James Sanders, Jr.

James Sanders Jr. (born 1957) is a member of the New York State Senate, serving since January 2013. He represents the 10th Senatorial District, which includes the Queens neighborhoods of Richmond Hill, South Ozone Park, Jamaica, Rochdale Village, Rosedale and parts of Far Rockaway.

Early life
Sanders was born at the Hammel Houses in Far Rockaway. He attended public schools throughout the Rockaways then attended Brooklyn College. As a former Marine, he was one of the few City Council members who had served in the armed forces.

Career
Sanders won his seat in an underdog win against powerful candidates James Blake and Charlotte Jefferson. Blake had the support of incumbent councilwoman Juanita Watkins. In an upset Sanders managed to win election for the 31st Council Seat.

In 2002, Sanders was voted the first African-American to sit as Chair of the Economic Development Committee'.

In early 2007, Sanders endorsed then-Senator Barack Obama for President and traveled to Pennsylvania, Ohio, and South Carolina to campaign for him. He became an Obama delegate and represented his district at the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

In July 2009, Sanders was reported to have shown up for only 61% of City Council meetings for fiscal year 2009, the second-fewest on the list. However, he has attributed this to the near fatal car crash that he had in the fall of 2008 which also injured his staffers, Donovan Richards and Mike Duvall.

In 2009, he was challenged for reelection from candidates Michael Duncan, Jacques Leandre, and Frederick Lewis. He was re-elected with 40% of the vote, with his next leading opponent, Jacques Leandre, receiving 19%.

He ran for the New York State Senate and won, his council seat is now held by his former District Manager Donovan Richards.

In 2015, Sanders endorsed Senator Bernie Sanders for President of the United States in the 2016 Democratic primaries and the 2016 general election.

Personal life
In 2005, he married his former chief of staff. He has two children from a previous marriage.