Who is running for New York State Senate, District 62 in 2026?

New York State Senator, District 62; Senate Minority Leader

Rob Ortt has represented Senate District 62 since January 2015 and has led the Senate Republican conference as Minority Leader since June 2020¹. Before the Senate he was North Tonawanda's city treasurer, clerk-treasurer and then mayor (2010 to 2014), and he served with the Army National Guard in Afghanistan in 2008, earning a Bronze Star¹. He appears on the Republican and Conservative lines on the November 3, 2026 ballot².

Where they stand 12 issues · tap any issue for the evidence

• Policing and crimeTougher sentences, more police funding, and stricter bailhigh

  Said · high confidence

  • His campaign site says cashless bail and parole changes let dangerous repeat felons back into communities, and that he supports repealing bail reform and making assaults on police a hate crime. (2026) source
  • His conference's 2025 agenda calls for reversing recent criminal justice changes, prioritizing victims over criminals, and protecting and empowering law enforcement officers. (2025-01) source
  • Voted no on repealing Civil Rights Law 50-a, which opened police disciplinary records to the public (40 to 22). (2020-06-09) source
  • Voted no on the Clean Slate Act, which seals certain old convictions automatically (37 to 25). (2023-06-09) source
• GunsRemove most restrictions; bearing arms is a rightmedium

  Said · medium confidence

  • His campaign site says he proudly supports the Second Amendment and sponsors multiple bills to fully repeal the SAFE Act. (2026) source
  • In 2017 he unveiled a bill to repeal the SAFE Act's ammunition database, license recertification and other provisions everywhere outside New York City, calling the law a sweeping overreach. (2017-01-05) source
  • Voted no on the 2022 concealed carry law that added licensing requirements and sensitive locations after the Bruen decision (43 to 20). (2022-07-01) source
  • Voted no on requiring a license to buy a semiautomatic rifle (43 to 20). (2022-06-02) source
• ImmigrationSecure the border first; deport those with criminal records; keep legal immigration steadymedium

  Said · medium confidence

  • His conference's 2025 agenda calls for securing the border, ending New York's sanctuary status and withholding funds from sanctuary cities, barring taxpayer funds for illegal migrants, and cooperating with federal officials to ensure the swift removal of illegal migrants. (2025-01) source
  • Said the state should not spend a single dollar on the migrant crisis until it ends the sanctuary city policies that created it. (2024) source
  • Voted no on the Green Light law allowing driver's licenses for residents without legal immigration status (33 to 29). (2019-06-17) source
• Election rulesPhoto ID required, with current access otherwisemedium

  Said · medium confidence

  • In a 2025 joint statement with Senator Mark Walczyk, said Senate Democrats blocked voter ID legislation in the Elections Committee and called voter ID a common sense approach to secure and fair elections. (2025) source
  • In 2026 he and Senate Republicans called for a voter ID requirement, a full audit of the voter rolls, repeal of the Green Light law, and a veto of automatic voter registration legislation. (2026) source
  • Voted no on the Early Mail Voter Act, which lets any voter request a mail ballot (41 to 21). (2023-06-06) source
• Term limitsYes, but longer limits that still allow long service, such as 12 years per chambermedium

  Official action · medium confidence

  • Co-sponsors S1586, a proposed constitutional amendment limiting legislators to 12 years per chamber and the governor, comptroller and attorney general to two terms. (2025) source
  • His conference's 2025 agenda calls for enacting term limits for politicians. (2025-01) source
• Energy and climateAll of the above: oil, gas, nuclear and renewables, and let markets picklow

  Said · low confidence

  • His conference's 2025 agenda calls for lasting and affordable clean energy and opposes climate taxes on consumers. (2025-01) source
  • Voted no on the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, which set the state's emissions reduction deadlines (41 to 21). (2019-06-18) source
• Business regulationCut red tape, but keep core safety and environmental ruleslow

  Said · low confidence

  • His campaign site says reducing taxes and regulations will create a climate where every New Yorker can find a good-paying job. (2026) source
• Transgender athletesNo, teams should be based on biological sex, with open or coed optionslow

  Said · low confidence

  • His conference's 2025 agenda lists protecting girls' sports among its parental rights proposals. (2025-01) source
• AbortionNo single answer fitslow

  Voted · low confidence

  • Voted no on the Reproductive Health Act, which allows abortion through 24 weeks and later to protect the patient's life or health or when the fetus is not viable (38 to 24). (2019-01-22) source
  • Voted no on the Equal Rights Amendment resolution, which added pregnancy outcomes and reproductive autonomy to the state constitution's equal protection clause (43 to 20). (2023-01-24) source
• MarijuanaNo single answer fitslow

  Voted · low confidence

  • Voted no on the Marihuana Regulation and Taxation Act, which legalized adult use and expunged past convictions (40 to 23). (2021-03-30) source
• School vaccinesNo single answer fitslow

  Voted · low confidence

  • Voted no on repealing the religious exemption from school vaccination requirements (36 to 26). (2019-06-13) source
• Gender care for minorsNo single answer fitslow

  Voted · low confidence

  • Voted no on a law shielding gender-affirming care patients and providers from out-of-state investigations (44 to 18). (2023-06-06) source

No public position found on: Safety net programs, Minimum wage, Healthcare, School choice, Curriculum and books, Housing and growth, Judges, Politicians trading stocks, Redistricting, Campaign finance, Electoral College, Ranked-choice voting, Death penalty, Qualified immunity, Mandatory minimums, Drug prices, Childcare and pre-K, Paid leave, Student loans, AI regulation, Kids online, Nuclear power, E-Verify mandate, DEI programs, Religion in schools, China policy.

Private citizen; political organizer and consultant

Thomas Arida is an activist and organizer from North Tonawanda who says he has worked on more than 150 state, local and federal campaigns since 2016 and founded a consulting and activist organization in 2020². He is challenging Senate Minority Leader Robert Ortt and appears on the Democratic and Working Families lines on the November 3, 2026 ballot¹³. His campaign site and Ballotpedia profile list no issue positions²³.

No public position found on: Safety net programs, Minimum wage, Business regulation, Healthcare, Abortion, Guns, Immigration, Energy and climate, School choice, Curriculum and books, Housing and growth, Policing and crime, Election rules, Judges, Politicians trading stocks, Marijuana, Gender care for minors, Redistricting, Term limits, Campaign finance, Electoral College, Ranked-choice voting, Death penalty, Qualified immunity, Mandatory minimums, Drug prices, Childcare and pre-K, Paid leave, Student loans, AI regulation, Kids online, School vaccines, Nuclear power, E-Verify mandate, Transgender athletes, DEI programs, Religion in schools, China policy.