Elections
In 2002,Parker defeated former City Councilman Noach Dear in a tightly-contested Democratic primary for a newly drawn,open State Senate seat in Brooklyn. [8] He won the 2002 general election and was elected to the Senate for the first time. [9]
In the 2008 Democratic primary,Parker held off a strong challenge from New York City Councilmembers Simcha Felder and Kendall Stewart. He won the primary with less than 50% of the vote. [10]
In 2022,following redistricting,Parker received a primary challenge from Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) candidate David Alexis. Parker prevailed over Alexis,45.61%-37.49%,with former Manhattan ADA Kaegan Mays-Williams receiving 16.09% of the vote. [11] [12] Alexis remained in the race on the Working Families Party line,and Parker defeated him by a wide margin in the general election. [13]
Tenure
In April 2010,Parker launched into a tirade while a white colleague,Republican Senator John DeFrancisco of Syracuse,was questioning a Black nominee for the New York State Power Authority at a confirmation hearing. He objected to DeFrancisco's questions and asserted that he had never seen a white nominee treated in similar fashion. "Amid the nearly two-minute tirade,committee chairman Carl Kruger told Parker he would be removed from the hearing room if he didn't settle down". [14] Parker responded:"Well,you better bring people". [15] During the tirade,Parker accused his colleagues of racism. He followed up in a radio interview by accusing DeFrancisco and other Republican "enemies" of being white supremacists; [16] [17] he later apologized for the "white supremacists" accusation. [18] His fellow Democrat,Senator Rubén Díaz Sr.,opined that Parker "needs help". [19] The editorial board of The New York Times opined that "Mr. Parker should be censured,and voters in central Brooklyn should start recruiting a qualified replacement." [20]
On June 24,2011,the State Senate passed the Marriage Equality Act. [21] Parker voted in favor of the legislation,which was signed into law that evening. [22] However,he stormed to the podium where Lieutenant Gov. Robert Duffy was presiding and then left the Senate floor in protest because he was not allowed to speak on the bill. [23] [21] According to Parker,Senate Democrats had previously been informed that each Senator would have two minutes to explain his or her vote. [23] Parker added that the doors to the Senate chamber were locked on the evening of June 24 to prevent senators from leaving the chamber when the bill was voted upon. [23]
After the Democrats won the Senate majority in the 2018 elections,Parker was named Chair of the Committee on Energy and Telecommunications. [24]
In December 2018,a car bearing Parker's Senate parking placard was parked illegally in a New York City bicycle lane,blocking bicycle traffic. [19] [25] When questioned on Twitter by a Republican female staffer about the vehicle,Parker replied,"Kill yourself!" [26] [27] Parker later commented,"I don't know why this is a temper issue. Did I touch her?" [28] He also said:"I’m sure people in my district don’t care." [29] Parker deleted his tweet and issued an apology. [30] Senate Democratic Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins criticized Parker for his tweet. However,as of January 27,2019,no formal disciplinary action had been taken against him in regard to the "Kill yourself!" tweet. [31]
The State Senate passed the Reproductive Health Act in January 2019,with Parker voting in favor of the bill;then-Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the bill into law. [32] [33]
In May 2019,the State Senate passed a Parker-sponsored bill that would ban undetectable firearms. [34] In July 2019,Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the bill into law. [35] [36]
A Parker-sponsored bill that barred utility companies from shutting off customers' service during the COVID-19 pandemic and other states of emergency was signed into law on June 17,2020. [37]
On October 14,2020,a Parker-sponsored bill recognizing Juneteenth (June 19) as an official state holiday was enacted. Juneteenth commemorates the day when the news of the liberation of enslaved persons reached Texas more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation went into effect. [38]
Also in 2020,Parker sponsored a bill that would have recognized racism as a public health crisis. [39] In 2021,he re-introduced legislation to require members of the NYPD to live in the five boroughs. [40]
As of March 2026,Parker served as the Senate's senior assistant majority leader. [41] His district,Senate District 21,consists of the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Flatbush,East Flatbush,Kensington,Ditmas Park,Midwood,Flatlands,Canarsie,Georgetown,Old Mill Basin,Mill Basin,Bergen Beach and Marine Park. [5]
