Senator Lea Webb – New York State Senate

Lea Webb is an American politician serving as a member of the New York State Senate, representing the 52nd Senate District. She is a member of the Democratic Party and the Working Families Party. Senator Webb is a lifelong resident of the Southern Tier of New York, having been born and raised in Binghamton. She is known for her advocacy on issues affecting working families, small businesses, and communities of color, and has positioned herself as a champion for equity, public education, and environmental protection.

Webb is the first Black woman to represent the 52nd Senate District and part of a historic incoming class of Democratic senators in New York that consisted entirely of women for the first time in the state Senate’s 245‑year history. She has been recognized for her leadership in civic engagement and community organizing, including work training women to run for office and promoting political participation among underrepresented groups.

Education

Lea Webb is a first‑generation college graduate. She earned an associate degree from SUNY Broome Community College and later obtained a bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience from Binghamton University. Her academic background has informed her policy work on health, mental health, and educational access.

Political Experience

Prior to serving in the State Senate, Lea Webb served on the Binghamton City Council, where she was first elected in 2007 and reelected multiple times. She was the first Black person to serve on Binghamton’s City Council and, at the time of her election, among the youngest members of the council. During her time on the city council, she advanced initiatives to remove blighted properties, support redevelopment, address food insecurity through community gardens, and promote small business development and job creation.

Senator Webb was elected to the New York State Senate in November 2022 and assumed office on January 1, 2023, representing the 52nd Senate District. This district includes all of Cortland County and Tompkins County, as well as part of Broome County, including the city of Binghamton and several surrounding towns.

In the State Senate, Webb serves as Chair of the Senate Women’s Issues Committee and is a member of several key committees, including Agriculture, Health, Higher Education, Procurement & Contracts, Mental Health, and Cities 2. She has been a leading advocate for reproductive rights, pushing to ensure that New York remains a sanctuary for reproductive freedom.

Among her notable legislative accomplishments are:

• Passing legislation to establish a task force focused on missing and murdered Black, Indigenous, and other people of color women and girls.
• Preserving and supporting nonprofit carshare programs, including the Ithaca carshare.
• Banning CO2 fracking statewide to protect public health and the environment.
• Advocating for and securing funding for local theaters and cultural institutions as part of the state’s “Alive Downtowns!” initiative.
• Supporting measures to expand school lunch programs, universal pre‑kindergarten, and increase the Tuition Assistance Program award to help more students afford college.

Senator Webb continues to focus on equitable school funding, strengthening the regional economy, and advancing policies that support working families and small businesses across the Southern Tier and Central New York regions.