Rebecca Seawright


Rebecca Seawright is the Assembly member for the 76th District of the New York State Assembly. The district includes portions of the Upper East Side, Roosevelt Island and Yorkville in Manhattan.

Life and career

Seawright was born and raised in Texas, and came to New York City to attend law school at the City University of New York. Formerly, she served as the New York State Director of the National Women’s Political Caucus, also worked in the New York Assembly as a staffer. She also worked in Washington, D.C., including for United States Senator Lloyd Bentsen.
An advocate for women's rights, Seawright serves on the boards of the Feminist Press and the CUNY School of Law Board of Visitors.

New York Assembly

Seawright was sworn into office on January 1, 2015. She is a member of the Banking Committee; Consumer Affairs and Protection Committee; Corporations, Authorities and Commissions Committee; Judiciary Committee; and the Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports Development Committee. In her first year of office, Seawright succeeded in passing 6 different pieces of legislation in the Assembly. During her first term, 7 Seawright Bills have been passed into law, and 10 Bills were passed by Assembly. She is the Chair of the Subcommittee on Consumer Fraud Protection and also sits on the Assembly's Work group on operations. She also is a member of the Legislative Women's Caucus and Bipartisan Pro-Choice Legislative Caucus.
As an Assemblymember, Seawright has been a staunch advocate for Women and Minorities. She has declared herself as a "fighter against discrimination and intolerance at all levels of our society."
Assemblyman Micah Kellner decided to not seek re-election in 2014, and Seawright entered the race to succeed him. The only woman in the race, she would go on to defeat three others to take the Democratic nomination. Seawright easily won the general election with nearly 67% of the vote. She has a 100% attendance record in the New York State legislature.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Seawright missed the deadline to submit her candidacy for the 2020 Democratic Party primary for her seat. This forced her to create a new ballot line for the Rise and Unite party, which requires signatures from 1,050 voters. This gave the Republicans a rare opportunity in this long-held Democratic district.