VoterLens
New York State Senate District 56
Kingsborough Community College—Associate of Art and Science, Communication and Media Studies
Data last updated 10/21/2026
Orlando Rivera is a Republican candidate for New York State Senate District 56 and previously ran for New York State Assembly District 136. He is a licensed real estate professional and workforce development/community leader, currently serving as Chairman of the Rochester Hispanic Business Association and as a Commissioner on the City of Rochester Civil Service Commission. His past work includes roles connected to workforce development, real estate, and community service organizations in the Rochester area.
Committee Assignments: No committee assignments available.
Orlando Rivera's identifiable healthcare position in the 2026 New York State Senate District 56 race centers on fiscal caution: he said he would not support a New York State single-payer healthcare system because of taxpayer cost concerns, and he questioned how a proposed universal children's health coverage plan would be paid for and whether providers would accept it. His campaign website does not list healthcare among its stated issue priorities.
Specific Actions & Proposals
In an October 6, 2026 WXXI candidate forum for New York State Senate District 56, Rivera said he would not support New York State running a single-payer healthcare system, citing concerns about taxpayer burden in a high-tax state.
SourceDuring the same District 56 forum, Rivera responded to Senator Jeremy Cooney's proposal for universal health coverage for children by asking who would pay for it and whether providers would accept the insurance.
SourceOrlando Rivera's Economy & Jobs platform for New York State Senate District 56 emphasizes cutting regulations and taxes for small businesses, expanding skilled-trades workforce training, and promoting development that creates economic opportunity in the Rochester area.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Rivera says he supports cutting red tape and excessive regulations on small businesses as part of his jobs and economic growth platform.
SourceRivera says he supports expanding workforce training tied to skilled trades and argues that trades, licensing, apprenticeships, and job-readiness programs can offer young people strong earnings and entrepreneurial paths.
SourceRivera's Monroe County GOP profile says that through board service with a local business organization he has worked to strengthen economic opportunity, support small business growth, and elevate professionals across Greater Rochester.
SourceWhen asked about high-speed rail or similar transportation investment, Rivera said he would support anything that brings economic opportunity to the area because Rochester has not replaced jobs lost from major employers such as Kodak and Xerox.
SourceNo candidate-specific immigration position for Orlando Rivera in the 2026 New York State Senate District 56 race was found in the searched sources. His campaign site lists priorities such as public safety, school choice, jobs and growth, housing, and fiscal responsibility, but does not state an immigration position.
No specific climate-change platform, climate bill, or renewable-energy position for Orlando Rivera in the 2026 New York State Senate District 56 race was found. The only Climate & Energy-related position located was an energy-affordability comment on WXXI, where Rivera said $200 utility rebate checks were "a give back" but "not a solution" and criticized their timing amid years of high utility bills.
Specific Actions & Proposals
When asked whether he would have supported the $200 utility rebate checks, Rivera said they were "a give back" but "not a solution" and said the timing was a concern because people had been struggling with utility bills for years.
SourceOrlando Rivera supports a school-choice agenda for New York State Senate District 56, including expanded vouchers, more charter-school options, student-based funding, and reducing statewide education mandates. He also supports expanding workforce training tied to skilled trades and community-college/apprenticeship pipelines as an education-to-career pathway.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Rivera's campaign says he supports expanding vouchers so families can choose charter schools and argues that every child deserves a quality education regardless of ZIP code.
SourceRivera argued that not every student is best served by a four-year college path and called for more partnerships with community colleges, apprenticeships, work experiences, and job-readiness training tied to skilled trades.
SourceRivera's campaign lists ending one-size-fits-all education mandates from Albany as part of his school choice and education platform.
SourceOrlando Rivera identifies public safety as a top priority for his 2026 New York State Senate District 56 campaign, emphasizing support for law enforcement, community policing, bail-law rollback, offender accountability, and gang prevention. In a WXXI candidate forum, he linked his position to youth car theft and domestic violence concerns and said repeat or violent offenders should be held more accountable.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Rivera's campaign platform says he would fully support law enforcement and community policing as part of keeping communities safe.
SourceRivera's campaign platform calls for repealing what it describes as reckless bail laws that return repeat offenders to the street.
SourceRivera's campaign platform says he supports holding violent criminals accountable while investing in gang prevention.
SourceIn a WXXI forum for New York State Senate District 56 candidates, Rivera said public safety is his top issue and argued that young offenders and others committing crimes should face more accountability rather than exploiting loopholes.
SourceIn the WXXI candidate forum, Rivera said that with rising domestic violence in the city and county, victims need to be respected by ensuring offenders are held accountable for their actions.
SourceN.Y.S. Assembly Candidates, New York District 136
https://www.tbbor.com/index.php?District=136&Itemid=745&fileid=145&option=com_jumi&view=applicationFetched: education
Orlando Rivera for New York State Senate campaign website
https://orlandojrivera.com/Fetched: votingRecord, campaignFinance
WXXI News
https://www.wxxinews.org/2026-10-06/coming-up-jeremy-cooney-and-orlando-rivera-candidates-for-nys-senate-district-56Fetched: votingRecord
New York State Board of Elections Candidate Profile
https://results.elections.ny.gov/candidate/422Fetched: endorsements
WXXI News Monroe County Election Guide
https://www.wxxinews.org/text/local-news/2026-10-14/monroe-county-election-guide-how-and-where-to-vote-and-who-the-candidates-areFetched: endorsements
WXXI Video
https://video.wxxi.org/video/jeremy-cooney-and-orlando-rivera-candidates-for-nys-senate-district-56-b8ozos/Fetched: issuePositions
WXXI News
https://www.wxxinews.org/show/connections/2026-10-06/jeremy-cooney-and-orlando-rivera-candidates-for-nys-senate-district-56Fetched: issuePositions
WXXI/PBS Connections with Evan Dawson
https://video.wxxi.org/video/jeremy-cooney-and-orlando-rivera-candidates-for-nys-senate-district-56-b8ozos/Fetched: issuePositions
Monroe County GOP Orlando Rivera candidate profile
https://www.monroegop.com/orlando-riveraFetched: issuePositions
VOTE411 Voter Guide - New York Senate District 56 Orlando Rivera
https://onyourballot.vote411.org/candidate-detail.do?id=73213065Fetched: issuePositions
WXXI News - Jeremy Cooney and Orlando Rivera, candidates for NYS Senate District 56
https://www.wxxinews.org/show/connections/2026-10-06/jeremy-cooney-and-orlando-rivera-candidates-for-nys-senate-district-56Fetched: issuePositions
VOTE411 Voter Guide
https://onyourballot.vote411.org/race-detail.do?id=4034656Fetched: issuePositions
WXXI video transcript
https://video.wxxi.org/video/jeremy-cooney-and-orlando-rivera-candidates-for-nys-senate-district-56-b8ozos/Fetched: issuePositions
WXXI Connections with Evan Dawson
https://video.wxxi.org/video/jeremy-cooney-and-orlando-rivera-candidates-for-nys-senate-district-56-b8ozos/Fetched: issuePositions
Monroe County GOP candidate profile
https://www.monroegop.com/orlando-riveraFetched: candidateIdentity
WXXI News Monroe County election guide
https://www.wxxinews.org/local-news/2026-10-14/monroe-county-election-guide-how-and-where-to-vote-and-who-the-candidates-areFetched: candidateIdentity