ALBANY, N.Y. -- New York State Senate Democrats believe 2016 is the year they can gain enough seats to win full control of the chamber, an elusive goal in the last six years.
"We've got to take the state Senate back for the Democrats. We've got to take it back," said Senate Minority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, D-Yonkers.
Democrats believe the recent embrace of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump by Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan will be to their benefit.
"I’m going to make this unequivocally clear. I’m supporting Donald Trump for president," said Flanagan, R-Smithtown. "I’m going to do so with grace, with diplomacy, with passion and with fervor and I’m going to do it with New York style.
Democrats running down ballot typically do better in presidential election years, when they benefit from the coattails of the top of the ticket. This year, with Trump's rhetoric, Democrats believe even more members of their party will come out to vote.
"I'm surprised because if the Republicans want to align themselves with Donald Trump, it's really to the benefit of the Democratic candidate because New York is not a state that's going to sanction that kind of behavior," said state Sen. Michael Gianaris, D-Queens.
Both parties are being tested by populist headwinds this year, however, and Trump's nomination could bring out more voters, especially upstate and in the suburbs.
"I think they're being driven by winds they don't control. I think that they are more concerned about the right wing of their own party and I think we are seeing a party in meltdown, whether it be on the national level or at the state," said state Sen. James Sanders, D-Queens.
Other Democrats see an endorsement of Trump as problematic for New York Republicans who have been considered reliable moderates.
"I think it's appalling. Any Republican endorsing Donald Trump from New York should really have their head examined," said state Sen. Brad Hoylman, D-Manhattan.
A Senate Republican spokesman, in response, pointed to the tax hikes under Senate Democrats during their majority and efforts to cut taxes and restore education spending under Republicans, adding it's time for them to focus on what matters to voters instead.