Andrea Alice Stewart-Cousins (née Stewart; born September 2, 1950) is an American politician and educator from Yonkers, New York. A member of the Democratic Party, Stewart-Cousins has represented District 35 in the New York State Senate since 2007 and served as Majority Leader and Temporary President of that body since 2019. She has served twice as acting lieutenant governor of New York under Governor Kathy Hochul, for 16 days in 2021 and between April and May 2022. Stewart-Cousins is the first Black woman to serve as New York's lieutenant governor, although in an acting capacity. She is the first woman in New York State history to lead a conference in the New York State Legislature and the first female Senate Majority Leader in New York history.
Stewart-Cousins was first elected to the New York State Senate in 2006. She served as a Westchester County Legislator from 1996 to 2006. In 2012, she was chosen by her colleagues to lead the Senate Democratic Conference. After the Democratic Party won a Senate majority in the 2018 elections, Stewart-Cousins became majority leader in January 2019.
