D) in the November 2 general election.[13][14]
| New York State Senate, General Election Results, District 61 (2010) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Michael Ranzenhofer (R)
|
63,467 | |||
| Marc Coppola (D) | 37,464 | |||
2008
- See also: New York State Senate elections, 2008
On November 4, 2008, Michael Ranzenhofer won the election for New York State Senate, District 61 with 74,750 votes.[15][16]
Ranzenhofer raised $1,329,507 for his campaign.[17]
| New York State Senate, District 61 (2008) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Michael Ranzenhofer (CON)
|
74,750 | |||
| Joe Mesi (D) | 67,207 | |||
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 [email protected].
2020
In 2020, the New York State Legislature was in session from January 8 to December 31.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on environmental issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
2019
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show]. |
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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
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show]. |
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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
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
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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
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
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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
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
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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
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show]. |
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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
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
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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
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2012, click [show]. |
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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
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2011, click [show]. |
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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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Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Ranzenhofer and his wife, Susan, have two children.
See also
- New York State Senate
- Senate Committees
- New York State Legislature
- New York state legislative districts
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Official campaign website
- Profile from Open States
- Legislative profile from Project Vote Smart
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Campaign contributions via Follow the Money
Footnotes
- ↑ Spectrum Local News, "Ranzenhofer Retiring From State Senate," December 6, 2019
- ↑ Michael Ranzenhofer for State Senate, "Issues," accessed October 8, 2014
- ↑ 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
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 New York State Board of Elections, "Filings received for the 2016 State/Local Primary," accessed August 29, 2016
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 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, "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
- ↑ New York State Board of Elections, "Official Primary results from September 9, 2008," accessed July 31, 2014
- ↑ New York State Board of Elections, "Official Senate Election Returns November 4, 2008," accessed July 31, 2014
- ↑ Follow the Money, "Report on Michael's 2008 campaign contributions," accessed July 31, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Mary Lou Rath (R) |
New York State Senate District 61 2009-2021 |
Succeeded by Edward Rath III (R) |
